ESPN Facing Intense Backlash After Ranking A'ja Wilson Over Aaron Rodgers

The Worldwide Leader in Sports, also known as ESPN, released the initial batch of names on its top 100 list of athletes in the 21st century, and as expected, the internet is already buzzing with all sorts of reactions to it even though only 25 figures have been named.

It is impossible to satisfy every sports fan with such rankings. Ranking players from a single sport or league is already an endeavor guaranteed to rile up supporters of a particular athlete, let alone doing it with all sports considered.

One observation on ESPN’s list that many fans find bewildering is the fact that Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is ranked higher than New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Wilson came in at No. 90, while Rodgers is at No. 91.

“Be for real…A’ja Wilson (2018 draft) ahead of Aaron Rodgers AND Connor McDavid is mental.”

“I already know this list is pure bulls–t because wtf is A’Ja wilson doing over Ronaldinho, Aaron Rodgers, Connor Mcdavid and Virat Kohli?,” said @1_busted2 .

“how is “A’JA WILSON” BETTER THAN AARON RODGERS”

“I was having fun reading this article… and then they put A’ja Wilson one spot better than Aaron Rodgers😂😂 That’s enough tomfoolery for one day…”

“A’ja Wilson better than Aaron Rodgers might be the craziest ranking I’ve ever seen in my life ngl that just insane”

“A’JA WILSON AND VENUS WILLIAMS OVER ED REED AND AARON RODGERS?????????????????????????”

“espn really ranked a’ja wilson over aaron rodgers in the top athletes since 2000 i knew espn was woke piece of trash but i didn’t know it was this f–king egregious,” commented @nishmish02 .

“a’ja wilson over Aaron Rodgers and ed reed 😭😭🙏🏾 espn do on purpose sometimes”

“A'ja Wilson ahead of Aaron Rodgers is hilarious”

Rodgers is a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player and a 10-time Pro Bowler. That’s not to mention that he is a four-time First-Team All-Pro. Many Rodgers and Green Bay Packers fans surely would have put Rodgers higher on the list and certainly over Wilson. However, Wilson isn’t too shabby of an athlete herself.

Wilson is a two-time WNBA MVP and has two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Unlike Rodgers, Wilson has multiple championship rings, having won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. Rodgers won the Super Bowl once.

Moreover, Wilson has so much in front of her, as she recently turned 27 years old last August, whereas the 40-year-old Rodgers is already nearing the finish line of his incredible NFL career.

Related: A’ja Wilson on Pace for Greatest Season in WNBA History