10

Who wants to be last on the list? On the other hand, making the list is much better than being 11th.

9

Is nine really better than 10?

8

There are usually 20 to 30 people who say they are in "the top 10."

7

"Lists provide a simulacrum of order that reifies our inherent unease over the chthonic forces of disorder." Guy de Montparnasse, doctoral thesis.

6

Sixth is a comfortable position. It's not high enough to provide endless anxiety about slippage, but it's not low enough to slip off of the list. Slipping off the list would be terrible.

5

Five golden rings.

4

There is no number 4.

3

All good things come in threes. But it's not the same if you're number three in a list of ten. Being third in a list of 100, however, is pretty good. Of course, every top 10 list is really a list of 100 or 1,000 with the other 90 or 990 left off. Where do you draw the line?

2

No one ever remembers the silver medalist.

1

Being number one would be much more fun if everyone wasn't gunning to unseat you.