Graphic via @FOXsports on X
There's nothing like a list to get the hot take machine humming.
Fox Sports' list of the ten "biggest" Philadelphia athletes, posted to X on Wednesday, is particularly well-suited for wild debate, because there's no specified criteria whatsoever. (The post accompanying the list uses the phrase "most notable," which is similarly vague.)
Who are the most notable athletes in Philadelphia?
We ranked the Top 10. pic.twitter.com/EFUPbkHvdA
Our thoughts:
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, the Eagles deserve at least half the list. Because of their success, both the team and the individual players just feel "bigger." The Phillies, meanwhile, blew a 2-1 World Series lead against the Astros, blew a 3-2 NLCS lead against the Diamondbacks, and were knocked out in an NLDS against the Mets in recent years. It feels in some ways like they are shrinking from the big stage. The Flyers are in the middle of a rebuild. And the Sixers' season has gone off the rails.
It also feels accurate to place Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts in the top two spots. They simply have more juice than anyone else in the city right now.
Fox nailed the top four, in our opinion.
Before Super Bowl LIX, Bryce Harper may have laid claim to the top overall spot. And a World Series championship would force him back into the conversation. But Harper was baking banana bread while Barkley and Hurts were lighting up the Chiefs in front of the entire nation. So number three seems about right.
Embiid has had his moments in the sun as well. After getting shut down for the remainder of the Sixers' season, it's hard to place him in the top three. But he still provides a "wow" factor that the players behind him do not. Most Philly sports fans would still be more awestruck to see Embiid limping walking down their street than, say, A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith.
76ers star Joel Embiid is sitting in the stands at the Phillies game and wearing a Bryce Harper jersey 💯#Postseason pic.twitter.com/iOeHeriCi6
If Fox's list were put together by locals, Matvei Michkov would surely be included. Nobody wants to piss off the Flyers fans, and February's NHL Rookie of the Month is a much more popular guy at the moment than Paul George. We knew this comment would be in the replies before we looked:
Michkov way before George. Hockey is and has been huge in Philly for decades. Do better.
Now, is Michkov technically "bigger" than George in terms of star power? Eh. Again, we're working without any criteria here. But we'd make sure the black & orange get represented on the list.
Trea Turner certainly brings some star power. But it's unclear why Turner would make the list ahead of Kyle Schwarber or Zack Wheeler, who have been much more integral to the Phillies' success. Even Nick Castellanos may be more recognizable to many MLB fans.
Turner has the potential to put up MVP-level numbers in Philly. But unless/until he does so, we'd take him off the list.
How’s Trea over Wheeler? 🤔
As noted above, it's hard to argue with Barkley and Hurts up at the top. And A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter deserve spots as well. But the Eagles have a massive roster with stars all over the place. Is Carter more notable than six-time Pro Bowler Lane Johnson? Jordan Mailata or Zack Baun may be just as important to the team's success as Birds who made the list. And in terms of juice, young defensive backs Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell could enter the conversation.
On the other hand, Fox had to stop somewhere with the Eagles. We'll give them a pass on the excluded Birds.
Not everyone agrees, of course:
Should have been a list with just Eagles players
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