5) Eldrick “Tiger” Woods
For the longest time, I was very unaware that Tiger Woods’ real name wasn’t Tiger. I mean Eldrick, get the heck out of here with that, I had no clue. Apparently, he was “nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given that nickname.” Really, Tiger is the perfect nickname for him. He was legendary for hunting down opponents on the final day and securing the win. “Sunday Tiger” was as ferocious as they came. Until the sex scandal hit, Tiger was the best athlete in the world.
4) Dale Earnhardt “The Intimidator”
He is the one and only. The greatest in NASCAR history and one of the most well known athletes ever. Earnhardt was an aggressive, no-nonsense driver. Frankly, I was intimidated by the mustache alone. “The Intimidator” will always be a recognizable figure in sports and will always be known for how great a driver he was. He would drive through you if he could, and he didn’t take any crap from anyone. Every racer got a little afraid when they saw that black, #3 in their rear view.
3) George Herman “Babe” Ruth
The most well known baseball player in the history of the sport, Babe Ruth is a legend. He has had an abundance of nicknames such as, The Great Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, and The Colossus of Clout. The alternate nicknames may eve be better than his true nickname, Babe. Ruth is as iconic as they come and as I said everyone knows who he is.
2) Earvin “Magic” Johnson
There is only one “Magic,” and that’s the way it should be. A majority of people who are just sports fans and are not huge into basketball, may even think that Johnson’s actual first name is Magic. It just fit him. His personality, his lifestyle, and the way he played the game of basketball. Check out the video above ad you will truly see that the nickname was perfect for him. The way he played was just “Magic”.
1) Willie Mays “The Say Hey Kid”
Here’s the story on how he got his nickname:
“You see a guy, you say, ‘Hey, man. Say hey, man,’ ” Mays said. “Ted was the ‘Splinter’. Joe was ‘Joltin’ Joe’. Stan was ‘The Man’. I guess I hit a few home runs, and they said there goes the ‘Say Hey Kid.’ ”
Mays credits sportswriter Jimmy Cannon with creating the nickname. Other sources trace it to sportswriter Barney Kremenko.”
Mays is known as one of, if not, the greatest baseball player to ever play. Known for his famous over the shoulder catch at the Polo Grounds in 1954. He could hit, field, and was a fan favorite for everybody. It doesn’t really describe his actual game in any way, so not in that regard. But it seemed to reflect the personality he brought to baseball, so it always seemed like the perfect nickname for Mays. I mean how is this not the greatest nickname of all time, “The Say Hey Kid”, is unique, creative and it fits, it’s a perfect nickname.
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