The Stories Behind the Top-Ranking Athletes Americans Still Look Up To Today

Athletes have long served as American icons of strength, determination, and inspiration. Generation after generation has looked up to these competitors, making it clear that athletes have the power to influence lives far beyond the playing field. This is especially true in the U.S., where sports and the people who play them earn celebrity statuses and worldwide renown.

Some athletes even make headlines for how they carry themselves off the field. Muhammad Ali took a stand against the Vietnam War, Jackie Robinson addressed racial inequality within his sport, and these two are just the beginning. Indeed, each athlete on this list left a permanent mark on both sports history and American culture, which is why they remain this nation's most beloved competitors.

To determine which athletes Americans admire above all the rest, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a national survey conducted by YouGov. Supplementary information was pulled from trusted sports outlets, including NBA.com, MLB.com, and CBSSports.

This post was updated on July 30th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

Even in 2024, video clips of Muhammad Ali circulate online. The clips allow fans to see how amazing of a boxer he was during his prime. Ali never backed down from anybody and seemingly always had the right words to say while trash-talking. Ali was the title-holder for the heavyweight champion of the world, which was the highest honor anyone could achieve in professional sports. Being an amazing athlete isn't the only reason Americans adore Ali, though.

During the 1970s, it was rare for athletes to speak their minds and stand up for what they believed in. When the United States entered the Vietnam War, plenty of people didn't think it was a war worth fighting. Ali was drafted into fighting, but he refused to go. Instead, he decided he'd rather be in jail than fight abroad against people who have never hurt him. Ali stood up for what he believed in and showed athletes the power that they have.

Few athletes have created the amount of change in the world that Jackie Robinson did. Before Robinson, there were no African-Americans playing in the same professional sports leagues as white players. Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball in 1947, when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. When he signed, Robinson knew he would face plenty of challenges and racist attacks directed his way. Rather than fight back, he showed self-control.

If Robinson had fought back physically or let his emotions get the better of him, there likely wouldn't have been another African-American professional athlete for a long time. Robinson ended his career with a World Series ring, an NL MVP, but most importantly, he changed the world. Robinson's name will likely live forever because of the impact he had on society.

The debate of who the greatest basketball player in history is will be a talking point on sports shows forever. Near the top of most people's lists is Michael Jordan. During his career, Jordan played mostly with the Chicago Bulls. When he first arrived to the Windy City, the Bulls had never experienced much success as a franchise. They had never been to the NBA Finals, either. They had few winning seasons, but it was rare to see the entire stadium full of fans.

Once Jordan got to Chicago, he changed the landscape of basketball right away. Jordan led the Bulls to the playoffs early, and fans got the sense that he was going to be special. The Bulls first broke through in 1991, when his team beat the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls won the following two championships as well, but after his father died, Jordan retired from basketball to pursue baseball. He came back to the Bulls and immediately won three more championships in a row. It's hard to argue the success Jordan had on the basketball court during his career.

Few NBA players have been as dominant at their position as Shaquille O'Neal. During his career, O'Neal was known for his height and overpowering muscle. There was seemingly nobody who could guard O'Neal or slow him down. When he was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers, he teamed up with Kobe Bryant creating one of the best one-two punches in NBA history. The guard and big man came together to win three championships in a row before O'Neal left for the Miami Heat.

After getting to the Heat, O'Neal won another championship, which would ultimately be the last title he earned. O'Neal has always had a fun personality, which fans can see now during his television appearances. He's in plenty of commercials and has become one of the best businessmen in the world. O'Neal's popularity most likely won't ever go away.

The legend of Babe Ruth has lived on for nearly a century since he retired from baseball. Before his legendary career with the New York Yankees started, Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher. He was successful at pitching and won multiple championships with the Red Sox. However, the owner of the Red Sox wanted to fund his play, so he sold Ruth to the Yankees. Once Ruth left the Red Sox, the team wouldn't win another title for 80 years.

Ruth joined the Yankees and became one of the greatest hitters in history. Fans thought that his home run records would stand forever, and while they have been broken, he's near the top of nearly every batting record. Because he was both a pitcher and a hitter, Ruth is widely considered the greatest baseball player ever. Nobody was as dominant as Ruth was, until Shohei Ohtani came along. Fans in 2024 get to see what Ruth was like when he was playing, thanks to Ohtani.

The endurance required to play tennis at a competitive level is hard to comprehend. Some matches last more than four hours. In some cases, players have to be ready to play again a day later. Serena Williams is arguably the greatest female tennis player in history. She's won countless tournaments and has become a millionaire thanks to the sport. Her success on the court isn't the only reason Americans love her, though.

Williams has been someone African-American women can look up to and aspire to be like. A large percentage of tennis players are white, which meant Williams didn't have many women to idolize in tennis who looked like her. She's also not afraid to speak about her beliefs when it comes to politics. Even though Williams retired from tennis to start a family, fans love watching highlights of her career. Many believe she completed the most challenging feat in all of sports when she won the Australian Open while pregnant with her daughter.

The Showtime Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s captivated the sports world. Unlike most basketball teams, the Lakers had cheerleaders, loud arenas, and fun players. One of the most iconic members of this team was Magic Johnson. He was one of the first point guards who was taller than most players. Standing at 6'9, Johnson made passes that he threw behind his head and made highlight reels that fans still watch in 2024. Johnson won five titles with the Lakers, and looked like he was going to win more.

