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A couple of days into the new century, a teenager from Switzerland managed to win his first Grand Slam. A couple of months thereafter, Tiger Woods burst onto the golfing scene and began to dominate the sport. Just days after that, a doughy, unheralded quarterback was selected as an afterthought during the draft for a faceless franchise that hardly had a footprint in the world of football. A 15-year-old Baltimore swimmer managed to stun the world when he qualified for the Olympics during his first training camp.

With so much talent in the 21st century when it comes to sport, we decided to look back on the last 18 years and provide a list of the greatest athletes in the 21st century.

1. Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps was initially in third position on our list but that changed. Phelps went to Rio where he won 5 gold medals and 1 silver and had the 4th best Olympic performance in swimming history. Phelps also won 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals in 2004, 8 gold medals in 2008, and 7 golds in Munich, This placed him as the greatest athlete in the 21st century with a total of 23 gold medals in his career.

2. Roger Federer

Roger Federer is a professional tennis player from Switzerland and is currently ranked 2nd in the world of tennis. He managed to win 20 Grand Slam titles, which is the most for a male player in the history of the sport and has held the number 1 position in the world for 310 weeks. After starting his career as a professional tennis player in 1998, Federer has ranked in the top 10 from 2002 to 2016. He managed to re-enter the top 10 list after his 2017 victory at the Australian Open.

3. Tiger Woods

As one of the most popular athletes in the 21st century, Tiger Woods is also the highest paid athlete for several years. Woods was only 20 years old when he turned pro in 1996. By April 1997, Woods won 3 PGA Tour events as well as the 1997 Masters. Throughout the 2000’s, Woods dominated the sport of golf, winning the 2000 US Open by a whopping 15-shot margin. Woods was the world’s top-ranked player from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2010.

4. Tom Brady

As a quarterback for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady is one of the only players to win 5 Super Bowls and the only football player to win them all while playing for the same team. Tom Brady has also been honoured with 4 Super Bowl MVP’s which is the most any NFL player has received in the history of the sport. He also has 3 League MVP awards, has been selected for a total of 13 Pro Bowls, and managed to lead his team to 15 division titles. After 2017, Brady is ranked 4th in total career passing years, 3rd in career touchdown passes, and 3rd in career passer rating.

Three professional footballers, one NFL quarterback, two basketball superstars, a tennis player, and two boxers have made it to the 2018 highest paid sports athletes in the world. Here’s a look at each of them, including bonuses earned, salary, and prize money since June 2017 to June 2018.

Floyd Mayweather

The number 1 earning sports star in the world is also the oldest to make it on our list. In his fight against Connor McGregor, the world-class boxer managed to take home a staggering $285 million along with $10 million in endorsements. In 2017, Christiano Ronaldo took the number 1 spot with only $93 million.

Lionel Messi

The superstar from Argentina has managed to edge out his rival when it comes to endorsements, winnings, and salary which totals $111 million. The salary for Messi is considerably higher than Ronaldo, $84 million compared to $61 million. However, when it comes to endorsements, the Barcelona forward makes significantly less, $27 million compared to $47 million.

Christiano Ronaldo

The Juventus superstar comes in at number 3 this year, just below his rival. There will always be a debate on who is the best between Messi and Ronaldo, but as you can see from the rankings, Ronaldo is the second highest paid footballer on our list which tells you everything you need to know.

Conor McGregor

The transition McGregor made from MMA fighting to boxing against Mayweather last year produced a massive paycheck for both these fighters. The Irish boxer managed to take home a cool $99 million from the fight even though he lost. Most of McGregor’s earnings are primarily made from winnings and salary, while only $14 million is made from endorsements.

Neymar

The time Neymar spent at PSG has been extremely fruitful for the Brazilian football star. He’s combined endorsements, and salary comes in at a staggering $90 million. With rumours going around that he might join Real Madrid, Neymar can easily increase his overall income when he joins the world-class squad.

LeBron James

There’s no doubt that LeBron James is the best NBA player at the moment and his salary and endorsements prove it. The professional basketball player took home a gorgeous $85.5 million over the course of a year.

Roger Federer

This incredible athlete needs no introduction as he is an 8-time Wimbledon champion who managed to make most of his earning from endorsements that accumulated to $77.2 million. He also managed to rake in $12.2 million from his wins.

