Sports Figures Among World's Greatest Leaders

New York Yankee Derek Jeter

As he begins his 20th and final season in pinstripes, Jeter remains the type of role-model player that even a Red Sox fan must grudgingly respect. It's not the five World Series rings he's won or his team record for career hits. In a steroid-tainted, reality-TV era, Jeter, the son of two Army veterans, continues to stand out because of his old-school approach: Never offer excuses or give less than maximum effort.

Speaking of points of view about The World's 50 Greatest Leaders, Arthur Solomon sounds off with an op-ed for Huntington News: Fortune Magazine’s 'MisFortuneate' Power List.  He lambastes the picks of athletes and coaches are veritable leaders on any stage, world or otherwise.  His is a fairly loose rant on the detrimental impact of misbehaving athletes, human rights violations tainting the Sochi Olympics, and travesty of juxtaposing sports leadership with religious, business and government leadership.

At number 11, Derek Jeter is the highest ranking professional athlete on the curious list.  Perhaps to Solomon's point, I admire Jeter's role as a role model among athletes and fans, but honestly I wouldn't have thought about him in the least as far as leadership ranking goes.  At least, not before.  The innate subjectivity of a list like this makes me think that maybe, just maybe, there is something culturally vital and intellectually curious about elevating those unusual few in sports who are indeed good role models.

I will, at some point, come up with my top 10 greatest leaders in the world.  Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD