Most Influential Athletes in 2020

The following sports stars are all world famous and loved by millions of fans thanks to their achievements and personalities. They are the best athletes in the most popular sports from football to NFL, tennis to basketball. Thanks to their victories not only their bank accounts got richer but their power as well. They are the most influential athletes in 2020. 

Sports is not only a form of entertainment but also a big motivation for many people. Seeing our favorite athletes to return from a loss or injury can give us a great boost and inspire us to follow their samples. So it matters a lot what they are representing, what they are thinking about common matters, and how they are expressing themselves. With millions watching the biggest sports events, athletes have become real idols for many people. Their every move and say can influence us in a way that not many people could do before. 

5. Serena Williams

She is one the most famous women athletes in the world and best female tennis player of all time. But Serena isn’t only a fantastic player with 23 Grand Slam titles who also led the world ranking for 319 weeks. She is a great model for every woman who is struggling with her weight and body image issues. Serena has shown them that you don’t need to hide your kilos and you can be a great athlete even if you’re not the thinnest. She also represented all women that suffered from medical issues during their pregnancy or after giving birth like she did. But Williams is not someone who would give up, she came back to the tennis court strongly and is fighting for new victories. Online sportsbooks in the US, like Bovada are mentioning her in the favorites to win the US Open with the odds of 7.00. 

4. Tom Brady

Legendary NFL player Tom Brady is more than the face of the NFL. He is a fantastic athlete, the winner of six Super Bowls, the most that any player has won in the history of the sport. He also won a record four Super Bowl MVP awards along with three NFL MVP awards. You’d wonder what does he still do on the pitch at the age of 41? Well, he just left his team, New England Patriots with whom he achieved all his great successes and joined a new team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The odds for them to win the 55th Super Bowl is 11.00. But with his dedication to the sport and hard work Brady shows that you can still achieve great results after the age of 40. 

3. LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the best NBA players of all time, a three-time NBA champion and four-time NBA MVP. He was voted to the league’s All-Star team 16 times. James started his career with Cleveland Cavaliers but left them and became champions with Miami Heat. Naturally Cleveland fans were not too happy with him but they forgave everything when he returned to the club. He led the team to the NBA title and became a legend at the club forever. At the moment he is playing at Los Angeles Lakers, which has the odds of 3.00 at Bovada Sportsbook to become NBA champions this season. 

James has a huge influence on people in the league. For example the duration of the All-Star break was extended after his request. But he has power outside basketball as well thanks to his businesses. Like his designer retail store, production company and signature shoes. But he also gives back to the community and supports several good cases. Plus his own project, the iPromise School which helps struggling children to stay at school. James is not afraid to express his opinion on matters like racism or the presidential race, making him one of the most influential athletes in 2020. 

2. Roger Federer

He is one of the best tennis players of all time. Also one of the most popular athletes in the world. But Roger Federer’s legacy is more than to have the most Grand Slam titles. Or winning awards like the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award. He and his big rivals, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have made the sport really popular all over the world and created the Gold Era. Federer also founded a new tournament, the Laver Cup where Europe play against the rest of the world. Online gambling sites in the US will also offer odds for these games. 

Federer is still the face of many huge brands from Mercedes to Uniqlo, making him one of the richest athletes. But the Swiss also spends a lot on charities. His foundation to help disadvantaged children raised more than $40 million and helped the education of 1 million children in Africa. 

1. Cristiano Ronaldo 

You can either love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore the most influential athlete, Cristiano Ronaldo. He joined Juventus in 2018 after winning everything with Real Madrid and being a hero at the club. But a huge salary and his god-like status wasn’t enough for Ronaldo, who wanted to experience more challenges. And his move didn’t affect his popularity as Juventus sold within 24 hours of release, 520, 000 Ronaldo shirts. He is a five time Ballon d’Or winner, and a five-time UEFA Champions League champion. He also led the Portuguese team to the European Championships title in 2016.

But beside football Ronaldo also had time for many different things from making his own fashion brand to opening a boutique hotel in his homeland, Madeira. He earned €720 million in the last ten years. He was second in Forbes’ list of the highest-paid athletes of the decade. But Ronaldo is also generous and makes donations to different charities. Whatever he does, millions of fans watch him closely.  As he is the most followed athlete on social media with almost 400 million followers. 

You can discover more about Bovada Sportsbook here.