NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL tops SPORTING NEWS' list of the 50 most influential personalities in sports, as he is, "for better or worse," the public face and "go-to guy for the league's allies and enemies, inside and out." Sporting News' David Steele polled 21 experts from across the sports spectrum. NFL Exec VP/Football Operations TROY VINCENT said, "There should be no surprise that Roger is most influential. He has led, not only the NFL, but the entire sports industry in becoming both the world’s most popular entertainment pastime." OutSports co-Founder CYD ZEIGLER said, "The NFL is king. Period. It is the most powerful cultural institution in America" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 9/27).
| MOST INFLUENTIAL IN SPORTS |
| RANK |
TITLE |
RANK |
TITLE |
| 1 |
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell |
26 |
WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel |
| 2 |
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver |
27 |
CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock |
| 3 |
ESPN President John Skipper |
28 |
MLB Agent Scott Boras |
| 4 |
Cavaliers F LeBron James |
29 |
Former NBAer Kobe Bryant |
| 5 |
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred |
30 |
Patriots QB Tom Brady |
| 6 |
Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank |
31 |
Golfer Tiger Woods |
| 7 |
Nike co-Founder & Chair Emeritus Phil Knight |
32 |
Basketball HOFer Charles Barkley |
| 8 |
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones |
33 |
CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus |
| 9 |
Warriors G Stephen Curry |
34 |
Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban |
| 10 |
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft |
35 |
MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark |
| 11 |
Tennis player Serena Williams |
36 |
NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith |
| 12 |
UFC President Dana White |
37 |
Former MLBer Derek Jeter |
| 13 |
Fox Sports President & COO Eric Shanks |
38 |
FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles |
| 14 |
MLB President of Business & Media Bob Bowman |
39 |
NBC Sports Exec Producer Sam Flood |
| 15 |
NBC Sports Chair Mark Lazarus |
40 |
Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz |
| 16 |
Rams Owner Stan Kroenke |
41 |
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma |
| 17 |
Turner Broadcasting President David Levy |
42 |
USOC Chair Larry Probst |
| 18 |
NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts |
43 |
DraftKings co-Founder & CEO Jason Robins |
| 19 |
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany |
44 |
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey |
| 20 |
NCAA President Mark Emmert |
45 |
Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari |
| 21 |
Hornets Owner Michael Jordan |
46 |
Warriors F Kevin Durant |
| 22 |
Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski |
47 |
Patriots coach Bill Belichick |
| 23 |
Nike President, Chair & CEO Mark Parker |
48 |
NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus |
| 24 |
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman |
49 |
Alabama football coach Nick Saban |
| 25 |
NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France |
50 |
UFC fighter Ronda Rousey |
