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[KiwiLannister]

What actual public are you talking about here?

If someone is even remotely interested in football then the first thing that comes is Messi/CR7. There are no two ways about it.

Someone like my Mother who has no interest in soccer.

I mean you realize there is a large proportion of the population that aren't sports fans in general, they still count when talking about fame.

 

[Zoned]

Tendulkar is a bit unique because pretty much nobody knows about him unless they follow cricket or sports. Outside of India. He is the opposite of Jordan. Jordan is known by people who don't care about basketball, Tendulkar only by people who know Cricket (all 1 billion of them).

Schumacher is not a contender. I would be shocked if he was popular in Asia/Africa/Middle East. I'm aware F1 has international courses like Singapore but I'd bet almost all of his fanbase is in Europe with people in other English speaking countries only having some awareness of him.

Pretty much whoever watches Cricket knows about Tendulkar. That's like 2 billion at least.

 

[KiwiLannister]

Pretty much whoever watches Cricket knows about Tendulkar. That's like 2 billion at least.

That is basically what I said. All of India+Aus and some of England and the rest of the colonies sans North America. Might have gotten the number wrong. But because nobody outside cricket knows him much he has no shot at being the most famous compared to top footballers (more football players worldwide) or Jordan/Ali (presence transcends their sport).

 

[a Master Ninja]

A few years ago traveled across China with a group that included one black man. When visiting poor villages that lacked basic amenities, the villagers would point at my friend (who I am certain is the first black man any of them had ever seen in person) and they would say the words "Michael Jordan". This literally happened dozens of times.

 

[Zoned]

That is basically what I said. All of India+Aus and some of England and the rest of the colonies sans North America. Might have gotten the number wrong. But because nobody outside cricket knows him much he has no shot at being the most famous compared to top footballers (more football players worldwide) or Jordan/Ali (presence transcends their sport).

So when we talk about most famous sport person of all time, are we using population number as a measure or someone who is known across the world.

 

[Newt]

Lol, people bringing up baseball players.

It's definitely either Jordan or Ali.

 

[sooperkool]

It is without a doubt Ali. Not only is he recognized by the one name but he is an icon in and out of sports, He has been voted Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated and Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC. He is considered the most recognized athlete on the planet.

 

[bomma_man]

Apparently the top ten most marketable athletes on earth in 2014:

1) Lewis Hamilton, 29, England, motorsport

2) Virat Kohli, 25, India, cricket

3) Robert Griffin III, 24, US, American football

4) Christiano Ronaldo, 29, Portugal, soccer

5) Grigor Dimitrov, 23, Bulgaria, tennis

6) Usain Bolt, 27, Jamaica, athletics

7) Neymar, 22, Brazil, soccer

8) Missy Franklin, 18, US, swimming

9) Blake Griffin, 25, US, basketball

10) Sloane Stephens, 21, US, tennis

 

[keuja]

Not Jordan. Not in Europe or Asia at least. The old guys will remember Ali for sure. The new generation will know Ronaldo and Messi. But basketball star? Not likely, most of those countries don't really care about basketball.

 

[pulga]

Jordan.

He became an icon, not even Pele or Maradona did that.

An icon? Rookie stuff, try becoming a legitimate GOD.

Jordan who

 

[RustyNails]

ali!

Boumaiye!!!

 

[RustyNails]

That is basically what I said. All of India+Aus and some of England and the rest of the colonies sans North America. Might have gotten the number wrong. But because nobody outside cricket knows him much he has no shot at being the most famous compared to top footballers (more football players worldwide) or Jordan/Ali (presence transcends their sport).

Sir Vivian Richards is the goat batsman cricketer though.

 

[bomma_man]

Sir Vivian Richards is the goat batsman cricketer though.

Bradman son

 

[DeSo]

I would have to say Michael Jordan. I'm an Aussie who doesn't follow basketball or baseball and I knew who he was growing up. And it wasn't just because of Space Jam either.

 

[KiwiLannister]

Sir Vivian Richards is the goat batsman cricketer though.

Rofl. No way. Tendulkar is the best ever, and if you care about statistics then it's Bradman.

 

[NervousXtian]

Apparently the top ten most marketable athletes on earth in 2014:

1) Lewis Hamilton, 29, England, motorsport

2) Virat Kohli, 25, India, cricket

3) Robert Griffin III, 24, US, American football

4) Christiano Ronaldo, 29, Portugal, soccer

5) Grigor Dimitrov, 23, Bulgaria, tennis

6) Usain Bolt, 27, Jamaica, athletics

7) Neymar, 22, Brazil, soccer

8) Missy Franklin, 18, US, swimming

9) Blake Griffin, 25, US, basketball

10) Sloane Stephens, 21, US, tennis

That list is total shit.

RG3? He was fucking terrible all year... he was benched at one point.

Dimitrov over Joker, Fed and Nadal.. no fucking way.

Neymar over Messi?

Blake.. I guess those Gamefly commercials are a hit?

Sloane Stephens? Over Sharapova and Williams? Stephens isn't even in the top 20 of her sport.

Missy Franklin? The Olympics aren't until 2016.. nobody cares about swimming in off years.

