With so many transcendent athletes over the past 25 years, we thought it was time to poll our experts to find the best of the best. In considering the best athletes of the 21st century, we expanded our choices beyond North America. ESPN editions from around the globe contributed to the nominations and voting process of the Top 100, as well as individual sport list rankings.
Voters were instructed to consider only an athlete’s performance since 2000. In the end, we received more than 70,000 votes from ESPN contributors. Find every list as they are published here:
25 future top athletes of the 21st Century
July 22: Top 25 MLB players | Top 10 men’s MMA fighters
July 23: Women’s MMA, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s tennis, men’s tennis
July 24: NFL, Olympics
July 25: NBA, WNBA, Men’s and women’s boxing
July 26: NHL, Golf
