Jeter rates No. 1 in America

Derek Jeter, No. 2, of the New York Yankees waves... — Derek Jeter, No. 2, of the New York Yankees waves to the crowd after the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. (July 9, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac

By NEIL BESTneil.best@newsday.comJuly 15, 2011

The Yankees' No. 2 is No. 1 among American sports fans.

Derek Jeter for the first time topped the Harris Poll of favorite male athletes, passing Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant, who tied for first in the 2010 survey.

And he did it without the wave of positive publicity surrounding his dramatic 3,000th hit last weekend. The 2,163 adults surveyed for the poll were contacted between June 13 and 20, when Jeter was on the disabled list.

Jeter first made the top 10 in 2004 and rose as high as second place in '07. Last year he was third.

Peyton Manning finished second, up from fifth, and Bryant and Michael Jordan tied for third. Woods was fifth after five years in a row at or tied for the top spot.

The only region in which Jeter finished first was the East, and the only age demographic in which he was first was baby boomers (ages 47 to 65), but overall he had enough popularity to outpoll Manning.

Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Danica Patrick were 1-2-3 atop the women's list for the third year in a row.