Top 5 Most Recognizable Athletes & Coaches in New York

In a cybertour of the major professional sports cities in America, we are exploring the most recognizable athletes and coaches in each city. This stop brings us to New York, NY, where there are probably more stars than in any other city. That makes it very hard to narrow the list down to five, especially when they have more than five professional sports teams. Nonetheless, a top 5 was made (in alphabetical order), let the debate begin.

Derek Jeter - Maybe it's no coincidence that this man ends up at the top of this list. This man helped bring 4 World Series titles to the Big Apple, during an unprecedented era of dominance in a sport that has tons or parody throughout its playoffs. Jeter, aka "The Captain," has been the New York Yankees fearless leader through it all. He led them through the good times in the 90's, to the ups downs of the early part of this decade, and through this latest era that has involved a man we'll get to later. Through it all, Jeter has remained a remarkable clutch hitter, and he has managed to stay out of the trouble and headlines that most New York bound athletes tend to attract.

Alex Rodriguez - When A-Rod brought his stardom to New York in 2004, a lot of people thought it meant that baseball's greatest player would finally start winning some titles. However, those expectations were met with postseason flops, and a lot of tabloid articles. Rodriguez has seen it all in New York, from domestic disputes, to inner-squad feuds, Rodriguez has been your typical star-crossed protagonist. Of course, it all reached a climax when A-Rod was ousted as a steroid user. However, I am sure there will be more to come with this guy, hopefully most of it is for his play on the baseball diamond.

Eli Manning - I've never seen one run make one guy more popular than it has made Eli Manning. If Manning and his Giants hadn't snuck into the playoffs in 2007, I'm not so sure he'd still be the quarterback of the New York Giants. Nevertheless, his team did make it to the playoffs that year, and they went on to win the Super Bowl over New York's intercity-rivals, the New England (Boston) Patriots. Because of that singular win, Manning is looked at as the king of all things football in New York City. The man can do no wrong. And as long as he keeps the Giants in contention, he could end up a "Jeter-like" figure in this city before it's all said and done.

Henrik Lundquist - Hockey doesn't get a lot of love throughout most of the country, but New York still shows some love for the sport. And if you come to New York, you will definitely learn who Henrik Lundquist is, as he is on just about every piece of advertising there is in this city. Lundquist is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and he basically carries the New York Rangers on his back from season to season. With so many sports teams in New York, it's amazing that Lunquist could make the list as a hockey player, but that just goes to show you what kind of star power he's packing.

David Wright - Yes, a Met made the list! And there's no question we've got the right one. Wright is a tremendous hitter and he is about the only stable force on a team full of instable people. His sponsorship deal with Vitamin Water was huge in this city, and he does a lot of charitable work in the area as well. Plus, it helps that Wright sticks around for much of the off season, making himself fairly available to the people of New York. As Wright continues to grow into his stardom, one can only hope the Mets get a little bit better. Because if they don't, he may take his bat and go play somewhere else, and that wouldn't sit well with New Yorkers at all.