President Trump named most influential person in sports in 2017

The most influential person in the world of sports does not play, coach a team, or run a league.

The site sportsbusinessdaily.com has instead chosen President Donald Trump as the person who has had the greatest impact on sports and sports business in 2017. The annual list, which recognizes 50 influential individuals/duos, did not include Mr. Trump last year.

Mr. Trump took over the top spot from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who fell to number two in the rankings this year. The next two spots were also occupied by league commissioners with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred taking the third spot and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell rounding out the top four.

The site defended its choice of President Trump by saying, “When pressed to decide who had the greatest influence — positive or negative — on the sports business this year, it came down to an individual outside of sports who had the business on its back foot since he arrived on the political scene in 2015.”

The article noted President Trump’s many run-ins with sports figures over the past year.

Some of the incidents that involved Mr. Trump and sports figures included him rescinding an invitation to the White House for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors after some players criticized his policies and hesitated to accept his initial invitation.

Also, he criticized NFL leadership for not doing enough to punish players who protested during the national anthem. Furthermore, he engaged in arguments on Twitter with people such as LaVar Ball after Ball’s son, LiAngelo, was arrested in China on shoplifting charges.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, also cracked the top ten coming in at number six.

The most influential athlete was Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who took the 23rd overall spot. NFL free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick claimed the 50th spot on the list after sparking anthem protests in the NFL.