Pick The Best Athletes To Reveal Which US State To Visit Next
- by Andrew Brethauer
- – on
- in Sports
Every state has something in common. Beautiful cities, great people, amazing food, and plenty of sights to see. They also all have amazing athletes in their mix. No matter the state, professional athletes are on some of the best teams in the country, playing other amazing athletes to entertain the fans. These athletes are the best at what they do, either basketball, football, hockey or baseball, as the four major sports dominate the market in the United States, and consume daily lives when the season is on. Some fans take trips to see their favorite team, just so they can catch a couple moments of their favorite player and hope they perform a highlight reel play, something they won't forget.
Considering how often people travel for sports, it's no question these amazing athletes are big draws for tourists. So which state has the best athletes, and will travelers something unique to see? Considering the options available amongst the four major sports, there certainly is something for everyone to see, just as if they were going to see a famous landmark. So take this quiz, pick the best players, get bags ready and plane tickets booked, as we reveal the state with the best athletes to visit next.
LeBron James
LeBron James is in the conversation as the greatest basketball player of all time. It’s hard to say he isn’t, considering he has gone to nine NBA Finals in his career, including a streak of eight that continues to this day. And every year he can be considered the most valuable player in the league.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL today, and is famed for his ability to make one-handed and finger-tip catches. He’s a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and averaged over 1300 yards receiving through his first three seasons, scoring 35 touchdowns in that span.
Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos is one of the NHLs most elite goal scorers, and has led the league twice in goal scoring, winning the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2010 and 2012. The former first overall pick has scored 348 goals and 668 points in 664 regular season games so far in his career.
Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the championship in 2005, which was only his second year in the NFL. He would win the Super Bowl again in 2008, and is considered one of the game’s most elite passers.
Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott was drafted fourth overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016 and made an immediate impact, leading the league in rushing his rookie season with over 1600 yards, while scoring 15 touchdowns. The next season he missed six games but still rushed for 983 yards and seven touchdowns.
David Price
David Price is one of the top pitchers in all of baseball and known for his great accuracy and speed. He’s a five-time All-Star and was the AL Cy Young winner, wins leader and ERA leader in 2012, his best season to date. He was also the strikeout leader in 2014.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford was the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5000 yards in a single season, doing so in 2011, and the fastest player to reach 30,000 yards, doing it in 109 games. He was rewarded with a $135 million contract extension by Detroit, making him the highest paid NFLer at the time.
Jose Abreu
Jose Abreu won the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year award in his first season in Chicago, while also winning a Silver Slugger Award and being named to his first All-Star game. He finished his rookie year with a White Sox home run record of 36.
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins was drafted well behind Robert Griffin III in Washington and was slated to be a backup. He would eventually become the starter in Washington and over the last three seasons, has passed for over 4000 yards each year. He signed an $84 million contract with Minnesota, all-guaranteed money, making him the highest paid player per year in the NFL.
Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas is the top threat for the Denver Broncos offence, and is currently the longest tenured player there. He earned a Super Bowl in 2015 with Denver, and has caught over 1000 yards in five of his eight seasons in the league, as well as 57 touchdowns.
Mike Trout
Mike Trout is considered one of the best baseball players in the MLB today, and has been a seven-time All-Star and two-time AL MVP winner. He’s one of the top sluggers in the league, having won five Silver Slugger awards, the AL Hank Aaron award and RBI leader in 2014.
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is one of the top goalies in the National Hockey League and holds the record for most wins by a goalie born in Europe. While with the New York Rangers he hasn’t won a Stanley Cup, they he did play in one final, he has won a Gold Medal with Sweden at the Olympics.
Dwayne Wade
Dwayne Wade has been one of the main reasons why the Miami Heat are three-time NBA Champions, first winning on his own back in 2006, before joining up with Chris Bosh and LeBron James to win two more in 2012 and 2013. He’s the all-time points leader in Heat franchise history.