However, Johnson abruptly retired from the NBA when he found out that he had contracted HIV from a mistress. The sports world was shocked. At that time, there was a stigma surrounding HIV that only members of the LGBTQ+ community could contract the disease. Johnson caught it early and was medicated to make sure he lived a long life. He's become a spokesperson for those who have the virus and he now works with different organizations to find a cure.

One record sports fans doubt will never be broken is Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak. In 1941, DiMaggio got a hit in 56 straight games. For perspective on this record, Pete Rose got the closest to DiMaggio in 1977 when he got a hit in 44 straight games. He's still nearly two weeks of games short. It's difficult to avoid having an off day in baseball for nearly two months. There's typically always something that gets in the way of a successful hitting streak.

For starters, bad weather makes it hard for a player to get a hit. There can be bad matchups. However, DiMaggio became known for much more than his baseball playing ability. In the middle of his career, DiMaggio joined the military to fight during World War II. He also married Marilyn Monroe, which made them one of Hollywood's first star couples. Even though the couple didn't last, DiMaggio was in charge of taking care on Monroe when she died.

There was once a time when boxers were among the most popular athletes in the world. George Foreman was one of those athletes in the 1970s. He was one of the people who held the title of heavyweight champion of the world. Unlike a lot of professional athletes who have the same level of fame as him, Foreman never got into any legal trouble. That helped him maintain a quality image during his professional career.

Once Foreman retired, he started to branch out into different businesses. The biggest business Foreman got into was a grill that reduced the amount of fat that's in the food. The George Foreman Grill is one of the highest-selling products in history. Part of the reason it's so successful is that when Foreman came out of retirement, he was in incredible shape. He said it was because of the grill that helped him eat healthier than other boxers at the time.

Hank Aaron had nearly every card stacked against him during his MLB career. He was an African-American who was playing in Atlanta, which was still experiencing racial tensions at the time because of the Civil Rights Movement. However, he had success and the fans gathered around him. People supported him during his career. He won the MVP in 1957 and the World Series that same year with the Braves. Individually, Aaron had one of the greatest hitting careers of anyone in baseball history.

By the time his career was over, Aaron overtook Babe Ruth as the leader in home runs hit. The memorable video footage of Aaron breaking Ruth's record still plays in 2024. Commentator Vin Scully said it best when he remarked about how amazing it was that a group of people in the deep South were celebrating Aaron, an African-American, for breaking a white man's record in baseball. Even though Barry Bonds broke Aaron's home run record, plenty of baseball fans still consider Aaron the record holder, since Bonds has been connected to steroids.

Serena Williams isn't the only Williams sister that Americans love and adore. Venus Williams had quite a tennis career for herself also. She won seven majors, including at Wimbledon five separate times. She's on plenty of people's lists for top women's tennis players in history. She also helped her sister train to get to the heights she reached. Williams has also taken her education seriously, even though she never has to work again in her life if she doesn't want to, thanks to her tennis career.

She got her B.S from Indiana University East while taking online courses during her tennis career. Williams wants to get her Master's degree at some point in the near future as well. Much like her sister, Williams has become someone African-American women can easily look up to and aspire to be like. She also loves celebrating her sister's successes by making sure she's always present for her.

Playing for the New York Yankees is different than playing for nearly every other professional sports franchise in the world. There's a certain level of success that's expected of players. Part of the reason for these expectations is the success that players like Mickey Mantle had during their playing careers. Mantle played for the Yankees for his entire professional career and had one of the greatest runs of any athlete.

Mantle won seven titles with the Yankees and was named AL MVP three different seasons. He was also one of the first successful switch hitters in professional baseball. Most switch hitters have more power on one side compared to the other. Mantle had equal power on both sides of the plate. The astounding thing to consider with Mantle is that he played a large part of his career with a nagging knee injury. There's no telling how great his career would have been had he not gotten hurt early on in his career.

Representing the United States at the Olympic Games comes with plenty of eyeballs. It's even harder when you're expected to come out on top. Simone Biles has been described as the greatest gymnast in the history of the Olympics. In 2016, the United States gymnastics team was expected to take out the competition, and easily. Biles was the leader of the team and faced tons of pressure. She delivered and brought home four gold medals during the event.

In 2020, Biles again joined the United States on their quest to bring home another gold medal. However, most gymnasts only compete in one Olympic Games. The training and stress that goes into the Olympics is hard to do multiple times. Biles helped the team win the silver medal during those games, which is quite an accomplishment. She's still continued to train and compete professionally since the last Olympics in 2020, where she's won numerous medals and awards.

There aren't many athletes who have the same level and drive Kobe Bryant had. During his career, Bryant was known as someone who came into every game ready to take down his opponents. His nickname of the Black Mamba came from his desire to kill anything that stood in his way of success. Countless NBA players tell stories about how Bryant would workout as early as three in the morning to get an edge over his competition. That helped Bryant win five championships during his legendary career. After he retired, Bryant took pleasure in spending time with his family, particularly his daughter, Gigi.

She was the one who was most likely going to continue Bryant's basketball legacy. There is a famous clip of Bryant and his daughter at a Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Lakers game. In the clip, they appeared to be comparing notes about the game. However, Bryant and his daughter died shortly after in a helicopter crash in 2020. The world was shocked, as it felt like Bryant was always invincible. NBA teams honored Bryant with an eight-second count in the back court or a 24-second shot clock violation, his two numbers.