Steph Curry

Steph Curry’s sensational basketball career started when he was the seventh overall pick during the first round. Playing for the Golden State Warriors, his highlights include 2 NBA championships in 2017 and 2015, 2 MVP Awards and the Scoring Championship Award which he received in 2016. Curry made a total of $76/5 million in the last year which is quite impressive for the second highest basketball player on our list.

Matt Ryan

As the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback, Matt Ryan recently signed a 5-year extension to continue playing for his team. He managed to rake in a wonderful $67.3 million in the last year and is the only American football player to make it on our list this year.

Sports are a great way to enjoy both physical and mental health and while these facts should be more than efficient in motivation every human to get active, sometimes that extra push to give us the last bit of motivation often comes from the most unexpected. Several great films have inspired many to get into active gear, while some movies have inspired some of the top sports stars to reach new levels. Here are some of the most inspirational sports films well worth watching:

Warrior

For many, this film finally answered their wish to see an A-listed film based on martial arts. Director Gavin O’Connor succeeds in following up his inspiring triumph of the film Miracle with a film created with equal motivation and emotional tug in Warrior, a film in which he solidifies himself as probably one of the best sports movie creators. Brilliant directing allows him to take a relatively marginal ordinary sport in MMA and make it into an embracing and engaging experience for all viewers, whether they’re sports enthusiasts or not. Released only on the 9th of September it is already classed as one of the Top Inspirational Sports Films.

Rocky

A small-time boxer from Philadelphia and the telling of his classic tale of how he was given a chance to fight in the heavyweight championship of the world, shows anyone in sports that once in a lifetime chance can materialize when you least expect it. For many sports professionals and viewers, Rocky remains at the top of the list when it comes to inspiration in any sports. Therefore, there is no denial that Rocky is the most inspirational film of all times.

The Karate Kid

Daniel LaRusso needs to adapt to a new school in Los Angeles after he and his single mother move cross-country. He instantly becomes a victim as the new kid of bullying and is targeted due to his affection for the most popular girl. Eventually, he forms a bond with Mr Miyagi, his neighbour who gives him lessons. In the end, it is LaRusso that triumphs over his challenger in the karate tournament even when the bully’s mentor encourages unethical and cheap tactics. The film is both an inspiration to kids been bullied as well as motivating youngsters to participate in sports.

Miracle

Miracle is based on America’s biggest sports moments in history, starting off with the Winter Olympics of 1980, where the American team was clearly the underdogs and the Soviets dominated. It about a nation inspired their home-team to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history on their way to the gold medal. It is one of the films that shows the power of teamwork and being supported.

The Rookie

It is based on a true story and tells the tale of the baseball coach and science teacher who would never have a chance of playing baseball due to circumstances when they were younger. Encouraged by the students and small community, Kim Morris, now 35 years-of-age tries out at the camp of the Major League and is offered the opportunity to pitch for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, empowered to follow his dreams he gets the change to spend no less than two seasons in the MLB.

Non-fiction films regarding sports or athletics are referred to as documentaries and by connecting to pastime favourites in a more profound way remains the most viewed. BT Sport and BBC in the UK have made several efforts to catch-up although when it comes to exceptional documentaries, it is ESPN that leads and have major success with over 100 films broadcasted across BT sports channels.

When it comes to sports-documentary excellence, the Esquire line-up includes three 30 for 30 films, as well as the OJ: Made in America, Oscar and Bafta 2017 winners and Hillsborough. What grabs the attention most is that no matter how many individuals think they know the full story, film-directors, writers and producers get to step back in time, do all the research and then offer all the reasons surrounding the event.

1995 Jean-Claude Bragard Hit

One of the most watched and loved documentaries is that of Jen-Claude Bragard called Kicking and Screaming. The six-part BBC history is difficult to locate on YouTube, especially if you wish to view the full series of English football. This series is a masterpiece and draws the line when it comes to unregulated ball games to the birth of the Premier League. Many see it as a classic and so it should as it offers a wide variety of never seen before footage as well as an understated great sense of humour. It is one of the documentaries that will remains a favourite now and, in the future, and to mention just one of the amazing episodes it is Denis Law from Scotland that tells how he was enjoying golf in Manchester, as he added unlike Manchester it was raining that day and only two where on the golf course him and the awful guy that beat him. He remembers as they turned they became aware of all the members at the window of the clubhouse, it was the day that England enjoyed a 4-2 won and Law thought the world had come to an end.

