It is time to write a list about the most bad-ass dudes on the planet. These men have worked, struggled, and overcome incredible odds to become dominate personalities. They have made an instant and definite impact through athletic achievement, big movie roles, or unbelievable intelligence. These are men that children look up to and have been admirable role models. They have insurmountable pressures from the media, fans, and society to perform at the highest level and they succeed. With literally hundreds of qualified candidates it was difficult to limit the list to ten. Be sure to let me know of some omissions that you feel I should have included. Here is a list of the Top 10 Bad-Ass Guys in 2009. If you are interested in a variety of other Top 10 lists check out my site The List Blog - Top 10 at www.listzblog.com
It is time to write a list about the most bad-ass dudes on the planet. These men have worked, struggled, and overcome incredible odds to become dominate per... more
1
LeBron James - LeBron is an NBA basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and was the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. LeBron was only 18-years-old when drafted out of high school. He signed a $90 million dollar advertising contract with Nike before his professional debut. At age 24, LeBron became the youngest player ever to win the NBA’s MVP Award. LeBron James is the most dominant force in the sports world. His play and leadership contribute more to his squad then any other player on any other team in the world. That is saying a lot with Tom Brady sitting in New England. It is hard to compare him with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant because he plays a different game. LeBron takes high percentage shots by using his enormous body to drive the lane. As a defender you have to foul him or he will score. The only way to have a chance of stopping James is putting two players on him constantly and then he will have 15 assists. I see him scoring more points in his career then both Kobe and Jordan. James has advertising contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glaceau, Bubblicious, and Upper Deck. In the long run, who else is going to win an MVP Award in the next 10 years, maybe Dwyane Wade, but LeBron is going to win more then five.
2
Larry Page & Sergey Brin - Page and Brin are the co-founders of Google Inc. Google has quickly become the world’s largest internet company. The company has 20,164 full-time employees and a net worth of $23 billion dollars. These men founded the company in 1998. Larry Page is an American computer scientist who was intellectually ahead of his time, creating a search engine that allowed people to easily find specific topics on the internet. Larry Page has become the sixth richest person in America. Sergey Brin is a Russian computer scientist who is equally responsible for the advertising giant Google Inc. In 2007, Sergey was named #1 on a list of the “50 Most Important People on the Web” by PC World Magazine. Forbes ranks Brin as the twenty-sixth richest person in the world. Page and Brin are marketing specialists. Google is constantly expanding its internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, and video sharing services. Google owns many internet companies including YouTube, JotSpot, and DoubleClick enterprises. Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a company that is growing faster then any other in the history of the world, two bad-ass dudes.
3
Usain Bolt - Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter and the fastest man in the world. At the 2008 Summer Olympics he set world records in both the 100 metres (9.69 seconds) and the 200 metres (19.30 seconds). The Jamaican 4X100 metres squad also set a world record with a time of 37.10 seconds. It was the first time a sprinter had won gold in all three events since Carl Lewis did it in 1984. He has a unique running style and practically floats with his long strides. He has been given the nicknamed “Lightning’ Bolt” by local media. While setting the record in the 100 metres Bolt clearly distanced himself from the field and then noticeable slowed down, throwing his hands in the air with celebration. A study was conducted at the University of Oslo, which concluded that based on Bolt’s opening 60 m time. If he had not celebrated early his finishing time would have been somewhere between 9.52 and 9.55. His shoe also became untied during the race. Usain is my choice as the most bad-ass Olympian alive today, although Michael Phelps is very deserving. Watching Phelps swim isn’t quite as magical as Bolt in full-stride. It would be amazing to see this man run in
4
Cristiano Ronaldo - While compiling a list of the best footballer’s in the world Cristiano Ronaldo stands alone. He was born in Funchal, Madeira and plays for the Portuguese national team. He is only 24-years-old. Cristiano plays starting winger for English Premier League club Manchester United. At the moment, Manchester United is the most successful and popular football club in the world. In 2008, Ronaldo was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year, FIFA World Player of the Year, and received the coveted Ballon d’Or, which is awarded to the European Footballer of the Year. He is the first Manchester United player to win the award in 40 years. In his personal time he wrote an autobiography titled Moments and owns a fashion boutique. Cristiano is a true superstar and a bad-ass dude. We can only imagine the international superstar this man would be if he played for the Brazilian, English, or even United States National teams. I have been waiting for a player like him to emerge in the States for years, trust me I will keep on waiting.
5
Georges "Rush" St-Pierre - Georges was born in Saint-Isidore, Quebec in 1981. He is a mixed martial artist who currently holds the UFC Welterweight belt. He is ranked as one of the top three “pound-for-pound” fighters in the world by multiple MMA sources. I had to add a complete fighter to this list. St-Pierre is also a striking force behind the fastest growing sports organization in the world. He is a solid rock of endurance. He spends countless hours training and preparing for his next opponent. To be an MMA fighter you have to work harder then the next guy and that is what St-Pierre has done his entire life. In 2008, he was named the Canadian Athlete of the Year. He is cherished in Quebec as a national sports star. In his most recent fight he dominated B.J. Penn at UFC 94. His next fight will be at UFC 100 against number-one contender Thiago Alves. It was difficult to leave other MMA fighters like Miguel “Angel” Torres and Anderson Silva off this list. St-Pierre is special and I don’t see him losing a fight for a long time.
