Yes I'm saying that. She wouldn't have a clue. Outside of games, how much does he appear in modern media?
That said, Michael Jordan has always been famous in Europe. I feel to some extent though, I think Michael Jordan was famous for being famous rather than necessarily famous because of people's interest in the sport necessarily. Europe has always had quite a big exposure to American popular culture. It would be hard not to be aware of Michael Jordan for that reason.
The Nike sponsorship definitely helped with that. As a young teen everyone wanted a pair of Air Jordans, and I knew many people who had no idea that Jordan was actually the name of a player.
One of those places being mainland Europe. Basketball is pretty popular in Spain, Greece, Russia, Lithuania (where it's more popular than soccer), all the Baltic states ect. Euroleage basketball is very popular as is the NBA. It's no where near as popular as soccer but to say it's not popular in Europe is dumb.Basketball is pretty popular in certain areas of the world, this I don't necessarily disagree on, but the fact that there are actually leagues in Europe tells you absolutely nothing about the popularity of the sport in general. Most sports are played in Europe to some extent, but that does not mean they are major sports in any way.
It is like me trying to prove Cricket is popular in the US by posting the fact that there was a league there. It means nothing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_America_Cricket_Association
Interested to see answers.
Diego Maradona the most famous sports person of all time imo.
lol at the americans in here dismissing football (soccer, ugh) players and posting baseball players and fucking wrestlers I don't think you grasp how big football is. It kind of pisses me off because it really shows a lack of understanding for the rest of the world.
That said, Michael Jordan might be a good pick, his name almost represents basketball, if you have heard of basket, you have heard of him. Football doesn't have that one person, but several, Pele, Maradona, Messi, Beckham, C.Ronaldo etc. though I think a huge number of people know ALL of them.
Please tell me what continent hasn't heard of Jordan.Pretty sure Beckham is the only sportsman who will be known on every continent. People might not know what sport he plays but they'll know him.
Don't think MJ can match that.
Please tell me what continent hasn't heard of Jordan.
Not sure about media but he does appear on lots of advertisements
Guy is also #1 most popular athlete on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc)
Antarctica
That, plus the dream team had the biggest impact. Its probably why basketball took off so much globally. Plus Jordan playing with players like Kukoc did a lot for his fame. A lot of Croatians will proudly point out he's from their country.The Nike sponsorship definitely helped with that. As a young teen everyone wanted a pair of Air Jordans, and I knew many people who had no idea that Jordan was actually the name of a player.
You know basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world right? I don't think you grasp how big basketball is. It kind of pisses me off because it really shows a lack of understanding for the rest of the world.
It's gotta be Jordan, right? Perhaps it is a footballer like Pele or Maradona, but as an American I had no idea who they were until I started following a bit of soccer. And are they well known in somewhere like China? I know that basketball is popular there. Plus I think the proliferation of American pop culture throughout the world probably gives a boost to MJ's recognition.
You know basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world right? I don't think you grasp how big basketball is. It kind of pisses me off because it really shows a lack of understanding for the rest of the world.
There was certainly a time this was true, every fight was big news and his charisma made most current sports stars look insignificant. He really was out on his own. I don't know how well known he is among younger people though or how big boxing was in places like china and India.It's without question Muhammad Ali
You could say the same for Beckham.
You know basketball is the 3rd most popular sport in the world right? I don't think you grasp how big basketball is. It kind of pisses me off because it really shows a lack of understanding for the rest of the world.
One of those places being mainland Europe. Basketball is pretty popular in Spain, Greece, Russia, Lithuania (where it's more popular than soccer), all the Baltic states ect. Euroleage basketball is very popular as is the NBA. It's no where near as popular as soccer but to say it's not popular in Europe is dumb.
And like I said basketball is the best team sport at creating celebrity athletes because of how close up the action is on tv and because of the impact a single player can have on a team. Basketball is no where near as popular as baseball or american football in the US but its star players are more famous than their baseball or (non quarterback) football counterparts. This is also why Michael Jordan is more famous than any soccer player despite soccer being far more popular than basketball.
A 2011 ESPN sports poll ranked soccer as the fourth most popular team sport in the United States, with 8.2% of Americans ranking soccer as their favorite sport (compared to 3.8% for hockey).[28] A 2011 ESPN sports poll ranked soccer as the second most popular sport in the country for 12-24-year-olds.[29] In 2013, Lionel Messi became the first soccer player ever to rank among the Top 10 most popular athletes in the U.S.
And it would be second if it wasn't for all those Indians.
Now the league is looking to India. Already, basketball is the fastest-growing sport in the country after soccer. In 2011, following the model the N.B.A. used to integrate into China, the league opened its first Indian office in Mumbai. A year later, the N.B.A. signed a broadcast deal with Sony Six, a sports channel owned by Indias Multi Screen Media, to become the exclusive broadcaster of the N.B.A. in the country and to host basketball events across India. In September, the N.B.A. and Sony Six held the N.B.A. Jam tour, which brought free events such as basketball clinics and tutorials to Hyderabad, Bangalore, New Delhi, and Mumbai. Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat forward, helped promote the tour, showing up at events wearing a white cotton shirt stamped with the N.B.A. logo and text that read Namaste Bosh. Each stop also featured musical performances by Indian artists and appearances by Indian stars from Sony Sixs top shows.
