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Considering that just about none of us were alive at the turn of the 20th century, it’s hard to write this article without at least a trace of bias.

If we weren’t around to see these athletes in action, we’ll never really know just how much they meant to the world at the time. Despite the fact that we’ve heard all of the stories, it simply isn’t the same. Having said that, I’m going to do my best to account for this too.

It’s hard to narrow this list down to five, but these are the five men who I think had more meaning to their sports than any others. This is all subject to opinion, and I’d love to hear yours.

The first person I’ll mention is a baseball player whose impact could never be felt today like it was a century ago. Ty Cobb was one of the most influential baseball players in baseball history, and is largely responsible for the sport’s popularity.

As far as boxing goes, Muhammad Ali was the most high profile boxer to ever grace the sport. His personality and charisma were second to none, and the same can be said about his boxing skills.

Pele is often considered the Michael Jordan of soccer. Considering the fact that more people worldwide watch and play soccer than any other sport, he easily commands a top 3 spot on this list.

Babe Ruth. The Babe officially put baseball on the map and made it America’s pastime for nearly a century. He was a legend of his time and still remains the king of the home run in the minds of many. If not for Babe Ruth, baseball wouldn’t be as big as it is today.

In the basketball world, everyone wants to be like Mike. Many of us were fortunate enough to see him in action, and Jordan was the kind of athlete whose talent is witnessed once in a lifetime.

More about the author: A major sports fan, he also writes about bathroom light fixtures and bathroom ceiling lights.