Rugby snubbed completely by ESPN in greatest athletes of the 21st century list

ESPN has snubbed rugby completely from it’s greatest 100 professional athletes of the 21st century list, without a single player named while Skiing, Cricket and Snowboarding all managed at least one selection.

As expected, the list is dominated by Basketball (24 selections), Baseball (17 selections) and American Football (12), but it still comes as a surprise that rugby as one of the most physical demanding sports on the planet didn’t register a single player.

The list features incredible athletes of the modern age from all sports in the top 10; Michael Phelps (No 1 overall), Serena Williams (No 2), Lionel Messi (No 3), Lebron James (No 4), Tom Brady (No 5), Simone Biles (No 7), Tiger Woods (No 8) and Usain Bolt (No 9).

Since the year 2000 rugby union has seen names like Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O’Driscoll, Dan Carter, Bryan Habana, Richie McCaw star on the global stage in the international game.

Although the list was released in July before the Olympics, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe had a genuine case before the Paris games with one Olympic gold medal in sevens (now two), along with two Rugby World Cups in 15s.

But they were unable to crack the list over WNBA players Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Maya Moore, who are next to unrecognisable outside of the United States.

Controversially, NBA stars James Harden and Chris Paul made the list at 67th and 83rd solely from individual achievements in the NBA without winning a championship. Similarly, baseballer Bryce Harper was ranked at 79 based only on individual MLB achievements but without a World Series win.

All Black Dan Carter’s decorated rugby career and merit in the international game arguably warrants inclusion on the list. One of the few to transcend the game to the global level with Adidas and other endorsements, Carter has rubbed shoulders with many of sport’s global superstars, an indication of his on-field feats.

Notable selections from other sports include Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, who became the sport’s sole inclusion over the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, and Shoaib Akhtar.

Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura, a seven-time Olympic medalist, ranked 82nd overall. Snowboarder Shaun White ranked 72 after three Olympic gold medals in the half-pipe.

Australian basketballer Lauren Jackson, a two-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic medallist, came in at 84.

By geography, 56 of the top 100 were American, 22 Europeans, five Asians, five South Americans, and one Australian.