Is Taylor Swift the face of music? Some might say Drake. Who’s the face of the Republican Party, Trump or DeSantis? Even in cinema, would you rather watch a Tarantino stomach-twister, or a Scorsese crime thriller?
Everything’s got a face. And here, we talk about sports.
I won’t torture everyone by making this an all-time discussion. You’ve got Jordan, Brady, Phelps, Nicklaus, Pelé, Bolt, and, well, you get it.
That said, today, who’s the face of sports?
With Brady retiring from the NFL, that sport belongs to Patrick Mahomes, right? He’s charismatic, does things only he can do – Magic-esque no-look passes included – and brought the Chiefs from average to yearly contention.
He’s also proven – by age 27, no less. He’s got two MVPs, two Super Bowls, and was the cover of the Madden video game just three years ago.
Sorry Rodgers, Lamar, Donald, Saquon, and McCaffrey.
Steph Curry, you’re on talk shows, in commercials, and your daughter is adorable. Unfortunately, your name isn’t LeBron James, who’s still the face of the NBA in year 20.
The guy gets his mail and he’s on page one. Do I really need to explain this one?
I love hockey, and 10 years ago, this would’ve been a very tough question with Ovechkin, Crosby, and Kane all in the mix.
But in 2015, this guy named Connor McDavid got drafted by the Oilers, and it’s been his league ever since. Look no further than the fact that he’s 26 years old with three MVPs.
This past season, he piled up 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) in highlight-reel fashion. I tried to see him play at TD Garden – no luck there.
Admittedly, I don’t watch baseball until the playoffs, but I have Twitter. As much as I’d love to give this one to former Sox player and current Dodger Mookie Betts – who’s as fun as they come – I just can’t.
Shohei Ohtani of the Angels is a once-in-a-generation ballplayer. Not only is he an ace, but it’s mid-July and he’s hitting .302 with 103 hits and 32 homers.
Living near Boston, all we talk about are Sox players: Sale, Devers, etc. That said, I hear this guy’s name all the time. That says something in these parts.
Soccer isn’t my go-to sport, but looking at its ratings and crowds, Lionel Messi has to be in the discussion here. Classy and flashy, Messi broke the internet when he won his first World Cup last year.
Argentina’s golden boy entered Barcelona’s system when he was 13 years old. Me? I wasn’t bad in gym class.
Some might have said Ronaldo, but Messi’s World Cup victory put him over the top. No question.
I’m a boxing fanatic right now – it’s all I watch in my free time. As much as I’d like to say it’s pay-per-view king Ryan Garcia, it’s still Canelo Álvarez. He’s got the resume, he’s got the legacy, and he’s worshiped like a god in Mexico.
UFC is the easiest of them all, and not just because I’m Irish and love Conor McGregor.
What’s most impressive here is that the marketing mastermind made himself the face. He causes scenes at press conferences, makes fun of people on social media, and personifies the ‘love him or hate him’ tag.
You’re either jumping up and down when he wins, or jumping up and down when he gets his head buzzed. There is no casual viewing with McGregor, and because of that, he’s the face of the octagon.
I’m proud to call myself passionate, but I’m more proud to say I’m a realist. LeBron is The King, but not in this conversation.
Look at it this way: he’s all we see on TV, and the guy has 156 million Instagram followers.
Messi has triple that (478 million). Enough said.
