AskMen.com the world's largest lifestyle portal for men with more than 11 million visitors monthly, revealed its highly anticipated 4th annual reader-voted list of the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009 today.
The list assembles a diverse collection of men from around the world and from a variety of industries including entertainment, politics, technology, and sports. All the honorees had a direct effect on the way men see the world, and notably in 2009, many reflect classic values that are most meaningful to the male identity today.
"In a turbulent 2009, men are seeking the stability of tradition in the masculine qualities that they imagine their fathers and grandfathers to have had," says James Bassil, Editor-in-Chief of AskMen.com. "The character of Don Draper brings all these traits together, and in doing so speaks directly to the modern man. He's a man whose time has come."
Others on the list embody a host of classic qualities; Usain Bolt as the personification of competitive and athletic ability, President Barack Obama as the male portrait of classic statesmanship, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs as pillars of entrepreneurial spirit and determination.
The top 49 most influential men in order are:
1 Don Draper
2 Usain Bolt
4 Mark Zuckerberg
7 Steve Jobs
8 Roger Federer
9 Peyton Manning
10 Dana White
11 Jay-Z
12 Tom Ford
13 Jon Stewart
14 Jack Dorsey
18 Gary Vaynerchuk
21 Brad Pitt
22 Lionel Messi
23 Chesley Sullenberger
24 Manny Pacquaio
25 Mark Ronson
26 Kanye West
28 Cristiano Ronaldo
29 Harvey Levin
30 Tiger Woods
31 Shepard Smith
32 Hugh Jackman
33 Kobe Bryant
34 Sidney Crosby
35 Andy Roddick
36 Georges St. Pierre
37 Chris Martin
38 Bear Grylls
40 Jeff Bezos
41 Andre Balazs
42 LeBron James
43 Dwyane Wade
45 Italo Zucchelli
46 Mario Batali
47 Santiago Calatrava
48 Jenson Button
See the entire list of 2009's Top 49 Most Influential Men complete with profiles at AskMen.com.
"I have received a lot of awards over the last 10 years, but to be voted by the fans as one of the most influential men on AskMen.com is truly an honor. Thank you all very much for your votes and support."
-Dana White, President UFC
"It is an honor to be named one of the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009. I would like to thank all the AskMen.com readers for voting for me."
-Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
"I am truly honored to be in such an illustrious group and feel particularly proud to represent the diverse and hard working restaurant and hospitality industry. AskMen.com's avid readers seem to have their fingers on the pulse."
-Mario Batali, Chef and Restaurateur
About AskMen.com
AskMen.com, a unit of Newscorp Digital Media, is the world's leading men's lifestyle web site. An online resource for men with daily features on subjects such as fashion, fitness, dating, money, and entertainment, AskMen.com has the widest online audience reach in the "Men's Lifestyle" category against all other websites, attracting 9 million visits from the US per month, and 11 million visitors globally according to Comscore. A foremost content provider with an archive of more than 40,000 articles available for free online, AskMen.com updates daily and publishes over 300 new features a month. AskMen.com has content partnerships with the likes of Yahoo!, Cosmopolitan.com, Sports Illustrated.com and more.
Photo credit: Walter McBride
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