N.Y.’S BIGGEST SPORTS CELEBS
Who shines brightest among New York’s sports stars? The Post’s Steve Serby picks the top 15:
When you make a list of the Top 15 New York Sports Stars, you factor in performance, projected performance and Q Score now and in the nottoo-distant future. We asked a pair of longtime New York marketing observers — Joe Favorito, sports marketing consultant and professor at Columbia, and Steve Rosner, partner and co-founder 16W Marketing, a talent representation firm in Rutherford, N.J. — for their insights and input. Two on our list have yet to play a down in the NFL, but the buzz that surrounds each considerably brightens the magnitude of his star: 1 ELI MANNING GIANTS
It may be the twilight of a Hall of Fame career, but there are still plenty of No. 10 jerseys in the stands at MetLife Stadium. Peyton’s Little Brother has won over New York with his class, toughness and commitment to his dream job, and the uproar over being benched for Geno Smith last December spoke volumes. New York’s Everyman quarterback. “More sponsorships, titles, and he has a legacy here that will last well beyond his playing career,” Favorito says. Rosner: “Eli would have to be close if not on top of the list because of his longevity and his Super Bowl rings.”
From Nielsen’s N-score talent tracker: “The NFL player with the highest N-Score [76] is two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Eli Manning. His streak of consecutive starts by a quarterback came to a halt when he was benched for one game in November. How Manning handled this controversial roster move generated a lot of social media conversation and support. His endorsement portfolio includes DirecTV, Gatorade, Nike and Toyota.”
2 AARON JUDGE YANKEES
A young gentle giant who crushes Ruthian home runs and seems to be getting better every day. Jeterian in the way he always says the right thing and trumpets team over self. See Yankee Stadium Section 104, home of the Judge’s Chambers. ALL RISE. “I think Aaron Judge has a possibility of being No. 1 on the list for a long time,” Rosner says. “Not only being successful early in his career, but he carries himself like he’s a 15-year veteran. He comes from the school of Derek Jeter. He comes from a school of team-first, and stay out of the limelight as much as possible, my play will do all my actions.” Favorito: “You can’t go on a subway car, you can’t go anywhere in New York City without seeing Aaron Judge in a Pepsi display.”
3 ODELL BECKHAM JR. GIANTS
The great hands, the hair, the flair, the showmanship, the passion, the dancing, the stylishness, the end-zone theatrics, the immaturity, the controversies — it is impossible to take your eyes off him. A polarizing star who is the most dynamic Giant since Lawrence Taylor. Nike believes in him to the tune of a five-year, $25 million endorsement deal. “He appeals to a millennial generation because of his flashiness on the field,” Favorito says. “I think his edge appeals to an even wider audience that doesn’t like things kinda straight up the middle. He’s become a little bit of the guy that everybody loves to hate.” Rosner: “I think he’s had a really good career, but because of all the off-the-field issues and his injury, I think he’s that high because of potential. What could be.”
4 KRISTAPS PORZINGIS KNICKS
Out of sight but by no means out of mind. The Latvian Unicorn is The Franchise, and long-suffering Knicks fans long for his return to the court, hopefully as early as December. “I think New York fans are starving for a basketball guy to look up to,” Rosner said. “He’s this far up on the list on potential to hopefully bring success to a storied franchise that has had no success in the last decade-and-a-half.” Favorito: “He’s been an All-Star and been successful already, and he has tremendous potential that people are looking for. He’s done very well with not a lot of great players around him. He’s selfless, and he doesn’t create controversy.”
5 HENRIK LUNDQVIST RANGERS
He may be on the decline on a rebuilding Rangers team, but they don’t call him King Henrik for nothing. The stylish Swede has effortlessly kick-saved celebrity since arriving on the scene in 2005, and everyone from the blueseaters on down will be cheering his last desperate push for that elusive Cup beginning at age 36. “He’s arguably the greatest Ranger, the most consistent Ranger in the last 40 years,” Favorito says. Rosner: “The only thing missing from him is a championship. He’s a class guy, he’s done great stuff in the community.”
6 JACOB DEGROM METS
The flowing locks are gone, but the excellence is not. The guy pitches his heart out, gets no run support and too few wins, and never complains. “He’s almost become a little bit of an underdog,” Favorito says. “He may be the biggest underdog in New York right now.” Rosner: “He’s an elite talent that plays on not a great team, so his off-thefield success is somewhat limited because of the lack of success that his team has had.”
