To Far Away Times
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Micheal Jordan. The Jordan Brand/Nike collaboration have ensured he's always in the public's mind.
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Who is the most famous sports person of all time?
- Thread starter Moze
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1st Course
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Cristiano Ronaldo
He have 105 million likes on Facebook, #1 athlete by likes I think.
For comparison Jordan have 27 million likes.
He have 105 million likes on Facebook, #1 athlete by likes I think.
For comparison Jordan have 27 million likes.
Aeriscloud
Banned
theusedversion
Member
Since all the real sports are played in America and were invented there, I'm going to go with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Soccer lol
I didn't realize boxing was such an international thing. I'd've thought Ali was an American kinda famous. Cassius Clay and civil rights and all that.
Do Europeans know Oscar De La Hoya? Manny Pacquiao? I bet Pacquiao is pretty high up there.
Arnold Palmer is the reason anybody in Asia even knows golf exists.
Do Europeans know Oscar De La Hoya? Manny Pacquiao? I bet Pacquiao is pretty high up there.
Arnold Palmer is the reason anybody in Asia even knows golf exists.
SRTtoZ
Member
Probably Jordan. Everyone knows him.
Who? I seriously don't know and won't google until you tell me. Is that the guy from Bioshock?
Who? I seriously don't know and won't google until you tell me. Is that the guy from Bioshock?
veryslowhand
Banned
Nobody knows paquiato in Europe.
Who the hell is Schumacher?
Golf invented in America you say?
theusedversion
Member
All the sports were invented in America. The rest of the world isn't very good at sports that's why the USA is so dominant.
Beerman462
Member
Babe Ruth
Too obvious. Almost got me.
notworksafe
Member
Jordan
Pele
Tyson
Pele
Tyson
WesternHeretic
Member
Like when Barcelona pretty much went apeshit for MJ in 1992?
BlitzerRadic
Member
How is this even up for debate? It's Jordan, no one else is close.
His name and silhouette is a multibillion dollar sports brand.
His name and silhouette is a multibillion dollar sports brand.
SyenceLabb
Member
jordan.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
Definitely no baseball or handegg person. Nobody outside America has a clue or gives a crap.
Probably some football ("soccer") person. In the past I would have said Maradona I guess, but I don't think that's true anymore. Not with the kids. So maybe Messi or Ronaldo (although some people might think you're talking about the old one). Or Beckham. Or, switching sports, maybe Tiger Woods. Everyone knows who that is even if they couldn't be arsed to watch five seconds of golf. Same probably goes for Jordan.
Probably some football ("soccer") person. In the past I would have said Maradona I guess, but I don't think that's true anymore. Not with the kids. So maybe Messi or Ronaldo (although some people might think you're talking about the old one). Or Beckham. Or, switching sports, maybe Tiger Woods. Everyone knows who that is even if they couldn't be arsed to watch five seconds of golf. Same probably goes for Jordan.
The greatest football player to ever grace Planet Earth with his presence.
I have no idea what he looks like other than he's black. I saw him in space jam about fifteen years ago and nothing else since.
1st Course
Member
Seems like C.Ronaldo is also #1 on both Twitter and Instagram by followers.
phisheep
NeoGAF's Chief Barrister
"Of all time" takes us back maybe 150 years - the time that there have been global sports of one sort or another.
Ali would, I think, be on anybody's list. But these others seem worthy of consideration too:
- C B Fry
- Pele
- Olga Korbut
- Bobby Jones
- Dick Fosbury
Ali would, I think, be on anybody's list. But these others seem worthy of consideration too:
- C B Fry
- Pele
- Olga Korbut
- Bobby Jones
- Dick Fosbury
BigJonsson
Member
Where would Usain Bolt rank?
Would say Jordan.
European and I haven't watched a single game of basketball.
It's like a brand really.
(edit: though of all time would be too hard to tell, having to take into account both population growth and spread of information. So for Michael Jordan it's probably more like from the 90s on, and as far as nowadays goes, a significant percentage of probably only those who were alive and aware in the 90s).
European and I haven't watched a single game of basketball.
It's like a brand really.
(edit: though of all time would be too hard to tell, having to take into account both population growth and spread of information. So for Michael Jordan it's probably more like from the 90s on, and as far as nowadays goes, a significant percentage of probably only those who were alive and aware in the 90s).
Basileus777
Member
It's always amusing to see Europeans dismiss the popularity of basketball as if it wasn't a huge sport in two out of the three most populous countries in the world. You're the one being provincial.
That said, this is still probably a footballer/soccer player.
That said, this is still probably a footballer/soccer player.
CortexVortex
Banned
- Ali
- Pelé
- Beckham
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Schumacher
Pretty sure that these are the most famous by far.
- Pelé
- Beckham
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Schumacher
Pretty sure that these are the most famous by far.
Tragicomedy
Member
I grew up in Argentina (the land of Maradona and Messi), and I still say the answer is Jordan.
MJ was the first sports superstar of the internet era, at a time when basketball became a world sport. He's known on every continent and considered the undisputed best to ever play the sport.
In terms of active athletes, it's Messi and Fake Ronaldo.
Also, it shocks me how many more Gaffers seem to know Pele than Maradona. The latter was the best to ever play the game in a much tougher era than Pele ever experienced. He did things with a football that were well outside of Pele's more limited skill set. Pele scoring a ton of goals in the weak Brazilian domestic league meant very little. Maradona morphing into a fat cokehead while Pele became a FIFA and Subway shill might explain it.
MJ was the first sports superstar of the internet era, at a time when basketball became a world sport. He's known on every continent and considered the undisputed best to ever play the sport.
In terms of active athletes, it's Messi and Fake Ronaldo.
Also, it shocks me how many more Gaffers seem to know Pele than Maradona. The latter was the best to ever play the game in a much tougher era than Pele ever experienced. He did things with a football that were well outside of Pele's more limited skill set. Pele scoring a ton of goals in the weak Brazilian domestic league meant very little. Maradona morphing into a fat cokehead while Pele became a FIFA and Subway shill might explain it.
This. It's nowhere near as regionally limited as baseball or American football.
Its interesting question, but almost more relevant is 20 years from now, how will they all stack up. Ronaldo and Messi have the edge of being relevant but once they're done then you can actually contextualize a comparison to Jordan, Ali, Pele and the like to see if their impact remains.
I'd say Jordan followed by Ali closely if I had to pick. Simply because Jordan's brand infiltrated places in a more vicious way where as Ali was more word of mouth, pre-global advertising world.
Also Jordan just narrowly missed the internet boom. One of the more interesting questions is what his career looks like pushed 5-10 years more modern.
I'd say Jordan followed by Ali closely if I had to pick. Simply because Jordan's brand infiltrated places in a more vicious way where as Ali was more word of mouth, pre-global advertising world.
Also Jordan just narrowly missed the internet boom. One of the more interesting questions is what his career looks like pushed 5-10 years more modern.
Fallout-NL
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