Ken McGill 1994 Impossible Job

It remains popular for many and one of the most watched sports documentaries. Tributes included that the pundit and former managers were a true football nice guy after Graham Taylor passed away, it was at this time the group that almost managed to ruin him could recall Taylor’s good nature. After the filming of the English World Cup in 1993, they were banned by from filming, by the Dutch FA. However, it was Taylor who smuggled them into the pitching side in tracksuits used by England while hiding their gear in team kit bags. These are all part of the moments captured in the documentary, as well as shots on the touchline of Taylor as England loses their opportunity to qualify for the poignant. What made Taylor a laughing stock was his openness, phrases such as “can we not knock it” or “Do I not like that” both became catchphrases and what this documentary did was killing the fly-on-the-wall documentaries.

Asif Kapadia’s 2010 Senna

If you a racing fan you know Senna and have probably watched this documentary several times, there is no doubt that Asif Kapadia raised the documentary-biopics standards with just one. Senna is recounting the life of the legend Ayrton Senna and uses lots of archive footage, and without the use of talking heads or captions he captivates the audience and make them fit into the seat of the racing driver while sharing in his public and private moments. It is one of few films where the audience is no longer onlookers they at the moment. There are no pauses no analysis and, also no after-the-fact context it is about Senna’s life that was really special and then also so tragic. This documentary is enthralling from the first second to the very end. The talented Kapadia is made quite a few documentaries after Senna including one about the life of Amy Winehouse and that of Diego Maradona, both exciting prospects, yet none able to match the intense brilliance of that of Senna 2010.

The US is known for its powerful female athletes one that instantly comes to mind is Michele Roberts both feared and respected for her negotiation skills. Roberts is also known as of the top lawyers in America. Athletics is something dominated by male athletes for decades before female athletes entered the field and have since made remarkable progress.

When it comes to exceptional women in sports, Lesa Kennedy is tops when it comes to racing executives as she is the vice chairwomen of NASCAR and the CEO of ISC. Kennedy plays a major role in managing the multibillion-dollar racing business and managers thirteen of the biggest tracks in America.
NASCAR was found by Bill France’s granddaughter in 1948, managed from 1972 up to 2000, Kennedy was recently involved with the renovation of the Daytona International Speedway and oversaw the project worth $400 million.

Highest Paid US Female Athlete

The highest paid athlete, not only in the USA but in the world is Serena Williams who have a record-breaking number of Grand Slam singles totalling 23. One included in this total is the Australian Open won during her pregnancy. Williams won eighty-six percent of all her career matches and in prize money have won over $84 million which is way more than any other female tennis player, by estimation, she is over $50 million ahead of any other female player in the world.

Williams also has several endorsements, and these include top brands such as Wilson, Chase, Nike, JP Morgan, Berlei, Gatorade, Tempur-Pedic, and Beats By Dre. In 2016 she joined SurveyMonkey and was one of the celebrity investors to invest in a UDC stake.

 Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is one of the most respected sportswomen in the world and won 39 Grand slams, the former World number one American won 39 Grand Slam’s, of which 16 were won in doubles, 12 in singles and in mixed doubles 11.

King is also remembered for several brilliant quotes of which the most popular is that tennis is the most unique blend of violent action taking place in total tranquillity.

Female Soccer Superstar, Mia Hamm

Soccer is one of the least sports expected to be played by females, yet the US National Team have what many seen as one of the female sports superstars and Mia Hamm has thousands of fans. She played from 1987 and continued to impress until she stopped in 2004.

As her soccer career started she also makes history as the youngest in her squad, she was only 15 years old at the time, and by 19 she guided the team to win in the Women’s World Cup in 1991 held in China. She also played a big part in the wins of the USA in 1996 as well as the 2004 Olympics not to forget the World Cup in 1999.

The USADA commission did a survey to better understand what US citizens believe about the significance and the role of sport in a modern society. The survey also offered access to the views of the public on sports aspirations, role models, values and ethics.

