Poll: The Most Respected Athlete of All Time

After seeing the nearly unanimous reaction of sadness to the news of Mariano Rivera’s injury, I began to wonder what other athletes in history had this kind of widespread affection at the time they were playing. There are certainly people who are looked back on now with great fondness and respect, but it is human nature to emphasize the good qualities of the past, and people are rarely seen in such a positive light at the time they are in the spotlight.

Rivera’s stature is that of a beloved living legend, and I don’t know a single person who responded in any way besides sadness when they heard that he had a torn ACL. This is not something I’ve ever experienced before in watching sports. So, I’m curious about the larger perspective. How do you perceive Rivera now relative to some of the other players during their playing days who were often talked about with reverence and widespread respect?

Poll after the jump.





Dave is the Managing Editor of FanGraphs.

271 Comments
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Tyler
11 years ago

How in god’s name is Jackie Robinson not an option?

sjellic2
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

True, but you could say the same thing about Ali, maybe even more so.

Also, I just became too young to answer this question.

Tyler
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

A good point and I missed the “during their playing days” language. As you state there was definite vitriol towards Robinson during his career, but I have a hard time believing he was not immensely respected by many people (including some of those who did not “like” him, but probably still respected him), especially towards the end of his career when integration became more prominent. Plenty of the athletes on this list have periods of this sort of sentiment from others, i.e. garnering no respect from others, most notably Ali’s refusal to go to Vietnam. Total nitpick on my part but thanks for the response.

awy
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

letting a bunch of racists dictate the standard for respect is nonsense

DavidCEisen
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

Maybe that was true for white America, but I’m guessing for the rest of the country a lot of respect existed for Robinson. That Robinson transcended the sport probably means he was both respected and reviled by more people than most people on that list.

Dr.Rockzo
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

I do not know the specific age demographics of Fangraphs, but how many people actually remember the peak or even most of the careers of some of these players? I was only alive for six of those players career, let alone remembering how well the public perceived their greatness.

You are asking people to postulate as to the beloved nature of athletes at their time to people who predominately are going to be basing those opinions on modern interpretations of their careers. No one NOW will admit to being a giant racist and hoping Jackie Robinson got hurt, but people did back when he played. Ali was an incredibly divisive athlete.

Baltar
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

Jackie Robinson is the correct answer, followed by Muhammad Ali. Note, the poll question is who was “most respected,” not who was “least disrespected.”
Your poll results are prejudiced by the facts that it comes right after Rivera’s injury and is in a baseball column.
Also, reducing the correct answer to a write-in distorts everything.

eliasll
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

It is no surprise non-mlb athletes are not vote getters here with baseball nerds voting…I’m glad to see Clemente on top

MisterE
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

If you didn’t see any negative, mean-spirited comments in response to Mariano’s injury, you didn’t spend much time skimming the message thread below the story on MLB’s site. Inevitably, there were jerks cheering it, albeit jerks in the minority.

There are always people who hate great people, be they athletes, statesmen, or whatever. Martin Luther King, Jr. was loathed by many when he was alive and is still hated by racists who say he was a Communist. That doesn’t detract from the widespread respect he engendered in his lifetime (crowned by a Nobel Prize) and after his death. The same goes for Jackie Robinson.

Synovia
11 years ago
Reply to  Dave Cameron

“There are always people who hate great people,”

Great people don’t electrocute people in their pools.

marilyn
11 years ago
Reply to  Tyler

Similarly, in his day, Joe Dimaggio was literally god across the US. His personal life only lifted him to infamy

Yirmiyahu
11 years ago
Reply to  marilyn

Literally does not mean figuratively.

chuckb
11 years ago
Reply to  marilyn

And someone doesn’t get “lifted” to “infamy.”

Sam Samson
11 years ago
Reply to  marilyn

Don’t argue theology with marilyn — she may have insider information.

Brett
11 years ago
Reply to  marilyn

prescriptivist vs descriptivism. The argument rolls on.

Evan
11 years ago
Reply to  Tyler

Robinson was my first instinct

Evan
11 years ago
Reply to  Evan

Did not read the part about at the time they were playing.

Psst
11 years ago
Reply to  Tyler

To my mind this list is missing
MLB
Lou Gehrig
Stan Musial
Jackie Robinson
Sandy Koufax
Cal Ripken Jr.
Ken Griffey Jr.
Nolan Ryan
Greg Maddux
Tony Gwynn

NFL
Walter Payton
Reggie White
Johnny Unitas
Fran Tarkenton

NBA
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan

NHL
Bobby Orr
Gordie Howe
Mario Lemiuex
Ray Borque

Boxing
Joe Louis
Joe Frazier

Those were the glaring ones for me

Jimm
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Fran Tarkenton? What about Staubach?

