The Fifty Finest Athletes of the 20th Century: A Worldwide Reference

These superachievers, from 13 sports, rose to a level of performance yet to be equalled, played a sport so well it was played differently, dominated a sport for a decade or more, or played several sports extremely well. A sampling of those who made the cut—Gordie Howe, Jim Thorpe, Christy Mathewson, Martina Navratilova, Pele, Joe Louis, Sonja Henie, Bobby Orr, and Mark Spitz.

The book has a section for the top 20 athletes followed by a section of the "runners-up." The final entry is devoted to the greatest athlete of the 20th century, as determined by the author. Each entry gives the name of the athlete, nickname (such as Wilt the Stilt), date of birth and death, photographs and career summary.