Sony Six also airs a local commercial that features a young Indian boy skillfully dribbling a basketball through busy downtown streets, and ends with the tagline Catch the N.B.A. fever. In May, Vivek Ranadivé, the founder and C.E.O. of the U.S. software company Tibco, became the first Indian-born majority owner of an N.B.A. franchise when he purchased the Sacramento Kings. Hes since said that he hopes to turn the Kings into a cultural bridge between the N.B.A. and India, where he believes basketball, if promoted in the right way, can become the countrys second most popular sport.
The NBA is working on that...
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/basketball-and-globalization
Fastest growing means nothing; you can grow by 1000% but still have only a few million fans.
Tendulkar is a household name there. 1.2 billion people; that's more than the USA and Europe combined, lol. By 500 million.
Basketball is huge in the world's most populous country, that's why it's the fastest growing. China is not so easy to dismiss.
Fastest growing means nothing; you can grow by 1000% but still have only a few million fans.
Tendulkar is a household name there. 1.2 billion people; that's more than the USA and Europe combined, lol. By 500 million. Add in the rest of the developed world and it's by 400 million people. How many people in Africa know who Michael Jordan is (as a sportsman, not a shoe!). Rural China probably hasn't had much outside exposure either, and Rural China makes up the majority of China's population.
All this appears to have worked: the Chinese Basketball Association estimates that more than three hundred million people now play the sport in China.
Interested to see answers.
Diego Maradona the most famous sports person of all time imo.
It's growing, and people are starting to like it. Who cares if cricket is the most popular, India has 1 BILLION PEOPLE. They could only get 10% of india to like it and that's still 100 million people.
When India's national side plays a big game, an estimated 400m watch on television.
Did you read the link?
It's growing, and people are starting to like it. Who cares if cricket is the most popular, India has 1 BILLION PEOPLE. They could only get 10% of india to like it and that's still 100 million people.
Okay? Do you think anyone in America even knows what cricket is? People in India on the other hand seem to know what Basketball is, and likely whom MJ is.You do realize you've just contradicted yourself right? If basketball is popular in India with say 400 million people; are we going to take into account the 1 billion people who know who Sachin is? And the thing is that Sachin is a more recent player than Jordan is; that in itself is a big advantage.
You also do realize how ridiculously popular cricket is in India right? "Cricket is my religion, Sachin is my god", is not something that comes out of thin air.
Sachin is literally a household name; "2013 – Indian Postal Service released a stamp of Tendulkar and he became the second Indian after Mother Teresa to have such stamp released in their lifetime.[323]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachin_Tendulkar
India's population exceeds the US and Europe combined. And with 500 million to spare. Basically everyone and their mom knows who Sachin is.
Even though my answer is still Ronaldo because of his global saturation, you consistently overestimate the popularity of basketball. You said it yourself; it's the 3rd most popular sport in the world, and cricket is second place.
The 2014 World Cup is the biggest media event weve ever experienced and it was the first time that the power of branded video was shown on a global stage.
More than 45 brands created campaigns to capitalize on the World Cup, and many of them contracted famous faces to make the most of their advertising dollars. Fifty-two percent of all tournament-themed campaigns featured celebrities, accounting for 432.1 million of the events total 671.6 million views.
The reliance on celebrity spokespeople, or the viewership that they attract, are no surprise. Last year, the use of celebrities was the second most viewed creative approach, with 2.2 billion views. While used in a variety of campaigns, celebrities are often hired to star in big event campaigns like the Super Bowl or the World Cup because they drive earned media by creating headlines and drawing on built-in fanbase.
Despite his team being knocked out early on, Cristiano Ronaldo was the most viewed celebrity of the World Cup. Campaigns starring Ronaldo, a forward for Real Madrid, have generated a True Reach® of 351.8 million views.
Ronaldo starred in seven World Cup campaigns Nikes Risk Everything, The Last Game, and Factory to Ronaldo; Samsungs Galaxy 11: The Beginning, Galaxy 11: The Training, and Galaxy 11: The Match, Part 1; and Emirates All-Time Greats. Nikes Risk Everything is the most viewed of the tournament, garnering more than 122 million views. In total, Ronaldo starred in four of the top five most viewed campaigns.
He is famous for being the greatest football player of all time.
Who is the most famous football player to you? Beckham?
Okay? Do you think anyone in America even knows what cricket is? People in India on the other hand seem to know what Basketball is, and likely whom MJ is.
Are you really trying to say America doesn't matter when it comes to a Athletes fame level?That's the thing! America's population is 4.4% of the world. 3rd place, but individually small.
Many people in India will not know who MJ is. Many of them don't have access to external media or TV, and those who do will likely watch cricket or football. Local radio broadcasts will contain cricket, not basketball, and Sachin will always be mentioned.
In a thread of guessing and anecdotes, every Indian I know will know who Tendulkar is. Every single one. And I know a lot of them. And even those who aren't cricket fans. On the other hand, the older generation of Indians will not know who Michael Jordan is.
Other sports in India might be growing due to increasing popularity with the youth, but the old guard are basically cricket and hockey dominated.
Edit: I always clarify this, but global saturation means that Ronaldo takes this easily.
Well, the figures based on what was posted is around 2 million people. That isn't insignificant, but would you call that particularly popular?
I also posted that in contrast, soccer is actually the 4th most popular sport in the US according to an ESPN poll.
As I also said, Michael Jordan is well known in Europe. However, it seems to me he is famous for being famous rather than famous because of people's interest in the sport. I think his fame came from the commercialisation of Jordan as a brand.
That's basically the angle I am coming from. Whether he is the most popular sports man, maybe.