HuffPost Game Changers: Who Is The Ultimate Game Changer In Sports?

(VOTING IS NOW CLOSED)

HuffPost's Game Changers celebrates 100 innovators, visionaries, and leaders in 10 categories who are harnessing the power of new media to reshape their fields and change the world. So far we've announced our picks in Entertainment, Green, Politics, and Style, and asked you to vote for the Ultimate Game Changer in each category. Over a million votes have already been cast. With your help, we've picked 10 people who are changing the game in Sports. We honor and salute them.

Now it's up to you to pick the Ultimate Sports Game Changer. Click through the slideshow below, get the lowdown on why we chose them, then VOTE. We'll reveal the Ultimate 10 in November.

BILL SIMMONS

Current Status: Master of the Sports Guy universe

Changing The Game By: Bringing his humor-infused, frat-house brand of sports talk to iTunes, Twitter and any new medium that will have him. Simmons, known on the web as “The Sports Guy,” rejects the “no cheering from the press box” school of sports journalism and blurs the line between writer and fan. Armed with an irreverent tone, an everyman's point of view and a vast knowledge of sports and pop culture, Simmons established himself on the web in the ’90s (before it was cool) by landing a column at ESPN.com, where he now anchors the opinion section of the biggest sports site on the net. Simmons expanded his empire in 2007 by launching “The B.S. Report,” a podcast that, like his writing, relies heavily on movie and music references, cultural analogies, and analysis from his college buddies. His daily tweets have over 800,000 followers.

Tweeted This: “More painful to watch this season: Kurt Warner or every Entourage scene with Turtle?”

Must Click Link: Twitter.com/sportsguy33

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Comments

[FreeHat]

What amazes me as that I've never read a post from anyone being suspicious of celebs using Twitter and that maybe they might be getting paid for it. Between the celeb's agent, PR people and management, I'm sure there are no branding deals going on in the background. Yeah, right.

[bobofthemtns]

Although I skew way towards the upper end of Simmons age demographic, I'm a huge fan of his and have been since 1997. Although a lot of his pop culture references go waaay over my head, his insight into sports is extremely thought provoking and entertaining. His defining moment was when he called the sale of the Celtics back in the 90s when no one else - not even the old guard Boston beat writers - caught even a scent of that trail. He's not a great "writer", i.e., he'll never create "literature", but he's whip smart and ROFL funny. I actually think he would have been better considered as a Media game changer rather than as a Sports game changer.

[mcnary]

Has to be "steroids".......

[Balzac]

I'm choosing Serena Williams.

[marymansour]

Where the heck is Tom Brady on this list?

[GibsonSG]

And why should Brady be on here? What has he done to change the game of Football? I'll take Bradshaw or Staubach any day over Tom.

[iedit]

What in the hell is a "game changer"?

[erincnyc]

Why Serena and not Venus? Venus spoke out and was one of the women responsible for achieving pay equality for women with men at Grand Slams. I wouldn't consider tweeting game changing.

[HarrietteTheSpy]

Gosh, silly me I thought sports "game changers" might be in the vein of Jackie Robinson or Babe Didrickson, say, for instance Dara Torres or even Michael Phelps, Brett Favre or countless others unknown athletes (from old-school golfers to x-gamers) who raise the bar of performance and/or sportsmanship and/or previous limitations. Silly me, indeed!

[jeremyemilio]

Exactly. Pretty hard to vote for most people on this list. What a bunch of garbage. Nice to see Serena at number one, amonsgst this group. Why Ocho Cinco is at number ten is beyond me. At least the guy suits up on Sundays.

[GibsonSG]

If you think this list is bad, check out the other 'game changers' posts. Someone at HuffPo needs to be told what the phrase actually means.

[BlueZoo]

I cannot understand anyone voting for Serena Williams! "Tweeting" between games at a Major is ridiculous. This is the gal with the temper tantrums and I find her behavior on and off the court obnoxious.