Recent special edition ESPN publication honored the man named in The Harris Poll as the greatest athlete of all time.October 28, 2009: There is a reason that companies such as Gatorade, Hanes and Nike pay Michael Jordan a lot of money to endorse their products. Despite the fact that Jordan retired from the NBA in 2003 and has already been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he almost always finishes among the top five players — if not No. 1 — in surveys that ask people to name the greatest or the most marketable athletes of all time.The latest example comes from The Harris Poll, which asked adults who follow at least one sport to rank the greatest player ever. According to the just released survey, Jordan comes in at No. 1, followed by another prolific marketing star, Tiger Woods, who tops all athletes with an annual estimated income from endorsements at $90 million.
Whether this is a statement to current athletes or not, only four players among the top ten on the all-time great list are still active, and that includes Brett Favre, who came in at No. 5 overall but who has retired twice iin the past two years before rejoining the NFL's New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. In addition to Woods, the others are Peyton Manning and LeBron James, who ranked tied for No. 8 and tied for No. 10, respectively.
Also among the top ten are Babe Ruth (No. 3), Muhammad Ali (No. 4), Joe Montana (No. 6), Wayne Gretzky (No. 7), Ted Williams (tied No. 8) and Hank Aaron (tied No. 10).
Jordan actually scored a double No. 1 as he also ranked first among adults who follow basketball who listed their all-time greats. Jordan was followed by Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, respectively, meaning no active players made this particular list.
In other categories, Favre, whose endorsement deals include Sears and Wrangler, was No. 1 all-time among football players as named by adults who follow football, Roger Federer topped the tennis list and Woods was named he greatest golfer of all time.
The Harris Poll of 2,293 adults, of whom 1,494 follow at least one sport, was conducted online between October 5-12, 2009 by Harris Interactive.
ALL-TIME GREATEST SPORTS STARS
1. Michael Jordan NBA
2.Tiger Woods Tennis
3. Babe Ruth MLB
4. Muhammad Ali Boxing
5. Brett Favre NFL
6. Joe Montana NFL
7. Wayne Gretzky NHL
T 8. Peyton Manning NFL
T8. Ted Williams MLB
T10. Hank Aaron MLB
T10 LeBron James NBA
GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER
1. Babe Ruth
2. Hank Aaron
3. Willie Mays
4. Ted Williams
5. Lou Gehrig
GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYER
1. Brett Favre
2. Jim Brown
3. Joe Montana
4. Walter Payton
5. Jerry Rice
GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER
1. Michael Jordan
2. Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson
3. Larry Bird
4. Wilt Chamberlain
5. Bill Russell
GREATEST GOLFER
1. Tiger Woods
2. Jack Nicklaus
3. Arnold Palmer
4. Phil Mickelson
5. Bobby Jones
GREATEST TENNIS PLAYER
1. Roger Federer
2. Pete Sampras
3. Jimmy Connors
4. Andre Agassi
5. Arthur Ashe
Source: The Harris Poll ]]>