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is often considered the greatest hockey player in the world today, and is in the conversation for greatest of all time. He has led the Pittsburgh Penguins to three Stanley Cup victories, has won two Art Ross trophies as league leader in points and two Hart trophies as league MVP.
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, and is known for his scoring ability. He has led the Dallas Mavericks to two NBA Finals, winning in 2011 while also being named the NBA Finals MVP that year as well.
Tom Brady
Tom Brady is considered the greatest football player of all time as he is one of only two players to win five Super Bowls. Considering he was drafted in the 6th round in 2000, he is the biggest steal of any draft. He’s won three NFL MVP awards, four Super Bowl MVP awards and has played in eight Super Bowls.
Nicholas Castellanos
Nicholas Castellanos is considered one of the best hitters in baseball with the Detroit Tigers. He led the AL in Triples in 2017 and has hit 85 home runs over the course of his career. He currently leads the Tigers in nearly every hitting category, including home runs, RBIs and batting average.
Javier Baez
Javier Baez was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs and helped lead the Cubs to their first World Series championship in 108 years, when they won in 2016. He was named the NLCS MVP that season, as well as earned his first All-Star selection.
Zach Parise
Zach Parise was drafted 17th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2003, whom he led to the Stanley Cup final in 2012. He then signed on with the Minnesota Wild, with a huge 13-year contract worth $98 million, returning to his home in Minnesota.
Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is one of the best power hitters in baseball and skilled defenders. He is the only infielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in each of his first five MLB seasons. He’s earned four All-Star selections, and was the National League home run and RBI leaders in both 2015 and 2016.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry may be the most dangerous shooter in the NBA as he has the ability to seemingly drain any three-point shot at will, even from great distances. He holds the record for more three-pointers in a season and has led the Golden State Warriors to three NBA Championships in four seasons.
Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge has the distinction of being the first rookie to ever win the Home Run Derby contest, doing so in 2017. He also broke Mark McGwire’s rookie home run record with 52 home runs, and was an easy selection for the Rookie of the Year award.
Blake Bortles
Blake Bortles was selected third overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014 and has helped lead the Jaguars back to the NFL Playoffs in 2017. He has started the past three seasons for Jacksonville, and has tossed for over 14,000 yards and thrown 90 touchdowns in his career, and lost in the Conference championship last season.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid was drafted third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA and is one of the best defensive players in the league. He started all 63 games he played in last season, averaging 22.9 points per game, and helping the 76ers get to the playoffs where he averaged 21.4 points in eight games.
Jamie Benn
Jamie Benn has been a consistent goal scorer for the Dallas Stars in the NHL and won the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top scorer in 2015 when he scored 87 points. He has scored over 596 points in his career and was a member of the gold medal winning Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving was the first overall selection by Cleveland in 2011 and was named NBA Rookie of the Year the season afterwards. He’s a one-time NBA Champion, having won it in 2016, while also being a five-time All-Star. He added Olympic gold medalist with USA in 2016.
Henrik Zetterberg
Henrik Zetterberg is one of the top players in the NHL and is a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with Detroit, gold at the Olympics and World Championships in 2006 with Sweden. In 1082 NHL games, he has scored 337 goals and 960 points.
Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane is one of the most gifted NHL goal scorers in the league, and has helped the Chicago Blackhawks win three Stanley Cups, winning in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He also won the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP in 2013, and was league MVP and scoring champion in the 2015-16 season.
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs is one of the main targets in the Minnesota Vikings offence and has caught over 2400 yards in three seasons with the team. His 10 touchdowns last year were the most in his career so far. In two of his three seasons with the Vikings, he has made the playoffs.
Nathan MacKinnon
Nathan MacKinnon was the first overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, and has turned into one of the game’s elite players. He was the Calder trophy winner for Rookie of the Year in 2014, and a finalist for the MVP award this past season when he scored a career high 97 points.
Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley is one of the top running backs in the NFL today, having just rushed for career highs in yards, with 1305, and touchdowns, with 13, last season. In three years, Gurley has been named a Pro Bowler twice and was the Offensive Player of the Year and touchdown leader in 2017.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was the 24th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team that season. He spent two years in New York before being traded to Atlanta, but returned in 2017 where he started 54 of 57 games and averaged 17.5 points per game.
Cameron Wake
Cameron Wake never was drafted and had a stint in the Canadian Football League before joining the Miami Dolphins. The defensive end has been a constant starter for Miami since 2010, and played in 132 games where he has 258 tackles and 92 sacks over his career.
Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and has been the team’s starting quarterback since, although an injury at the end of the 2017 season caused him to miss the teams march to their first Super Bowl victory.
Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball and has led the AL in strikeouts four times in his career. He was the AL Cy Young winner and MVP in 2011 when with Detroit, but finally won his first World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017.
Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron is one of the best defensive forwards in the National Hockey League, having won the Selke Trophy four times in his career. He’s also a member of the Triple Gold Club, having won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011, Olympic Gold in 2010 and 2014, and World Championship Gold in 2004.
Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin was the first overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and was an impact player for them for years. He made the All-Star team and won the Slam Dunk competition in his rookie year, and was named one of the 15 greatest rookies of all time.
Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard is the starting running back for the Chicago Bears in the NFL, and was selected in the fifth round in 2016. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016, rushing for 1300 yards. He started all 16 games the following season, rushing for 1122 yards and nine touchdowns.
Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, but he didn’t play a single game for them as he was traded the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has played his entire career so far there, and has started every single game over four seasons, averaging 19.7 points per game.
Von Miller
Von Miller was drafted second overall by the Denver Broncos in 2011, and is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion, helping Denver win the 2015 Super Bowl. That year he was also the Super Bowl MVP, and has 317 tackles over his seven-year career in Denver.
Anze Kopitar
Anze Kopitar is one of the best two-way players in the National Hockey League having won the league’s best defensive forward in the NHL in 2016. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and has scored 290 goals and 828 points in 922 games played.
Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis was the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, selected by the New York Knicks. He was named to the All-Rookie Team in 2016 and in 2018 he earned his first All-Star selection. He has started every game he has played in, and averaged 22.7 points this past season.
Aaron Ekblad
Aaron Ekblad was the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers and is one of the league’s best defencemen. In four seasons in Florida, he has scored 53 goals and 134 points in 309 games played, and he won the Calder Trophy as the best rookie player in 2015.
Claude Giroux
Claude Giroux is the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL and has been one of the club’s top point scorers since being drafted by them in 2006. He’s a five-time All-Star and has scored 214 goals and 677 points in 738 regular season games, while adding 65 points in 69 playoff games.
Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott became the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback in 2016 when Tony Romo was injured and helped lead the Cowboys to 13-3 record and top seed in the NFC. He has started all 32 games with Dallas, and has thrown for 6,991 yards and 45 touchdowns and was Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski has been the best tight end in the NFL for some time and holds the record for most touchdowns by a tight end with 17, and yards by a tight end with 1,327. He’s a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and led the league in touchdowns in 2011.
Golden Tate
Golden Tate is the main target in the Detroit Lions offence. He originally was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, but moved on to Detroit in 2014. He has caught over 1000 yards three of his last four seasons, and scored 10 touchdowns in 2016, the most of his career.
Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Toews is a member of the Triple Gold club, having won three Stanley Cups as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well two Olympic Gold medals with Canada in 2010 and 2014, and gold at the 2007 World Championships, becoming the youngest player to join that club.
Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer is one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball and is the only catcher in baseball history to have won three batting titles, doing so in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He was the AL MVP in 2009, has earned six All-Star selections, three Gold Glove awards and has the highest career batting average for a catcher in league history.
Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He spent three season there before moving around between Phoenix, Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles and now Denver. He’s a two-time All-Star, and averages 18.9 points per game. Not bad for the last pick.
