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As I mentioned when covering the top 10 college football players of all time as picked by a panel of experts, picking a top ## anything and then publishing it for internet consumption is a fruitless endeavor at best, and the epitome of trolling at its worst. (Especially when picking the 50 best Christmas movies of all time.)
So when 35 members of the USA Today sports staff took it upon themselves to determine the top 50 athletes of the decade of the 2010s, you can bet they knew what they were getting into before they even cast their votes.
By my count, the list includes (adding in the “others receiving votes”)…
• 11 football players
• 10 basketball players
• 6 soccer players
• 5 baseball players
• 4 tennis players
• 4 skiiers and snowboarders
• 4 track and field competitor
• 3 hockey players
• 3 golfers
• 3 race car drivers
• 2 swimmers
• 2 boxers
• 2 horses
• 1 gymnast
• 1 mixed martial artist
Here is the top athlete for each sport that received votes…
3. Tom Brady
1. LeBron James
8. Lionel Messi
6. Mike Trout
2. Serena Williams
5. Usain Bolt
17. Sidney Crosby
30. Tiger Woods
40. Lewis Hamilton
9. Michael Phelps
24. Lindsey Vonn
22. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
21. American Pharoah
4. Simone Biles
45. Jon Jones
Others listed in the Top 20…
7. Steph Curry
10. Novak Djokovic
11. Katie Ledecky
12. Kevin Durant
13. Rafael Nadal
14. Cristiano Ronaldo
15. Aaron Rodgers
16. Roger Federer
18. Clayton Kershaw
19. Alex Ovechkin
20. Carli Lloyd
As expected, because, internet, people had problems with USA Today’s rankings.
One UFC fighter? Multiple boxers?
— Mike Calabrese (@mikecala98) December 19, 2019
Trout at 6???
— Nathaniel/Nate Green (@hscer) December 19, 2019
One black NFL player, and he's at the very bottom of your list?
— TaritaC.bsky.social (@TaritaC) December 19, 2019
Great list. But not sure I agree with Lloyd (102 goals in decade), Wambach (81 goals in decade), Rapinoe (decade assist leader) ahead of Morgan (107 goals, 43 assists in decade).
— andy w (@WachsAndy) December 19, 2019
Downright ignorant. Friggin skiiers, horses, wnba players ive never heard of and a guy with 4 batting titles who doesnt hit infield singles isnt there.
— Joshua LeClair (@tigerblogger) December 20, 2019
Lol, the people at @usatodaysports are a bunch of morons. If you're gonna have 2 golfers on your top 50 athletes for the decade and not include @McIlroyRory, you have zero credibility covering the sport.
— Jason Newsome (@TheJasonNewsome) December 20, 2019
Why are there no Supercross/Motocross riders on this list.
— Joshua Andersen (@ProMotoFanTalk) December 19, 2019
Oh, c’mon…
Check out the entire list here.