Greatest Sports Icons

The meaning of the word iconic is diferrent than the word best.
Iconic person is a famous person that represents something of importance.
Football is the most popular sport in the world.
During his career Pelé travelled all around the globe with his club (Santos) playing many friendlies with other clubs, so millions of people shaw him playing and gained a popularity and fame as no one athlete before or after him.
"My name is Ronald Reagan, I'm the President of the United States of America. But you don't need to introduce yourself, because everyone knows who Pelé is."
-US President Ronald Reagan, greeting Pelé at the White House.
"Pelé was one of the few who contradicted my theory: instead of 15 minutes of fame, he will have 15 centuries."
-Andy Warhol.
Pelé was elected 'ATHLETE OF THE CENTURY' by International Olympic Committe (the highest sports authority) in 1999.
That's why Pelé is the most iconic athlete of all times.

Michael Jordan can be considered as the most talented athlete of a single sport of all times.
His name can be equal with the word spectacle.
He inspired a lot of basketball greats after him.
All we have seen him playing, we are sure that we won't see anybody like him in future. We are lucky.

fantastic basketball player!

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) is definitely among the greatest boxers of all times, but not the number 1.
His career was exciting due to his selfish and provocative character. He had a lot of fans but enemies too. His involvement in several historic boxing matches (the "Fight of the Century", due to the tremendous excitement surrounding a bout between two undefeated fighters, Ali and Joe Frazier, "The Rumble in the Jungle" against George Foreman held in Kinshasa, and the "Thrilla in Manila" again against Joe Frazier) were among the most monumental sports' events of the 20th century.
But all these made him one of the greatest sports' icons that will be difficult to be forgotten.

In his country "El Pibe de Oro" was always more than just a sports hero - he was a divine figure. It was the Houston Chronicle that described Maradona perfectly: he was the combination of Michael Jordan's athleticism, Babe Ruth's power and Mike Tyson's human fallibility. In a country that survived many social frustrations and several military dictatorships, El Diego became a symbol of hope and an idol to millions.

he is the greatest sports icon because all the medals he won in olympics are recorded for his country.

After the 1984 Olympics, Carl Lewis was continuously compared with Jesse Owens. But Owens' track and field career lasted only two years (1935-1936).
Carl Lewis was voted "World Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations and "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee.

One of the most decorated athletes of all times.
The only disadvantage in his assessment is that he made only two individual world records in his career, both in 100m. He didn't manage to break Beamon's and Mennea's records although he was very close.

Although I can't say that he was the best driver of F1 of all times, his racing career and his death made him the greatest icon of the most distinguished sport.

Some of his records are alive for more than half a century and probably will remain unbroken for a long more time...

If Wilt played for Celtics instead of Russel, he could had won 7 (at least) MVP titles.
Bill Russel was only a great defender (15.4 ppg in his career).

Football is the most popular sport in the world by far.
Lionel Messi is the greatest football icon of the 21st Century.

Although his sport career was very short, it was enough to prove the Hitler's idiocy in a such a short time..

One of the greatest football icons of all times.

The former Czechoslovak and later American professional tennis player is considered one of the best, if not the best, female tennis players of all time.
She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles, combined marking the open-era record for the most number of Grand Slam titles won by one player, male or female.

The first female icon, an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships.

One of the greatest icons of the most popular sport in the world.

Of the numerous records he holds, two are the most important individually:
- All time leading scorer.
- 6 times MVP.

Fastest woman ever.
Some experts regard that her world records will never be broken.