Dominance isn’t reserved for the playing field. Because if we learned anything about the world of sports in 2019, it’s that the modern-day athlete’s influence, power, and supremacy stretches way beyond the comparatively tiny boundaries of the court, pitch, or balance beam.
Our criteria for what constitutes dominance is subjective, because, realistically speaking, how can you accurately rate one athlete over another using hazy metrics like clout and cultural impact? While numbers can paint a picture between the lines and illustrate a level of assertiveness or skill not possessed by the competition, the dominance we’re talking about with some of these 10 athletes goes much deeper. A few are just stone cold killers when it comes to competition and nobody in their respective sports is in the same xip code. The numbers don't lie. But were dominant by shaking up the stock market, hijacking news cycles, clowning world leaders, or carrying a country on their back to heights never before seen.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA MVP this past June and Tom Brady won a sixth Super Bowl ring last February, but they are nowhere to be found here. The 10 athletes who dominated 2019 run the gamut from four ballers to a pair of soccer stars to a stud race car driver to arguably the greatest contemporary athlete, who stands at a measly 4’8”. Each one crafted a unique story over the past 12 months, captured the attention and imaginations of countless millions (if not billions), and dominated in a fashion worthy of our end-of-the-year salute. Here are the 10 most dominant athletes of 2019.