7 GIANCARLO STANTON YANKEES
The boobirds have begun to fly away now that the former Marlins slugger — Maris to Judge’s Mantle — has flashed his NL MVP form. “He’s certainly a proven commodity,” Favorito says.
8 LUIS SEVERINO YANKEES
The ace of the staff. A homegrown AllStar. On his way to possessing a Bob Gibson swagger on the mound, but friendlier off. “We haven’t seen somebody as electric as him pitch on the Yankees since Ron Guidry. He’s must-see TV,” Rosner says. Favorito: “People can’t downplay the Latino factor in everything that goes on, especially in baseball, and there are probably no athletes that are more under-marketed, especially in New York, than Latino stars. He’s got the opportunity, given what he’s doing on the field and his personality and the fact that he’s probably gonna be here for a while, to be a pretty big success both on and off the field. Multilingual really helps, too.”
9 SAQUON BARKLEY GIANTS
A handsome, charismatic face-of-thefranchise talent who is certain to climb the list once he begins his NFL career. Giants GM Dave Gettleman envisions a Hall of Fame career for his second-overall pick, and first impressions have been glowing. Totally on board with becoming a marketing giant (see ESPN’s Body issue and Roc Nation representation). Rosner: “I don’t have him on my list. He hasn’t even put on a jersey in a preseason game.” Favorito: “Penn State pedigree … he’s handled himself really well with the media, then he’s playing a position where the Giants are gonna have to showcase him.”
10 GLEYBER TORRES YANKEES
The Phenom. A precocious Rookie of the Year sensation who has surprised with his power and is untouchable for teams trying to trade for him. He gets points for trying to conduct interviews in English, and his profile will grow as the Yankees make their World Series push. Why isn’t he higher? “One of the reasons is the Yankees have so many stars,” Favorito says. Rosner: “Even though he has an incomplete grade, his initial 50 games gets him on the list.”
11 AROLDIS CHAPMAN YANKEES
That 102-104 mph fastball fills Yankee Stadium with ooohs and ahhhs. A world champion with the Cubs. A reluctant All-Star in the public eye. “Probably the most dominating guy at his position of everybody,” Rosner says. “The only negative that he has is that he’s following the greatest ever [Mariano Rivera]. You cannot win a world championship without a closer these days, and he’s it.” Favorito: “The fast and quick always kind of lend themselves to people wanting to be attached to them. I don’t know that he’s embraced the marketplace, but at some point I think his value in this marketplace will continue to grow though.”
12 DAVID VILLA NYCFC
An international star striker who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010. “He’s a global name in a marketplace that’s becoming more and more soccer-savvy,” Favorito says. “And he’s certainly adapted himself to this marketplace and made himself kind of the face of New York soccer.”
13 NOAH SYNDERGAARD METS
Thor. That intimidating 100 mph fastball and bravado. “I think people like the flashiness, they love the long hair,” Favorito says. Rosner: “It’s more about his arm than his hair.” Now, if only that finger is healed. “Has the upside to grow on grow on that list, but he might be off the list by the time you write the article,” Rosner says. Nope.
14 SAM DARNOLD JETS
The third-overall pick of the NFL draft and the Jets’ bet that he will be the long-lost franchise quarterback they’ve been desperately craving since Joe Namath. “Quarterback, pedigree, has done all the right things so far, shown a work ethic, isn’t gonna rock the boat,” Favorito says. Rosner: “I wouldn’t have him on my top 15. He’s on the list because of a high-profile draft pick at a high-profile position, and it’s being seen by longtime suffering Jet fans as the potential savior.”
15 TINA CHARLES LIBERTY
From Christ The King High School in Queens, to the top of the NCAA mountain twice at UConn, to the first-overall pick of the 2010 WNBA draft, to a five-time All-Star, to her Heart of Hope Foundation, to the Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award. “She’s one of the most accomplished and talented players in New York that nobody knows about,” Rosner says. Favorito: “The fact that you can have a woman playing on a team sport in New York who has both succeeded on the court and in the community and is beyond a good citizen as the face of the Liberty is really, really important, and to have a female on that list and a role model on that list is really important.”