Tom Brady and the 5 Best Athletes In the World

Unless you’re living in a cave, you have probably heard that Tom Brady won another Super Bowl on Sunday. Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the franchise’s second-ever NFL title with a dominant 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.

Brady won his seventh Super Bowl in his tenth career appearance. That means he now owns more Super Bowl titles than any single NFL franchise, which is just one of a series of mind-blowing facts about Brady’s remarkable career. He became the oldest QB to ever win a Super Bowl at the age of 43. He also claimed his fifth Super Bowl MVP trophy. That, of course, is another record.

At this point, there is little dispute about whether Brady is the best player the NFL has ever seen. Some may still try and make arguments for the likes of Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, or Jerry Rice, but Brady’s resume is simply without a rival at this point. He also said after the game that he’s coming back next season, so there is still time for him to pad his ridiculous numbers even further.

You won’t hear me arguing that anybody but Brady is the best player to ever wear an NFL uniform. The fact that he’s 43 and showing zero signs of slowing down all but cements his case. The question, at this point, is whether Brady has any rivals in any other sport challenging his status as the best active athlete on the planet.

Brady’s track record speaks for itself, but the following are the five closest challengers to his throne still active today.

Serena Williams

Is Serena Williams the best women’s tennis player in the world right now? You can debate that. As of this writing, she’s actually just 11th in the WTA world rankings. Australia’s Ashleigh Barty is currently ranked No. 1. However, one thing that isn’t up for debate is Serena’s status at the top of the sport’s all-time rankings. There is no female tennis player in history whose track record holds a candle to Serena’s.

However, Serena has more than lapped her sister over the course of their respective careers. Serena, now 39, has a whopping 23 Grand Slam singles titles under her belt. She’s won the Australian Open seven times (and is currently gunning for her eighth in this year’s Australian Open). She’s won Wimbledon seven times. She’s won the US Open six times. She’s won the French Open three times. Yep, it all adds up.

If you count doubles and mixed doubles, Serena has an incredible 39 Grand Slam titles. She is the third player in the history of men’s or women’s pro tennis to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles at the same time. The only others to accomplish the feat are Graf and Rod Laver. All 14 of her Grand Slam doubles titles have been won alongside Venus.

She may have slowed down in recent years, however. Serena hasn’t won a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open, so her time in the limelight may be coming to a close. Still, it’s going to be very difficult for another player to ever come along and accomplish more in the sport than Williams has over the years.

Lionel Messi

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. The modern era of the game has been dominated by two players, however. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had a rivalry dating back several years. The two will be forever linked as arguably the two best players in the history of the sport. Given soccer’s decorated and lengthy history, that’s a remarkable accomplishment for both players.

However, most observers of the game will tell you that Messi has been the superior player to Ronaldo. Nothing against Ronaldo, but Messi is soccer’s GOAT. My condolences to Pele, Diego Maradona, and the rest. Messi is now 33, and he may not be what he was in his prime. However, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’s still got plenty of gas left in his indefatigable tank.

Messi has spent the entirety of his professional career with Barcelona, where he has won just about every individual and team honor under the sun. The Argentina native has led Barca to 10 La Liga titles. Barcelona has won the Copa Del Rey six times during his tenure, along with four victories in the UEFA Champions League. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or, the award given to the world’s best player, a record six times.

The one honor that has continued to elude Messi has been a World Cup title. He led Argentina to the World Cup Final back in 2014, where they were beaten by Germany in extra time. The lack of a World Cup crown is really the only blemish on Messi’s insane resume. Fortunately for him, Ronaldo hasn’t won one, either. Ronaldo did help Portugal to an unexpected win at the 2016 Euros, however.

We’ll see what the future holds for Messi. His contract with Barcelona is set to expire after the season. There has been some talk of his desire to either play in England or in the United States. Regardless of where he goes, he’ll surely continue to add to his status as arguably the greatest player to ever lace up the boots.

Tiger Woods

Jack Nicklaus may still hold the record for most major championships won by a golfer, but does anybody really think anybody but Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all-time? At the very least, Tiger’s star power has trumped that of any other golfer in history. Tiger is synonymous with the game, and he’s the first name the vast majority of casual fans will think of when asked about golf.

Woods has the resume to back it up, too. Tiger didn’t take anybody by surprise after turning pro as arguably the greatest golf prospect ever, but he has amazingly managed to live up to those lofty expectations.

Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins under his belt, which ties him with Sam Snead for the most ever. However, Woods has more than double the amount of major titles, with an incredible 15 and counting.

Woods’ 15 majors is second to Nicklaus’ record of 18. Now 45, it’s hard to imagine Tiger ultimately catching or passing Nicklaus at this point. However, don’t count him out. Few gave Woods much of a chance entering the 2019 Masters, when he proceeded to turn in one of the most memorable performances of his legendary career. Woods won the 2019 Masters despite entering the tournament as a +2000 underdog.

It was Tiger’s fifth Masters win overall. He has added four PGA Championships, along with three wins apiece at the US Open and the Open Championships. Tiger has won the PGA’s Player of the Year Award a record 11 times. He won that award every single year between 1999 and 2003, as well. Woods has 18 World Golf Championship victories, and he was a key cog in the 1999 US Ryder Cup team that won in upset fashion.

LeBron James

It’s fair to assume that people will be engaging in the “MJ or LeBron?” debate for the rest of eternity. Michael Jordan is believed by many to be the NBA’s greatest player, but LeBron James is mounting a compelling case of his own. By the time James hangs up his sneakers, he may well be commonly accepted as basketball’s GOAT.

Now 36, James is yet another legendary figure that doesn’t seem to be on the verge of slowing down at any point in the near future. LeBron has four NBA titles on his resume, which puts him two behind Jordan. James’ Los Angeles Lakers are the betting favorites to win it again this season, however, so LeBron may be breathing down Jordan’s neck in that regard before too long.

James led the Miami Heat to four straight appearances in the NBA Finals between 2011 and 2015 before leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a coveted title of their own in 2016. In fact, James has already appeared in the NBA Finals 10 times in his career. The Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors are the only franchises in the history of the league to have appeared in the NBA’s championship round more often than LeBron has over the years.

Jordan may have been the more dominant scorer, but James is the player with the more well-rounded game. When you combine that with his unrivaled longevity, LeBron is well on his way to being the best basketball player of them all.