Latest Site News

[PeteFromLeeds]

Welcome to the World Cup of Sportspeople! With the Women's Football World Cup in full swing just finished and the Men's World Cup being a resounding success last year, we'll be following on with a tournament, not of countries, but of the sports-men and women themselves. This contest is designed to select the greatest sportspeople from each continent through a number of rounds, selecting the best of the best, and pitting them together to show who we really think is the best sportsperson of them all!

This is the Voting stage for North America. We received 109 different nominations in all - taking away our auto-qualifier, Usain Bolt, this gives us two groups of 54 players. Here's how this stage is going to work.

- You can vote for up to 25 sportspeople, but you must vote for at least 10.
- You must rank your votes in order of preference, either by numbering or by the standard Buzzjack +25, +24 ... +1 (Or down to however many you vote for)
- You must vote for sportspeople from at least three different sports
- You must vote for at least one male and one female sportsperson.
- Each sportsperson has been given a short description of their major achievements to make it easier for you to make up your mind.
- The four sportspeople with the most votes in each group will advance to the Final. The fifth-placed person with the most points across the groups will also advance, whilst the rest of the Top 10 will advance to the Intercontinental Playoffs. Everyone else will be booted out.

Group 1
Michelle Akers (USA - Football - Won two World Cups with USA, won the Golden Boot in 1991)
Muhammad Ali (USA - Boxing - Won 56 out of 61 fights, won Gold at the 1960 Olympics)
Mario Andretti (USA - Motor Racing - Won the 1978 Championship, 12 Grand Prix wins)
Henry Armstrong (USA - Boxing - Won 151 of 181 fights)
Donovan Bailey (Canada - Athletics - Two Olympic golds, three World Championship golds)
Yohann Blake (Jamaica - Athletics - Two Olympic relay golds, two World Championship golds)
Ato Boldon (Trinidad and Tobago - Athletics - 1997 World Championship gold, 2000 Olympic silver)
Tori Bowie (USA - Athletics - 2016 Olympic gold, two World Championship golds)
Tom Brady (USA - American Football - Won six of nine Super Bowls, the most of any player in NFL history)
Jimmy Connors (USA -Tennis - 8 Grand Slam wins, won 109 career titles)
Pauline Davis-Thompson (Bahamas - Athletics - Won two Olympic Golds, 1999 World Championship gold)
Gail Devers (USA - Athletics - 3 Olympic golds, nine World Championship golds)
Joe DiMaggio (USA - Baseball - 56-game hitting streak, won American League 10 times with New York Yankees)
Dale Earnhardt (USA - Motor Racing - Won 76 NASCAR Cup races, 21 Xfinity races)
Chris Evert (USA - Tennis - Won 18 Grand Slam titles, 157 career titles)
Joel Garner (Barbados - Cricket - helped West Indies remain undefeated in Test matched for 15 years, highest ranked ODI bowler)
Chris Gayle (Jamaica - Cricket - Captained West Indies from 2007 to 2010, only player to score a triplet of centuries)
Mia Hamm (USA - Won the Olympics twice and the Women's World Cup twice, held the record for most international goals)
Desmond Haynes (Barbados - 7487 runs in 116 matches, scored a century on his ODI debut)
Phil Hill (USA - Motor Racing - Won 1961 Championship, 3 Grand Prix wins)
Evander Holyfield (USA - Boxing - Won 44 of 57 fights, 29 by KO)
Kirani James (Granada - Athletics - Won 2012 Olympic gold, 2011 World Championship gold)
LeBron James (USA - Basketball - Won three NBA championships, three MVP awards and two Olympic golds)
Michael Johnson (USA - Athletics - Won 4 Olympic golds, 8 World Championship golds)
Michael Jordan (USA - Basketball - Won 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, won five MVP awards)
Marie-Michèle Gagnon (Canada - Skiing - Won the 2014 Combined season)
Greg LeMond (USA - Cycling - Won Tour de France 3 times, three World Championship golds)
Joe Louis (USA - Boxing - Won 16 of 20 fights, 14 by KO)
Rocky Marciano (USA - Boxing - won 49 of 49 fights, 43 by KO)
Rafael Marquez (Mexico - Football - Won Ligue 1 title with Monaco, won Champions League with Barcelona)
Floyd Mayweather Jr (USA - Boxing - Won 50 of 50 fights, 27 by KO)
Phil Mickelson (USA - Golf - Won 5 Major Championships, 50 professional wins)
Bode Miller (USA - Skiing - Won 2010 Olympic gold and 4 World Championship golds, won 33 World Cup races)
Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas - Athletics - Won 2016 Olympic Gold, 2015 World Championship silver)
Avard Moncur (Bahamas - Athletics - 2008 Olympic silver, two World Championship golds)
Martina Navratilova (Won 18 Grand Slam singles and 31 Grand Slam doubles titles, 168 Singles career titles and 186 Doubles titles)
Shaquille O'Neal (USA - Basketball - Won three consecutive NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, won the 1999-2000 MVP Award)
John Part (Canada - Darts - Won 1994 Major World Championship, two Premier World Championship titles)
Ivan Pedroso (Cuba - Athletics - 2000 Olympic gold, won 9 World Championship golds)
Sergio Perez (Mexico - Motor Racing - 8 Grand Prix podiums)
Daimi Pernia (Cuba - Athletics - Won 1999 World Championships and 1999 Pan American games)
Michael Phelps (USA - Swimming - Won 23 Olympic golds, 27 World Championship golds)
Don Quarrie (Jamaica - 1976 Olympic gold, 6 Commonwealth golds)
Roni Remme (Canada - Skiing - 2019 World Cup Combined silver)
Viv Richards (Antigua and Barbuda - Cricket - Scored 8,540 runs in 121 matches, voted as the third greatest Test batsman of all time)
Andy Roberts (Antigua and Barbuda - Twice took seven wickets in a Test innings, first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies)
Babe Ruth (USA - Baseball - Set a number of MLB records, won World Series 7 times)
Pete Sampras (USA - Tennis - Won 14 Grand Slam titles, 64 career titles)
Garfield Sobers (Barbados - Cricket - Captained the West Indies from 1965 to 1972, considered to be cricket's greatest all-rounder)
Mike Tyson (USA - Boxing - Won 50 of 58 fights, 44 by KO)
Courtney Walsh (Jamaica - Cricket - Captained the West Indies in 22 Test matches, held the record of most Test wickets)
Serena Williams (USA - Tennis - Won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, won 72 career titles)
Michael Woods (Canada - Cycling - Finished 7th in the 2017 Vuelta)
Tiger Woods (USA - Golf - Won 15 Major championships, 108 professional wins)

The deadline is 23:59 Monday 5th July. Get voting!