During the survey over three-fifths, equal to one hundred and sixty-two million, of adult Americans claimed to be part of sport-related activities or some relationship with sport. When describing their dreams and hopes for their children in sports, parents cite social and personal values that were almost overwhelming. Coaches ranked as the number one positive influence in youth sports, and two-thirds of adult Americans agreed that the importance of winning is overemphasized in sports.

Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs Ranked as The Most Serious Problem in Sports

What was ranked by almost all Americans part of the survey as the most serious problem in sports was the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, which were closely followed by criminal behaviour by top athletes and the focus on money.

The significance of Sports in Society

For Americans, sports play a major part in everyday living, and over two-thirds of adults in the US claimed to be actively involved with sports in some way, while around 25% actively participates as volunteers, parents of children or participate in sport themselves.
Most of all adults agree that sports offer society an array of positive benefits, more than 88% voted sports as a source of enjoyment and fun, 84% voted that sports reduce youth delinquency and crime, while 80% voted it strengthens the community and brings individuals together and when asked if sports promotes positive values, 76% voted yes.

Top Sports Icons & Their Importance in Sports Future

About half of the adults in the US agree that professional athletes influence the youth in a positive way and 90% agree that all professional sportsman and women have a responsibility as role models. Younger athletes get most of their high-performance expectations from top athletes. It is very negative when role models break the rules as children might think of it as acceptable once their icons are taking enhancements to accomplish phenomenal sports achievements. Once younger athletes advance into their youth their role models change from being parents, teammates or coaches to university students, college athletes or professional sportsmen and women, while it is also the age at which teens are more willing to experiment.

The Value & Importance of Sport

Based on the above-mentioned finding as well as other questions part of the survey, the importance of sport in the American society is reinforced and cherished. US citizens recognise the potential of sport in promoting virtues and building character. As a society the value sports add to everyday life is recognised and in general, a sophisticated understanding is shown for the effect bending or breaking the rules means while performance-enhancing drugs are seen as a major violation by an overwhelming percentage of the community.

In 2018, more and more sports players are actively vocalising their view relating to the current American political standing – especially within the NFL, which has not gone unnoticed by the press or the president who was subtweeting the players who were planning on taking a knee during the season and the highly anticipated Super Bowl.

For decades, the NFL was known for the big guys who loved football – but now it adds in social awareness, political stances, and even such as famous patriotism. Due to many players personal dislike of the current president, his policies, or the rising number violence towards people of colour, more players are taking a stance in one of the most notable ways – by taking a knee or not being on the field during the national anthem. One player, Telvin Smith, linebacker of the Jacksonville Jaguars, stated that as a man he must stand for something – that something being the injustices he believes is going on in the country. Though Smith and two of his other players took it a step further by staying in the locker room during the Star-Spangled Banner.

This movement is nothing new and was not started by the current president, Donald Trump. Instead, two years ago, the iconic 49ers player, Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the anthem to protest against the injustices of people of colour and police brutality. Since then, however, many other players have taken the torch and led the movement to use it as a way to peacefully protest the issues they see going on in the country, which can be easily seen with teams, such as the Jaguars, who are refusing to let the movement die.

Not everyone is on board with the protests. One of the major people the current president, Trump. In a series of tweets, he has displayed his disdain towards the movement and his desire for players who are protesting to be suspended from playing (most likely in the Super Bowl). Although before then, the president’s tweets were a bit more on the outspoken side, which is nothing out of the ordinary.

How Are Player’s Protesting?

There are two ways that players are protesting, one way – which was started by Kaepernick, was simply by taking a knee during the anthem. Although, since then, the NFL had adopted a policy in May which allowed players to stand in the locker room while the anthem was going on without issue. While both options are simple, quiet, and statement creating. Many people are divided on how they feel towards the methods. One of the main arguments is how the teams will look – just imagine having one team standing for the anthem while half of the other is in the locker room waiting it out.

Nevertheless, the right to protest is one that Americans value. The question is, should it be allowed on the playing field.

While youngsters should focus on the game, they have parents shouting the sideline what their next move should be. Instead of enjoying team sports they faced with the decision to ignore the parent or the couch, the one leads to the possibility of losing a place in the team, the other a telling off all the way home.