6
Johnny Depp - Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1963. He landed his first movie role in the 1984 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. He has starred in around 40 films, which have grossed an astounding $4.7 billion worldwide. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won a Golden Globe for his work on Sweeney Todd. He is an extremely soft spoken man and tries to keep his personal life out of the media. He has been quoted as saying that as a child he occasionally engaged in self-harm and has numerous scars from this. The reason I have selected him over every other actor is his unique portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters. I enjoy watching his movies. When reading a script Johnny doesn’t pick the biggest blockbuster movie, although they would bring him the most attention. He prefers to make meaningful cinema. Some of my favorite Depp movies are Cry-Baby, Edward Scissorhands, Benny & Joon, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Blow, and Secret Window. In 2009, Johnny will be starring in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which is Heath Ledger’s last film. Sadly, Ledger died during production, so Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all contributed to finishing his character. He will also be playing John Dillinger in the upcoming release Public Enemies. His role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland will be out in 2010.
7
Alexander Ovechkin - Ovechkin is a Russian left winger who plays for the Washington Capitals in the NHL. He is only 23-years-old and one of the most talented hockey players in the world. Sidney Crosby is the only one to rival his talent. Ovechkin was the first selection of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In the 2008 season he won the Rocket Richard, Art Ross, and Lester B. Pearson trophies. When he was only 2-years-old Alexander was often seen with a hockey stick in his hand. He joined hockey school at the age of 8 and has never looked back. He is quoted as saying that one of the biggest influences in his life was his brother Sergei, who died in a car accident when he was 10. When compiling a list of bad-ass guys I had to add one the toughest. You don’t want to mess with this man. Most star players in the NHL have an enforcer that helps keep them safe during the match. Ovechkin is his own enforcer and isn’t afraid to throw-down. When he has an open shot or a good look he doesn’t miss.
8
Ethan Bortnick - Ethan is a child prodigy pianist and composer. He was born into a family of Russian Jews and is 8-years-old. He started reading at age 2, playing the keyboard at age 3, and was composing music by age 5. He has the ability to hear a piece of music and mirror it down to the last note. Ethan has hundreds of songs memorized and can play by ear and by reading the music. He has gained a national following and has performed with many famous artists, including Beyonce, Natalie Cole, Smokey Robinson, and Patti Labelle. This boy regularly performs both live and televised concerts with crowds exceeding 20,000 people. He has appeared on both Disney and Nickelodeon and recorded music for the Little Einstein label. He recently co-hosted the Chabad Telethon to a live audience of over 20 million views and helped raise 8 million dollars worldwide. His music is masterful and his stage presence is extraordinary. Ethan has won numerous awards and has dominated youth music competitions. His mom discovered his talent when Ethan perfectly copied his Baby Mozart CD. To date he has composed 30 pieces of music that have been published. He plays classical, jazz, pop, folk, and children’s tunes. He is truly a one of kind personality and has the potential to become one of the greatest composers ever to live.
9
Shaun White - Shaun was born in Carlsbad, California in 1986. He has been a professional snowboarder since he was 13-years-old and is also a skateboarding master. White was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a congenital heart defect. He has endured two open-heart operations, one at six months and another at twelve months. Shaun is the most decorated extreme sport athlete in the world. He is continually in the top of the standings in every major snowboarding competition. He won Olympic gold in 2006 and has raked in a record 10 X Games gold metals, performing in Men’s Halfpipe, Superpipe, and Slopestyle. He also excels at skateboarding vertical competitions. Shaun is the only skater ever to land the body varial frontside 540 (The Armadillo). He has numerous sponsors, clothing lines, and has released personalized video games. With his trademark red hair he is only beginning to make his mark. White is personally one of the reasons why extreme snowboarding and skateboarding is one of the biggest growing sports in the world. He was named after his father’s favorite pro surfer Shaun Tompson.
10
Brian Griffin - Brian was born in Austin, Texas at a puppy mill. He was the runt of the litter and was taken from his mother at a very young age. Living off the lamb he explored the United States, eventually landing in Quahog, Rhode Island. He was washing car windows on the side of the highway when Peter Griffin found him and made him part of the family. Did I mention that Brian is a white Beagle who walks on two feet. Brian is one of the most talented dogs in the world and has attended Brown University. He is extremely cultured and loves opera and jazz. He is a talented musician and routinely performs live concerts with Frank Sinatra Jr. He is also a talented writer, who has been working on an absolute classic that has recently been published, when writing this article the book was off to a slow start in sales and has been criticized as being to intelligent and witty for the average reader. He is extremely smooth with the ladies and has recently been seen dating Lauren Conrad of The Hills. Brian has overcome extreme obstacles in his life and helps make millions of people laugh every week. Be sure to look out for Seth MacFarlane latest Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show, focusing on Quahog’s own Cleveland Brown.
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