Ranking the top 10 most powerful names in US sports
Only 10 undeniable superstars could stand on this mountain. And Tom Brady barely made it near the top. GettyPatrick Mahomes’ personal and business brands only became bigger in 2024[/caption] Patrick Mahomes, Caitlin Clark, LeBron James and Jake Paul created headline after headline in 2024. With only 10 names covering a diverse variety of sports, power players and personal brands, some of the biggest stars in the world had to be left out. Stephen Curry almost made this list. But the Golden State Warriors are in decline and Curry no longer drives NBA chatter like he used to. WNBA star Angel Reese is seemingly everywhere, but the Chicago Sky forward didn’t finish her rookie season due to injury and only shot 39.1 percent from the field. Team USA track speedster Noah Lyles and new North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick were among the biggest talkers in US sports in 2024. But they weren’t strong enough for this top 10, which also saw Coco Gauff, Lamar Jackson and Dana White end up on the cutting room floor. Here’s talkSPORT’s ranking of the 10 biggest power players in US sports. 10. Tom Brady, Super Bowl champion and NFL on FOX TV analyst It’s been a while since the NFL’s GOAT threw a real pass. But Brady was impossible to miss in 2024, whether he was learning the ropes as a rookie announcer or buying into the Las Vegas Raiders’ rebuild. The seven-time Super Bowl champ had a controversial sit-down interview with Mahomes and quickly regretted a fiery roast. For someone who’s supposed to be retired, Brady clearly enjoys the spotlight and adding to his estimated net worth of $300 million. He’ll be even bigger if Birmingham City beats Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to Championship promotion. instagram@tombradyTom Brady was everywhere even though he retired from the NFL[/caption] 9. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce the football star is slowing down. Kelce as an international superstar is just beginning. He’s more than just Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend or the co-host of a podcast that creates weekly headlines. One of the greatest tight ends in NFL history has become one of the biggest names in US sports. Not bad for a jock who once was kicked off his college football team because he refused to follow the rules. GettyThe most popular power couple in the world added to Kelce’s stardom[/caption] 8. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner Jones can’t but a Super Bowl trophy in 2024. But Uncle Jerry can buy almost everything else. The man who built AT&T Stadium possesses the most valuable sports franchise in the world. Even when the Cowboys are below .500 and filled with internal drama, they’re still worth $10 billion and valued higher than Manchester United. Throw in his must-watch postgame interviews and fondness for eating squirrels, and an 82-year-old worth more than $16 billion is almost as big as the NFL. Jerry Jones would love to buy a Super Bowl trophyGetty 7. Jake Paul, boxer and YouTube star Love him or hate him, it doesn’t matter. It’s Paul’s modern world and we’re all just living in it. He beat Mike Tyson, teased other buzz-filled fights, has 28 million followers on Instagram, and was at the center of the most-streamed global sporting event in history. Not even Netflix’s annoying buffering problems got in Paul’s way. It’s still debatable whether ‘The Problem Child’ is good or horrible for boxing’s future. What’s certain is that Paul became bigger than ever in 2024, and he turned a farce inside Jones’ AT&T Stadium into a must-see worldwide showcase. instagram@jakepaulJake Paul lured Mike Tyson out of retirement and earned another social media win[/caption] 6. Juan Soto, New York Mets outfielder The only Major League Baseball player on this list had to be on this list. Soto burned the cross-town New York Yankees and instantly became the biggest Mets star in team history. Cash and flash Estimated net worth Jerry Jones $16 billionLeBron James $1.2 billionJuan Soto $865 millionLionel Messi $850 millionTom Brady $300 millionPatrick Mahomes $90 millionJake Paul $80 millionTravis Kelce $50 millionSimone Biles $25 millionCaitlin Clark $4 million He also made Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 million contract with the World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers look like a hardball bargain. If Soto trades his record-setting $765 million deal for the Mets’ first world championship since 1986, he’ll remind sports fans across the globe why baseball used to be America’s pastime. No one in the world is being paid more to play sports than Juan SotoGetty 5. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever guard In a few years, Clark could be No. 1. That’s how magnetic and influential the WNBA superstar has become. Clark changed women’s college basketbal
Only 10 undeniable superstars could stand on this mountain.
And Tom Brady barely made it near the top.
Patrick Mahomes, Caitlin Clark, LeBron James and Jake Paul created headline after headline in 2024.
With only 10 names covering a diverse variety of sports, power players and personal brands, some of the biggest stars in the world had to be left out.
Stephen Curry almost made this list.
But the Golden State Warriors are in decline and Curry no longer drives NBA chatter like he used to.
WNBA star Angel Reese is seemingly everywhere, but the Chicago Sky forward didn’t finish her rookie season due to injury and only shot 39.1 percent from the field.
Team USA track speedster Noah Lyles and new North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick were among the biggest talkers in US sports in 2024.
But they weren’t strong enough for this top 10, which also saw Coco Gauff, Lamar Jackson and Dana White end up on the cutting room floor.
Here’s talkSPORT’s ranking of the 10 biggest power players in US sports.
10. Tom Brady, Super Bowl champion and NFL on FOX TV analyst
It’s been a while since the NFL’s GOAT threw a real pass.