 

[pulga]

Neymar over Messi?

Messi is a tax-evading criminal m8, brands are rightly staying away from his stink.

 

[speculawyer]

Apparently the top ten most marketable athletes on earth in 2014:
1) Lewis Hamilton, 29, England, motorsport
2) Virat Kohli, 25, India, cricket
3) Robert Griffin III, 24, US, American football
4) Christiano Ronaldo, 29, Portugal, soccer
5) Grigor Dimitrov, 23, Bulgaria, tennis
6) Usain Bolt, 27, Jamaica, athletics
7) Neymar, 22, Brazil, soccer
8) Missy Franklin, 18, US, swimming
9) Blake Griffin, 25, US, basketball
10) Sloane Stephens, 21, US, tennis

LOL. I'm able to identify only 3 of those people and none of them are from the USA.

 

[NervousXtian]

LOL. I'm able to identify only 3 of those people and none of them are from the USA.

Dude, it says right there who is from the US.. but anyhow

RG3, Blake and Sloane Stephens.

 

[uncredited male]

If I had to guess, I would say Pele. In another 30 years someone else, most likely a soccer player still.

 

[DarkFlow]

Not Jordan. Not in Europe or Asia at least. The old guys will remember Ali for sure. The new generation will know Ronaldo and Messi. But basketball star? Not likely, most of those countries don't really care about basketball.

Sigh, how many times are people going to say this?

 

[BlitzerRadic]

Apparently the top ten most marketable athletes on earth in 2014:

1) Lewis Hamilton, 29, England, motorsport

2) Virat Kohli, 25, India, cricket

3) Robert Griffin III, 24, US, American football

4) Christiano Ronaldo, 29, Portugal, soccer

5) Grigor Dimitrov, 23, Bulgaria, tennis

6) Usain Bolt, 27, Jamaica, athletics

7) Neymar, 22, Brazil, soccer

8) Missy Franklin, 18, US, swimming

9) Blake Griffin, 25, US, basketball

10) Sloane Stephens, 21, US, tennis

lol ridiculous list. Jordan crushes all of them put together by himself.

 

[bomma_man]

That list is total shit.

RG3? He was fucking terrible all year... he was benched at one point.

Dimitrov over Joker, Fed and Nadal.. no fucking way.

Neymar over Messi?

Blake.. I guess those Gamefly commercials are a hit?

Sloane Stephens? Over Sharapova and Williams? Stephens isn't even in the top 20 of her sport.

Missy Franklin? The Olympics aren't until 2016.. nobody cares about swimming in off years.

LOL. I'm able to identify only 3 of those people and none of them are from the USA.

I think the criteria takes into account value for money and potential longevity, so it's going to be packed with good looking up and comers more than anything. Virat certainly deserves to be up there though, that guy will be massive if he can maintain the captaincy and his current form.

 

[Heigic]

Davîd Beckham? Known in America, know by everyone who plays soccer and known in Asia from 2002 WC.

 

[Angry Puppy]

Probably Ali.

Jordan and a lot of football players are not a bad guess though.

Lol at the ignorance in thinking Jordan isn't known in Europe and Asia.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Why didn't Kobe Bryant make the list? I sense hate

 

[DarkFlow]

Why didn't Kobe Bryant make the list? I sense hate

Because Kobe is always going to be in Jordans shadow.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Yeah, I'll go with Michael Jordon as well.

 

[Servbot24]

In America it's easily Jordan.

I'm going to guess Ali worldwide, but Jordan still competes. Remember that Jordan is nearly synonymous with Nike, which is the world's biggest sports wear brand.

Maradona and Pele are huge names in soccer, but there are tons of people who don't know them if they don't follow the sport. Not so for Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.

 

[DarkFlow]

Let's also not forget, Jordan is the only athlete worth $1 Billion!
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-06-13/air-billionaire-michael-jordan-joins-the-club

 

[not psycho]

Definitely Jordan. Not only famous in China, but likely was their most popular athlete. He went way, way above the NBA itself.

 

[Epsilon-delta]

Why didn't Kobe Bryant make the list? I sense hate

No hate, just not on Jordan's level or popularity. With the way LeBron and the Cavs are doing, it seems Jordan has his GOAT status on lockdown until someone new comes along.

 

[RustyNails]

Rofl. No way. Tendulkar is the best ever, and if you care about statistics then it's Bradman.

Not "no way". Tendulkar was a beast at the crease, but Viv Da King was a magician.

Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE (born 7 March 1952), is a former West Indian cricketer. Popularly known as Viv (or "King Viv"), he is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and as one of the best players in the history of the sport.[1][2][3][4]

 

[NervousXtian]

I think the criteria takes into account value for money and potential longevity, so it's going to be packed with good looking up and comers more than anything. Virat certainly deserves to be up there though, that guy will be massive if he can maintain the captaincy and his current form.

Good looking?

RG3 is a pretty ugly dude.. and Blake Griffin ain't much too look at either.

Missy Franklin is pretty average looking.

Sloane Stephens is smoking though.. I'll give you that one.. but of the US people.. 1 hot, 1 average and 2 ugly as sin.

 

[Bleepey]

I don't know what this means. Have you played golf?

