In the soccer world, there is the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), that decides several rankings and awards that are regularly cited in traditional media. For example, if a player from my not-quite-football-powerhouse country makes the "best 100 goalkeepers" list or whatever, it'll be on the news.

Turns out the IFFHS was just one guy in Germany during the 80s that leveraged his contacts in news agencies to establish his brand as a reputable source.