ESPN The Magazine ranks the world's most beloved athletes using a proprietary formula. The Sports Analytics team from the company ranked 800 athletes on the basis of three factors that have an impact on fame: Google trend score and endorsement dollars. Peter Keating, senior journalist for the magazine explores why fame doesn't always mean success or popularity. An overview of the world's top 100 athletes can help you make an informed choice about your favorite.
Canelo
Saul "Canelo” Alvarez is a top-paid athlete in the world. DAZN signed him a 5-year, $365m deal last year. His contract was among the most expensive in sports history. Alvarez, who is 28 years old, has won five championships and three of them by knockout. In addition, he's the highest-paid Mexican athlete and won the WBA "regular" super middleweight title.
Ledecky
American swimmer Katie Ledecky is undoubtedly the best female athlete of all times. Ledecky has competed on the global stage almost a decade and won a record 15 golds medals. Ledecky, in addition to her Olympic golds has five world records. She also won five World Championships. Ledecky is an Olympic gold medalist, and she will compete at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpe became a well-known basketball player in the year 2019. He also founded a basketball school in Athens (Greece), where he teaches. The AntetokounBros academy was founded to help underprivileged children play basketball. This program is open to boys and girls aged between 12-16, as well young athletes who wish to coach.
Rapinoe
Megan Rapinoe has been a star athlete all over the world. She has also made headlines for her activism, notably in the fight for equal pay and racial justice. Rapinoe has been a subject of several articles including one in The New York Times about Rapinoe's impact on The CARES Act. These are just a few examples of her achievements in 2019
Biles
Simone Biles, after taking a break from the sport following the Olympics, was back in the spotlight in 2018. She enlisted Laurent and Cecile Landi as coaches and removed her rivals to keep her in the spotlight. It is unknown what her new relationship with Cecile Landi will look like but it is exciting to watch her progress. Biles revealed that she will be working as an executive producer and choreographer with Val Kondos Field, a former UCLA coach. She will also be using video screens and pyrotechnics as well as an in-house DJ.