Is really any wonder kids play tentatively, are confused, or even too afraid to make mistakes, or battle to learn anything? Most of all are parents the reason they stop enjoying the fun and excitement of sports? Understandably we love our children, we want them to do well in everything they do as well as enjoying victory and be successful. But its sometimes this race to nowhere, this pushing in youth sports, our actions, our words that are not helpful, even when its parents’ best intentions, their words hurt more than it motivates, and sports become an even of disappointment and not enjoyment.

Is it a wonder that once adults removed the enjoyment, that so many kids quit sports? The three key components of sports are enjoyment, long-term participation and achievement. Adults for some reason more believe that sports can be either fun or competitive, but not a mix of both and in this, they simply could not be more wrong. It happens due to the fact that people don’t understand the happiness of pursuing your passion and potential.

Sports is always about striving to improve, it is about doing what you love most and most of all pleasure is short lived and not the same as enjoyment. It’s the same with running a marathon, the distance is not pleasurable, yet completing it brings a feeling of achievement and great joy. The Golden State Warriors of 2016 is known as one of the greatest basketball teams of all times, one of their four core values is joy. Once coaches and parents start pouching too much, youngsters question the sports experience and once it feels like the positives are outweighed by the negatives they quit.

Basically, there are six different way in which adults manage to take enjoyment out of sports:

1. Side-line coaching by parents
2. Yelling out instructions to a player trying to make decisions under pressure
3. Parents shouting from side-line disrespect the officials, while children are thought to respect authority figures
4. Coaches being questioned by parents in their decisions regarding tactics and player positions
5. Sports are team events, your teammates your friends and parents commenting on their play is uncomfortable
6. For most youngsters, the least memorable moment is the ride home made into a teachable moment by parents

The fix to all this, ask children what they want, allow them to take ownership of their sporting experience and then respect their decision and that of the coaches. Pretty soon the team will consist of fearless, motivated, hardworking athletes who enjoy sports the way it’s meant to be.

Marcus Stroman showed his confidence and glee during Saturday’s game as nothing could bring him down, not even the light jab from one of the opposing team members, Adam Jones. Stroman plays the position as the pitcher, and during one badly calculated throw, Jones decided to mock the player by trying to mimic that success shimmy that Stroman casually does.

Though despite the mocking, Stroman didn’t seem to even give it a second laugh. Especially considering how by the end of the game, he was able to get the last laugh and a chance to celebrate. By the end of Saturday’s game, Stroman pitched a total of seven innings along with three additional runs, which helped the Toronto team beat Baltimore with a 4-1 score.

The rivalry between Stroman and Jones is far from malicious. The Blue Jays player reminisce on the friendship that he and Jones have, stating that he was one of the few that constantly reached out to him after getting into the league. He continued by stating that Jones has always been there for him, and he was one of the main factors that made playing against Baltimore even more enjoyable – despite the playful mocking on the field.

While Stroman did have an impressive performance during the entirety of the game, a lack of concentration did allow for one run to go past him. Though that run was earned by Stroman’s friendly rival, Adam Jones. While the point towards Baltimore did cause a few fans to worry, the damaged was easily managed as the left fielder of the game, Teoscar Hernandez, tossed a sharp laser which managed to tag out another opposing player.

Stroman not happy with play

After the game, Stroman admitted that he personally does not feel as if playing his best, despite the win the team received. He reflected on how he seemingly left pitches and how the defence strong playing helped him in the long run. He finished his sentiment by stating that he plans on pushing himself to play harder and do better to ensure that he can start making better pitches in the next game.

While Stroman is being humble, the Toronto player did manage to strike out seven times as well hitting a batter. Which follows a lapse of missing play time for six weeks due to an injury that he has fully recovered from. The manager of the Blue Jays, John Gibbons, believes that after coming back from DL, where a player is temporarily removed due to an injury, Stroman still played a fair and goof game however his pitching didn’t seem off in the least. Stroman received even more support from fellow teammate, Devon Travis, as he stated that Stroman has fully got his fire back.

Though the playoffs are coming quickly, and teams are giving it there all to get a spot in the final games. Stroman stated that no matter what, the goal for the Blue Jays is to complete to their fullest ability and show up at each game in a good mindset.