The Only 10 Athletes That Anyone Cares About in NYC

What can you say about that New York pressure? You can't live with it and can't live without it.

Athletes who play under the city lights are privy to that pressure and everything that goes along with it. Considering New York City is the biggest media market in the United States, you begin to get a feel for why it's such a challenging place to perform.

New Yorkers love their sports. Greats such as Derek Jeter, Patrick Ewing and Mark Messier have all made iconic imprints in the Big Apple.

Currently, fans are passionate about a new group of names. Exploring which players matter in the world of New York sports, our list is broken down by stats, value to their teams and how much media coverage each name receives.

Click the orange button below and check out the only 10 athletes that anyone cares about in NYC.

Love him or hate him, Carmelo Anthony sits on an exclusive list of New York City playmakers worth gossiping about.

Melo is undeniably the best player on the New York Knicks. His play will determine how far this team goes and what it looks like down the line.

That's one major Carmelo-related talking point.

A second, but just as prominent discussion, has been countless trade speculation leading up to the 2015-16 NBA season, as Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp outlined. That goes to show you, it's all about Melo in New York's basketball circles.

He's a New York City athlete who matters, whether he stays or goes.

Former World Championship Wrestling president Eric Bischoff once wrote a book called Controversy Creates Cash. It's a great, informative read about the professional wrestling business.

That title and theory can also be applied to any professional sport. If we're speaking about Major League Baseball, few players stir up as much controversy as Alex Rodriguez.

His tenure with the New York Yankees has been a tumultuous ride. It's simple: New Yorkers love to talk about A-Rod.

Even when Derek Jeter was around, A-Rod's antics spawned headlines. Positive or negative, he is an athlete this city cares about because he remains an important cog in the Yankees offense and is earning major dollars.

Being sensational at what you do usually garners attention. Just ask Odell Beckham Jr.

The second-year New York Giants wide receiver takes the crown as the most entertaining player on the team. His flashy catches and pregame warm-up routines have become a weekly ritual for tri-state area sports connoisseurs.

Beckham Jr.'s meteoric rise to the top of the NFL has been fueled even more by the fact he plays for the Giants. The better they do, the more coverage he will get.

New Yorkers love their Giants. And because of that, Beckham Jr. is a going to remain a consistent hot-button topic on talk radio and Al Gore's Internet machine.

The New York Mets' gratifying return to the World Series has been the talk of the city. Can the team secure it first championship since 1986?

It's going to take a team effort and beautiful pitching. So, Matt Harvey better step his game up and lead by example.

Harvey is a borderline ace. If not for his injury history, he would consistently be devastating opposing batters with his pitch selection. In that regard, he's been a darling of the New York media and fans.

It hasn't always been an overly friendly vibe when it comes to Harvey, though. Questions this year about his availability stirred the pot. The New York media went into a frenzy. Even Mike Lupica of the Daily News gave his two cents on the subject back in September.

When you're great, you tend to generate coverage and people care about you more often than not. That's how it goes.

"Big Money" Darrelle Revis is New York's friendly mercenary. No. 24 returned to the Jets this past offseason after a Super Bowl-winning stint with the New England Patriots.

The money to relocate "Revis Island" back to these shores was vast. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, at $14 million per year, Revis joined the ranks of Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman as the game's highest-paid defensive backs.

As cash-register sound effects rang out in the distance, Revis and New York fans got reacquainted. He grabbed the spotlight with specials on 60 Minutes and outstanding play on the gridiron.

Clearly, this mercenary is a player New York City and its sports fans care deeply about.

Kristaps Porzingis has no real NBA experience yet. As weird as that sounds, it doesn't remove him from this list.

The NBA is built and fueled around the accumulation of extraordinary talent. When the Knicks selected Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick, he became synonymous with that line of thinking.

New Yorkers needs him to be great. After all the suffering and struggle they've endured, finding out they have a star in this 20-year-old Latvian sensation would be magical.

He's going to be talked about all season long, and that's the way it has to be. Learn to pronounce his name, because Porzingis isn't going anywhere.

Daniel Murphy wouldn't be on this list if it weren't for his commanding postseason performance.

The New York Mets' faithful has to send thank you cards and tons of champagne to Murphy, no matter how the World Series turns out. The man homered in six straight postseason games, per Matt Snyder of CBS Sports.

He's a conqueror of baseballs, and no one seems to have figured out a way to stop him. If the Kansas City Royals aren't careful, Murphy is going to not only help the Mets win a World Series title but is also going to leave with the MVP award in hand.

The passer of Big Blue Nation, Eli Manning remains a constant in terms of people we care about.

Manning has been the bell cow of the New York Giants through thick and thin. He's struggled, he's done magical things, and the Giants are better off for it.

Even at 4-3, the Giants' season clings to the arm of Manning. Quarterback is still the most valuable position in the NFL, and at times, Manning can get his Cinderella on and morph into one of the best around.

He's remained a topic of debate for New Yorkers—from his pristine sideline toss that connected with Mario Manningham in Super Bowl XLVI to all of that junk about whether or not he is "elite" or not.

If you love football, you care about your quarterback. And no QB has mustered up more attention than Manning in the Big Apple—sorry, Tim Tebow.

Madison Square Garden isn't just a place where the Knicks come to ball. It also plays home to the New York Rangers and the team's goalkeeper, Henrik Lundqvist.

Lundqvist is everything great about the Rangers. Since he joined the team during the 2005-06 season, he's managed to win 343 games and post a .921 career save percentage. For reference, Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy's career percentage was .910.

He's a special player who helps drive the Rangers to success. Despite not winning a Stanley Cup, he'll remain the most talked-about player on the team.

If the Rangers are to keep pace and fight to return to the playoffs, a lot of that will fall on the glove hand of King Henry.

The New York Jets sit at a solid 5-2 right now. The team looks nothing like Rex Ryan's version, and that's a good thing.

Besides bringing in Todd Bowles to coach, the front office spent dollars on marquee playmakers. The biggest haul of that group on the offensive side of the ball has been Brandon Marshall.

The Jets acquired Marshall through a trade with the Chicago Bears in the offseason. Since he's laced up for the Jets, the big pass-catcher has done nothing but perform admirably—minus two critical mistakes.

Dropping a would-be touchdown pass against the New England Patriots in Week 7 was the biggest blunder to date. Even with that, he's compiled 41 receptions for 578 yards and four scores.

Alongside Eric Decker, No. 15 has become a serious threat. He's helped label the Jets as contenders, and for that reason, he's an athlete that people care about in New York City.

All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.