White named 45th most powerful person in sports, Obama is #44
What constitutes power in the 21st century? Where does it come from? And why aren’t our most powerful sportsmen the…
What constitutes power in the 21st century? Where does it come from? And why aren’t our most powerful sportsmen the men who actually play sports? In sports, as in life, power is often inherited (think of Kim Jong Un or Hal Steinbrenner), seized by force (Napoleon, Mike Tyson) or passed peacefully beyond bloodlines (Bush-to-Obama, David Stern-to-deputy Adam Silver). Transfers of power in sports are less bloody than in Game of Thrones but no less intriguing, which is why it’s worth asking who sits atop our Throne of Games?
1. Roger Goodell NFL commissioner
2. David Stern NBA commissioner
3. Philip Anschutz AEG owner
4. John Skipper ESPN president
5. Bud Selig MLB commissioner
6. Stan Kroenke Kroenke Sports Enterprises owner
7. Mark Lazarus NBC Sports chairman
8. Jacques Rogge IOC president
9. Phil Knight Nike chairman
10. Hedge Fund Dude
11. Mark Walter Guggenheim Partners CEO & Dodgers owner
12. Robert Kraft Patriots owner
13. Sean McManus CBS Sports chairman
14. Michael Dolan IMG Worldwide CEO
15. Eric Shanks Fox Sports copresident
16. Sepp Blatter FIFA president
17. Mike Slive SEC commissioner
18. Adam Silver NBA deputy commissioner
19. Jerry Jones Cowboys owner
20. Larry Ellison Oracle CEO
21. Richard Scudamore Barclays Premier League CEO
22. Bernie Ecclestone Formula One president and CEO
23. Scott Boras Baseball agent
24. Kevin Plank Under Armour CEO
25. Tim Finchem PGA commissioner
26. Jm Delany Big Ten commissioner
27. Gary Bettman NHL commissioner
28. David Levy Turner Broadcasting president of sales, distribution and sports
29. Glazer Family
30. Carlos Brito Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO
31. Donald Fehr NHLPA executive director
32. Herbert Hainer Adidas Group CEO
33. Bob Bowman MLB Advanced Media CEO
34. Casey Wasserman Wasserman Media Group CEO
35. DeMaurice Smith NFLPA executive director
36. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan UAE Deputy Prime Minister & Man. City owner
37. Travis Tygart USADA CEO
38. Mark Emmert NCAA president
39. John Riccitiello Electronic Arts CEO
40. Brian France NASCAR CEO and chairman
41. Alison Lewis and Sharon Byers Coca-Cola North America
42. Al Haymon Boxing adviser and promoter
43. Ed O’Bannon Retired basketball player
44. Barack Obama U.S. President
45. Dana White UFC president
46. Cindy Davis Nike Golf president
47. Tom Condon CAA Sports cohead of football division
48. Mark Cuban Mavericks owner
49. Stephen Espinoza Showtime executive VP of sports and event programming
50. Michael Jordan Bobcats owner
Is it unfair that Barack Obama beat Dana White? Are you aghast that Americans think football is bigger than football? Or did you ask yourself ‘What is Formula One?’ Did they put Michael Jordan at 50 because it is true, or just to get people talking?
What do you think UG?
