If you don't start with Ruth/Jordan, you're just being argumentative. I think I would fill out with Thorpe and then probably Jackie Robinson. I have some reservations about Jackie as he is clearly not among the greatest athletes, but is one of the most influential people in American history...and often gets less than his due because he was an athlete.
Others I strongly considered:
Billie Jean King
Wayne Gretzky
Jim Brown
Richard Petty
Vince Lombari / Bear Bryant
Mark Spitz
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