Forbes released its list of The 10 Most Influential Athletes this week, and you may be surprised to see who's holding down spot No. 5, ahead of such names as Peyton Manning and LeBron James. (Well, you might be surprised if we hadn't just spoiled it for you in the headline above.)
In any case, representing Olympia on the list (and the only member of the top-10 who's not a NASCAR driver, NFL player or NBA player) is Mr. Phelps, whose presence at spot No. 5 probably has something to do with the fact that he has 14 Olympic gold medals. (It may not hurt that he's fairly adept at staying in the news as well.)
In any case, here's a look at the list of Forbes' 10 Most Influential Athletes, which may just be the only instance in his 25 years on the planet in which Phelps can say "Take that, Polamalu!" and potentially get away with it:
Forbes' 10 Most Influential Athletes
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Tom Brady
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
4. Shaquille O'Neal
5. Michael Phelps
6. Troy Polamalu
7. Peyton Manning
8. Jeff Gordon
9. LeBron James
10. Tim Tebow