Jon L.
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

I’m sure Dave just wanted to present a manageable poll, but I like this longer list.

It’s hard to transcend both the present and your own perspective in figuring out who the most universally loved athletes were. I nearly voted for Magic Johnson, but then I remembered the prime of his playing career. As neither an L.A., Boston or Chicago fan, I would often root for Bird or Jordan against Magic. This was especially true when I perceived them as underdogs – and just about everyone was an underdog against the Lakers in those days. This suggests to me that there wasn’t a widespread feeling that Magic’s charisma and dedication lifted his persona above that of the other stars of the 80’s.

Polka
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Walter Payton was my instinctual pick before I even read the names attached-

Cidron
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Not sure I can agree with Jordan. Talented, yes. Respected, …. no. He is/was a jerk (maybe an outgrowth of his competiveness). Frankly, of Jordan, Pip, and Rodman (basically, the core of those teams, Jordan is easily the jerk (aka, not respected) of the bunch.

Matt NW
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Pele!

Balthazar
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Joe Dimaggio as mentioned above was easily the most popular athelete in mid-century America, inside and outside the game. Try finding negative quotes on him from other players in his day: not there. To me, he would head any list of baseball players.

But as Matt says below, it’s inconceivable that Pele doesn’t win a ‘most respected athlete’ poll of any kind. He didn’t have an enemy in the sport. His attitude was the gold standard for positive. He shed poverty and rascism like drizzle and wowed everybody who me him personally. He was the best player in his sport to that time, and arguably the most dominant player in the history of his sport still. That sport is worldwide, seen and played by billions.

Pele is the most respected. Bobby Moore would like place ahead of most of the baseball players mentioned also, the epitome of a ‘play the game right to win’ guy, and deeply respected throughout the game in his time.

Joe Louis really stood out amongst the boxers also.

Someone not known widely enough perhaps to qualify but who would from the standard of respect within his own area of competion would be Bjorn Dahle, the distance skier. There was a Scandinavian middle distance runner whose name is escaping me—Paavo Nuomi, got it Yes, he’s forgotten now, but he was simply the best in him time, a terrific competitor, and universally respected.

Those are the six I’d start with . . . .

Balthazar
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

To round out that list, Margaret Smith Court was surely the most respected tennis player an likely female athlete to her time. She’s tarnished her personal reputation over the last decade, but speaking to her playing days her standing was undeniable. I’d not be surprised if Kim Clijsters isn’t the most universally respected player in her sport by the time she’s finally done playing. Her record stands with anybody of this time, while her fitness and all-around game are top notch. A very real person, unlike many in athletics, and you have to love her kids. Who wouldn’t want Kim Clijsters’ life?

And a final mention would be Jahangir Khan. If you don’t know squash, you don’t know him: he didn’t lose a match for almost five years. He was an innovator in technique. His fitness was second to none in an era crazed over fitness. Everyone respected and respects him; all wanted to beat him, but no one could, and even after the streak he was a formidable big game player. Ask any squash player who they’d want to be, and they’d say “Jahangir”—except Jansher Khan, who’d find a bottom five on least respected players, magnificent talent nothwithstanding.

So Nine, going alphabetically:

Kim Clijsters
Margaret Smith Court
Bjor Dahle
Joe Dimaggio
Jahangir Khan
Joe Louis
Bobby Moore
Paavo Nuomi
Pele

with a shout out to Johan Cruyff.

Balthazar
11 years ago
Reply to  Psst

Some great remarks below in Ayrton Senna and Steve Prefontaine. And not just because they died tragically young. They were both universally respected by competitors, fans, and the media.

And to come back to Lou Gehrig, yes, to me too he’d be the second baseball player on a list. Ruth was a massive impact and celebrity, but Gehrig was just flat out liked and respected by everyone.

Isn’t it something that perhaps the three most widely respected baseball players in the sport’s history—Dimaggio, Gehrig, and Rivera—have ALL been Yankees. I dislike the franchise as much as anyone, but this is something to put on the other side of the scale. Personally, I’d notch Gred Maddux for the first pitcher chosen, but it’s hard to see that he had the scope of appreciation, even in his time, as Dimag and Gehrig do still.

An interesting topic . . . .

Aaron Murray
11 years ago
Reply to  Tyler

Jesse Owens?

Arsehole Guy
11 years ago
Reply to  Tyler

Just click OTHER and type in his name. Got it champ?