But Brady was impossible to miss in 2024, whether he was learning the ropes as a rookie announcer or buying into the Las Vegas Raiders’ rebuild.
The seven-time Super Bowl champ had a controversial sit-down interview with Mahomes and quickly regretted a fiery roast.
For someone who’s supposed to be retired, Brady clearly enjoys the spotlight and adding to his estimated net worth of $300 million.
He’ll be even bigger if Birmingham City beats Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to Championship promotion.
9. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end
Kelce the football star is slowing down.
Kelce as an international superstar is just beginning.
He’s more than just Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend or the co-host of a podcast that creates weekly headlines.
One of the greatest tight ends in NFL history has become one of the biggest names in US sports.
Not bad for a jock who once was kicked off his college football team because he refused to follow the rules.
8. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys owner
Jones can’t but a Super Bowl trophy in 2024.
But Uncle Jerry can buy almost everything else.
The man who built AT&T Stadium possesses the most valuable sports franchise in the world.
Even when the Cowboys are below .500 and filled with internal drama, they’re still worth $10 billion and valued higher than Manchester United.
Throw in his must-watch postgame interviews and fondness for eating squirrels, and an 82-year-old worth more than $16 billion is almost as big as the NFL.
7. Jake Paul, boxer and YouTube star
Love him or hate him, it doesn’t matter.
It’s Paul’s modern world and we’re all just living in it.
He beat Mike Tyson, teased other buzz-filled fights, has 28 million followers on Instagram, and was at the center of the most-streamed global sporting event in history.
Not even Netflix’s annoying buffering problems got in Paul’s way.
It’s still debatable whether ‘The Problem Child’ is good or horrible for boxing’s future.
What’s certain is that Paul became bigger than ever in 2024, and he turned a farce inside Jones’ AT&T Stadium into a must-see worldwide showcase.
6. Juan Soto, New York Mets outfielder
The only Major League Baseball player on this list had to be on this list.
Soto burned the cross-town New York Yankees and instantly became the biggest Mets star in team history.
Cash and flash
Estimated net worth
Jerry Jones $16 billion
LeBron James $1.2 billion
Juan Soto $865 million
Lionel Messi $850 million
Tom Brady $300 million
Patrick Mahomes $90 million
Jake Paul $80 million
Travis Kelce $50 million
Simone Biles $25 million
Caitlin Clark $4 million
He also made Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 million contract with the World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers look like a hardball bargain.
If Soto trades his record-setting $765 million deal for the Mets’ first world championship since 1986, he’ll remind sports fans across the globe why baseball used to be America’s pastime.
5. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever guard
In a few years, Clark could be No. 1.
That’s how magnetic and influential the WNBA superstar has become.
Clark changed women’s college basketball, then finally took the pro game to the next level, along with a rivalry for the ages alongside Angel Reese.
Throw in a Rookie of the Year award, carrying the Indiana Fever to the playoffs and being bold enough to say no to the start-up Unrivaled league, and Clark was a daily talking point in US sports in 2024.
If she can win a few championships, she can rise from a 22-year-old women’s basketball sensation into a US sports icon.
4. Lionel Messi, Inter Miami forward
Based off his MLS finish last season, Messi doesn’t deserve to be on this list.
Based off everything he’s meant to MLS and how his name rings out in America, the 37-year-old living legend could be even higher.
Messi is singlehandedly pointing the United States to the 2026 World Cup, showing soccer (and football) fans everywhere how gorgeous the beautiful game really is.
Whether he is still commanding the pitch in 2026 is another question.
3. Simone Biles, Team USA gymnast
The star of the 2024 Summer Olympics dominated Paris and TVs across the globe.
Biles is bigger than Brady, Clark and the Cowboys’ owner.
She inspired millions with her public honesty dealing with mental health.
She has 11 Olympic medals and could be back for more in Los Angeles in 2028.
In a US sports world dominated by NFL stars, a gymnast from Spring, Texas is a true sport-changing GOAT.
2. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers forward
The King of many things.
James was the basketball star of the 2024 Olympics, then became the first father in NBA history to play with his son, Bronny, on the same team.
“Hollywood couldn’t write a better script so we helped them write it and brought it to them,” James posted.
The league’s all-time leading scorer will turn 40 on December 30.
He’s just getting started when it comes to media domination and being a power player on a global stage.
With more than $1 billion in net worth, The Chosen One could easily be No. 1.
But the NFL towers above the NBA in the United States, and James has fallen out of the minute-by-minute sports conversation.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback
The generational QB is so big that he deserved his own talkSPORT Christmas countdown list.
Mahomes is the backyard gunslinger who has replaced Brady as the face of the NFL.
He’s also stayed true to his baseball origins while embracing everything from MLB and the NBA to the NWSL and Formula One.
James can drive a social conversation with a single tweet, but The King has had multiple missteps over the years.
Mahomes has become the great unifier while approaching $100 million in net worth.
Sunday after Sunday, NFL fans across the world tune in to see what he and his reigning-champion Chiefs will do on the field of play.
The most important athlete in America’s biggest sport has also become the biggest power player.
Mahomes also has the Swifties on his side.
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