Don't take my word for it, let this fetching lady educate you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv_4-WN4KBg

Spoiler

No I haven't played golf lol

 

[Bleepey]

Safest bet is...

All time: Pelé/Maradona/Ali. Those three are from the pre Internet era (ie infinitely less exposure) and even today whoever is a true sports fan know who they are.

Currently: Cristiano Ronaldo/Lionel Messi. Football is by a huge margin the most popular sport across the world, I just can't comprehend how anyone can even try to dismiss this to name some player for other much more unknown sport (again, in a global scale) like basketball, eggball or hell... even tennis.

Also, MEGALOL to anyone naming Jordan because the Nike clothing. By the very same logic, because of Converse, Chuck Taylor should be even more famous than Jordan, you can bet it's not the case.

I didn't realise Chuck Taylor was an actual person...

 

[KiwiLannister]

Not "no way". Tendulkar was a beast at the crease, but Viv Da King was a magician.

If you want someone that was great in prehistoric times you go with Bradman. His average speaks for itself. If you want the outright best player in the game you have to take Tendulkar. Viv might have been great but in the 50s it's about as relevant as Bradmans era but without his statistical feat.

 

[bomma_man]

Not "no way". Tendulkar was a beast at the crease, but Viv Da King was a magician.

No doubt he's up there, but the best? That fastest test century innings would've been a sight to see though.

Good looking?

RG3 is a pretty ugly dude.. and Blake Griffin ain't much too look at either.

Missy Franklin is pretty average looking.

Sloane Stephens is smoking though.. I'll give you that one.. but of the US people.. 1 hot, 1 average and 2 ugly as sin.

Well to be fair I only know Virat and Hamilton. it was mostly an assumption on my part.

 

[professor_t]

Ali. It has been about 40 years since his prime and I bet he's still as widely known as Jordan. Pele also is in the mix, I would imagine.

In the states, Babe Ruth would be near the top, but I doubt he has much reach in the rest of the world.

 

[jotun?]

Yao Ming, because China

 

[LegoArmo]

Ronaldo. Young uns don't really know Pele, they just pretend to because that's what everyone else says.

Oh and he's prettier than Messi. For a lot of girls I know, he'd be one of the only football players they could name.

 

[RustyNails]

When We Were Kings

 

[AngmarsKing701]

I can see why everybody picks Jordan, as most of us are around 30 or younger.

However, Basketball was not the most popular sport in the world when Jordan was big. Boxing was THE most popular sport in the world when Ali was big. Ali transcended sports in ways that no other person comes close to besides Jordan.

Jordan's brand has had more of a long-lasting impact than Ali, though. So now that I think about it, it's a tough call. I think at their respective peaks, Ali was bigger than Jordan. But I think Jordan's had longer-lasting relevancy as a multi-media brand.

So, I dunno. Tough call.

This is a great post. Couldn't have said it better.

 

[YaGaMi]

Ali then Maradona. Outside the US I would say Jordan is known more as a brand then as a sportsman.

Soccer players are so well known because no other sport can compare to its popularity around the world.

 

[shintoki]

I understand that baseball is a primarily US sport, but who are the players that non-US Gaf think/know of? Just curious.

It is the biggest sport in Japan and several Central American Countries. It's actually were many of the players come from these days too. Big in America, Latin America, and Japan. One of the good things the MLB does is that it does without a doubt recruit the best players in the world regardless. There is no division or contest, so it always means the top flight talent is there.

A lot of the Jordan dismissing seems to be heavily European. Where Basketball didn't really take off. Compared to the Asian Markets(Specifically China) and South America. You know, the biggest market in the world. Hell, the fact that there is actual a debate over it probably indicates he is going to be remembered well beyond current soccer players.

Jordan is definitely the first of his kind too and possibly the last. Where his legacy also extends to a brand.

 

[Karsha]

Can't argue about the first 2 but I think that Maradona is more famous than Pele since he actually played a lot in Europe, beside he got even more famous for the whole drugs thing...

 

[Slurmer]

OJ Simpson, for all the wrong reasons

 

[Gentle Rodriguez]

I understand that baseball is a primarily US sport, but who are the players that non-US Gaf think/know of? Just curious.

I don't know shit about baseball except for the rules and some news that pops up sometimes.

Derek Jeter
A-Rod(forgot actual name, apparently is Alex Rodriguez)
Barry Bonds
Babe Ruth
Joe DiMaggio

I know that most of my friends would struggle to name even one though, the reason I even know these names is because I browse a lot of US based sites and because of TV shows.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

Because Kobe is always going to be in Jordans shadow.

No hate, just not on Jordan's level or popularity. With the way LeBron and the Cavs are doing, it seems Jordan has his GOAT status on lockdown until someone new comes along.

Pause. This wasn't who's the best....it was who's the most famous. You guysl are bugging to not think that Kobe of all other Basketball Greats is not globally known. It's primarily the reason why he is the highest paid athlete. His presence is well known, and is a global smash. He should be on that list. Lebron is the one getting there.

 

[Hazelhurst]

I'd say Michael Jordan is the most famous sports figure. Everyone knows this name.