Ah, the power of lists! There’s something incredibly satisfying about whittling the chaos of the world down into a neat, tidy, digestible form, isn’t there? Especially lists that no one asks for, but everyone secretly enjoys. They’re like surprise guests at a party, or when a restaurant has flan on the menu. These aren’t your ordinary, grocery-store-type lists, oh no. These are the cornerstone of my illustrious list-making career–unsolicited, nonessential, yet strangely compelling.

So now, without further ado, let me introduce my latest masterpiece: an utterly unrequested, minimally essential list of my all-time favorite athletes. This roster may not get me into the Hall of Fame, but in the grand sport of list-making, I’m pretty sure it earns me a gold medal!

My hall of fame:

  • Landon Donovan
  • Dirk Nowitzki
  • Demarcus Beasley
  • Magic Johnson
  • Andre Dawson

A few honorable mentions, but really… this list could go on and on:

  • Cobi Jones
  • Clint Dempsey
  • Tim Howard
  • Steve Cherundolo
  • Frankie Hedjuk
  • Tim Cahill
  • David Beckham
  • Ronaldinho
  • Tony Romo
  • Michael Irvin
  • Joe Montana
  • Dat Nguyen
  • Andre Agassi
  • Pete Sampras
  • Boris Becker
  • Serena Williams
  • Rafael Nadal
  • Tiger Woods
  • Nick Van Exel
  • Steve Nash

Stephen Boudreau serves as VP of Brand and Community at Virtuous Software. For over two decades, he has helped nonprofits leverage the digital space to grow their impact. To that end, Stephen co-founded RaiseDonors, a platform that provides nonprofits with technology and experiences that remove barriers to successful online fundraising. He is an avid (but aging) soccer player, audiobook enthusiast, and the heavily-disputed UNO champion of his household.

Copyright ©2023 Stephen Boudreau.