Favre, Jeter, Kobe, Barry... All Your Favorites

Harris Interactive conducts a poll every year to determine America's favorite athletes. Michael Jordan has occupied the top spot every year since 1993, but this year, Tiger Woods shoved him out of there like Bryon Russel, and Tiger took MJ's top spot. I guess the people of America really loved that goatee.

But here's why I'm not buying it: #3 on the list is Brett Favre, #7 is Kobe Bryant, and #10 is Barry Bonds. That pretty much annihilates all the credibility of the poll, does it not? Did they conduct this poll exclusively among steroid-abusing prison inmates in the states of Mississippi and Wisconsin that are directly related to Babe Ruth?

How does Barry Bonds crack this list? I don't get it. I personally don't loathe the man, but I can't go an hour without hearing from someone who does. Did he pull a baby out of a well or capture Osama bin Laden sometime this week when I wasn't looking?

According to the Harris website, the poll was conducted among a random sample of 2,085 people across the country. And hey, maybe I'm wrapped up a little bit too tightly in the sports blogosphere to see outside of it. Maybe the general public isn't as sickened by these guys as most people in our little world here seem to be. I could see that with Brett Favre. But Barry Bonds? How? HOW?

Tiger Woods Becomes Nation's Favorite Sports Star [Harris Interactive]