Greatest Athletes in the World?

I was listening to a well know radio announcer comparing the Memphis Job to Florida and Georgia as maybe the best athletes to be found.

I questioned his comment and decided to investigate.
My overall findings: Memphis is a great area for athletes.

But as we expected they are not in the same league as the Shreveport-Monroe Corridor along I-20.

(Drive time 2:15 minutes Shreveport to Ms border. 1hour 30 minutes Shreveport to Monroe.)

To Qualify the Players were born in these areas.
(I almost did Mississippi on the I-20 corridor, I have a feeling it would surpass Memphis)

Overview:
Population-Tn.6,214,000 La 4,410,000
Memphis 700000k
I-20 corridor-appox 600,000 people. Shreveport Metro 370k, Monroe 170k. I threw is some more in the area to close the percentages.

First. I decided to start with basketball, thinking it would give Memphis the best shot at competing with the athletes on the I-20 corridor of La. A mistake Tennessee is a baseball state.

NBA
TN Totals 69 Memphis 29
La Totals 93 38 players on I-20 corridor - Monroe 24 Sheveport 14

NFL
TN 361 Memphis 114
La 765 I-20- 231 players. 98 Monroe- 133 Shreveport

MLB
TN 266 40 Memphis.
LA 228 75 in N. La - 26 Monroe- 49 in Shreveport.

Summary:
Tennesse- 696 pro athletes. Memphis 183
Louisiana- 1086 Pros- I-20 drive 344pros - (Monroe 148, Shreveport 196)

I have included players within an hour and fifteen minutes north and south of the I-20.

The point: I have yet to find a more dense population of pro athletes anywhere to match the Monroe area in per capita athletes.

Everyone knows about the NFL players out of N. La, but the basketball list with players born within 100 miles of each other in rural N.La is crazy.
Bill Russell,
Elvin Hayes,
Willis Reed,
Karl Malone,
Robert Parish
Joe Dumars

***Clyde Drexler and Bob Pettit completed the list of top 50 nba players of all time born in Louisiana.

One day I will complete the list on the I-20 corridor from East Texas to Alabama. The debate of the where the greatest athletes in the world per capita are located, will be put to bed forever.
J