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From left to right, the 60-foot faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln adorn the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, near Keystone, S.D. The monumental granite sculpture by American artist and sculptor Gutzon Borglum is located within the United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States of America.
Much like the four historic visages that are displayed along the mountainside, sports have been part of the fabric of America since the country was established. We refer to baseball as the "American Pastime" and we take it personally if our Olympic basketball team doesn't utterly dominate opponents. Knowing that sports are as American as apple pie, why not build an American professional sports monument?
Upon deciding to create such a monument, the decision must be made concerning which sports will be represented and which athletes will be chosen. The obvious inclusion of the big three (football, baseball and basketball) in American sports leaves only one spot remaining.
During the process of elimination, it was clear that the NHL would most likely be represented by Wayne Gretzky -- a Canadian. So with the hopes of erecting the ultimate American sports monument, hockey has as much place here as Don Imus at the next Million Man March.
With hockey out of the picture, the remaining sports included racing, boxing/MMA, tennis and golf. As much as NASCAR and Indy have become part of popular culture, neither event has the draw of a Muhammad Ali title fight. And despite women's tennis always being a draw, a Sunday stroll up to the 18th green with Tiger Woods wins out.
When comparing Muhammad Ali to Tiger Woods, both athletes might be the most recognizable public figures during their era -- and not just with sports fans. Though their worldwide popularity is similar, the two men could not be more different.
Ali was known for being unabashedly honest, forthright and upfront with any topic up for discussion. His personality out of the ring made him as well-known as his exploits between the ropes.
With an almost exact-opposite personality to that of Ali, Woods has never been one to stir the pot. Always possessing a soft-spoken, calm demeanor, only quick-triggered photographers have forced Tiger to display his ferocity.
In order to obtain any sort of separation between two of the greatest American athletes, a controversial part of Ali's past came to light. He was labeled by some as a "draft dodger" when he did not answer the government's call to serve in Vietnam. At the time Ali stated that, "War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an. I'm not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don't take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers." While many may agree with his sentiment, there are others who will question Ali's patriotism and dedication to America.
So after undergoing the process of elimination, the four sports represented by in the monument will be: football, baseball, basketball and golf. For the three athletes playing a team sport, they will represent the team they played most of their career with. Each athlete chosen to represent his sport is arguably the greatest to ever suit up.
Based on championships success, personal statistics and pop culture status, I present to you the official Mount Rushmore of American Sports!
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Michael Jordan
NBA -- SG -- Chicago Bulls
Career totals: 30.1 ppg, .497 FG, 6.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 2.35 spg.
Not that I have to explain this, but I will. Aside from being regarded by most as the greatest all-around player ever to take the hardwood, Jordan reinvented the way sports and athletes are marketed and is truly the first "superstar" in sports history.
The Jordan brand name continues to be the top-selling line of any athlete's despite Jordan's current impact on the league only coming through management with the Charlotte Bobcats.
Worthy candidates such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson would also suffice, but Jordan's impact will be felt far longer than any athlete before him.
Career notes: Five-time MVP; 10-time All-NBA First Team selection; member of six Chicago Bulls championship teams; six-time Finals MVP; 1987-88 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and record nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection; holds the record for most seasons leading the league in scoring with 10; holds the record for most consecutive games scoring in double digits with 842; holds the playoff record for highest career scoring average (33.4 ppg); participated in 13 All-Star Games, starting all 13 times; named MVP of the 1988, 1996 and 1998 All-Star Games.
Jerry Rice
NFL -- WR -- San Francisco 49ers
Career totals: 1,549 receptions, 22,895 receiving yards, 197 receiving TDs, 207 total TDs.
Selected 16th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1985 NFL Draft, Rice was named NFC Rookie of the Year. In his second season, Rice legitimized himself as the next great receiver with 86 receptions, 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Rice won back-to-back Super Bowls with Joe Montana (1988-89) and a third with Steve Young (1994). No. 80 finished his career holding virtually every NFL career receiving record, a few offensive records, and numerous playoff and Super Bowl records. More impressively, many of Rice's records are far, far away from any other player and most appear to be set in stone.
Career notes: All-time NFL records for receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), TD receptions (197), all-purpose yards (23,540), total TDs (207), receiving yards in a single season (1,848), seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards (14), consecutive games with at least one reception (274), games with at least 100 receiving yards (76), consecutive games with at least one TD reception (13). Postseason NFL records for games played (29), TDs (22), receptions (151), receiving yards (2,245).
Tiger Woods
Career totals: Major championships (14), PGA Tour wins (65), European Tour wins (7), Other professional wins (17), Amateur wins (11).
Much like Jordan during his day, Woods is currently the predominant sports marketing figure in the world. With the recent knee surgery that will keep him off the links until at least 2009, the game of golf will suffer much more than Tiger's place in the pantheon of professional sports.
Woods' most recent victory might also go down as one of his best, but his career is more than filled with memorable fist-pumps and tear-filled hugs with his father. All that Tiger must do to cement his place atop the golf world is surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 wins in major tournaments.
Career notes: Won 65 official PGA Tour events and 22 individual professional titles; successfully defended a title 21 times on the PGA Tour; is 14-0 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead; never lost any tournament when leading by more than one shot after 54 holes; owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history; has been the PGA Player of the Year a record nine times and the PGA Tour Money Leader a record-tying eight times (with Jack Nicklaus); spent more than nine years atop the world rankings in his 12-year career; is one of five players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Nicklaus and Gary Player) and the youngest to have won all four professional major championships in his career.
Babe Ruth
MLB -- New York Yankees
Career totals: 2,503 GP, 8,399 AB, 2,174 R, 2,873 H, 506 2B, 136 3B, 714 HR, 16 GS, 2,213 RBI, 2,062 BB, .342 AVG, .474 OBP, .690 SLG.
Forget the incredible numbers and guy's-guy personality, Ruth's importance to the game can be summed up by watching The Sandlot. During a dream, Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez is visited by the ghost of The Great Bambino. The figure of Ruth tells Rodriguez, "Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die."
As the movie states, the legend of Ruth will forever be stitched into the fabric of baseball in America. Much like Rice, many of Ruth's records were miles ahead of anyone in his time. While many of these numbers may be eclipsed at some point, Ruth and his fans can rest happy knowing that the only type of health test Ruth ever failed was a body-fat scan.
Career notes: Named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball in 1969; ranked No. 1 on The Sporting News' 100 greatest players in 1998; reported to have called a home run before hitting it; is third on all-time home run list (714), 10th on all-time batting average list (.342), second on all-time RBI list (2,213) and first in slugging percentage (.690).