A 103-year-old news brand has built a sports property by ranking influence rather than performance, placing dealmakers, owners and digital voices beside athletes. For brands and rights holders, the list reads as a map of who controls audience access, with a livestreamed gala to monetize it.
Time magazine has released its inaugural TIME100 Sports list, which honors the 100 most influential figures shaping international sports. The list, which appears in the June 22, 2026, issue, includes athletes, executives, owners, media personalities, and leaders from athletics, business, and digital platforms. The worldwide cover of the TIME100 Sports issue features NBA champion LeBron James.
Besides LeBron James, other influential athletes in the list include Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Stephen Curry,Rory McIlroy, Mikaela Shiffrin, Jannick Sinner, Kimi Antonelli, Shohei Ohtani and more.
Among the founders, executives, owners, investors, and dealmakers in the list are Michael Jordan, Michael Rubin,Michele Kang and more.
The list also recognizes influential media and digital figures, including Bill Simmons, Pat McAfee, Shams Charania, Elle Duncan, Pablo Torre, Mike Tirico, and more.
To celebrate the reveal of the new list, Time will host the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16 in New York City. The event will be livestreamed, making it available to watch on Time’s YouTube, Instagram and X accounts. The gala will feature remarks and appearances from members of the first-ever TIME100 Sports list, including LeBron James, skiing champion Lindsey Vonn, world-champion figure skater Ilia Malinin, and many more.
Time is a 103-year-old media brand that reaches audiences around the world through its magazine and digital platforms. Today, Time also includes the branded content studio and film and television division Time Studios as well as Time for Kids, which provides news with a focus on news literacy.
