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Greatest Sports Figure?

  • Michael Jordan

  • Muhammad Ali

  • Usain Bolt

  • Wayne Gretzky

  • Michael Phelps

  • Bo Jackson

  • Roger Federer

  • Babe Ruth

  • Jim Thorpe

  • Maradona

  • Pele

  • Tiger Woods

  • Lebron James

  • Leo Messi

  • Joe Montana

  • Tom Brady

  • Jim Brown

  • Floyd Mayweather Jr.

  • Other (specify)

  • Wilt Chamberlain


Results are only viewable after voting.
If it's worldwide, probably a soccer player.. maybe Rinaldo or Messi.

In the US, it's probably Jordan, Ali or Tiger
 
i would say it is Muhammad Ali pretty easily. The man was the most well known person on earth. Judging by the list of options, this is definitely a poll by and for millennials as there are many older names that at least merit consideration. But Ali transcended the sports world more than anyone else.

the only others i could see warranting consideration would be jordan and ruth. at least from an american perspective. worldwide you have some of those soccer goofs like freddie adu, pele, etc
 
Some strange names on that list, guess it depends on what definition of "greatest" you're going for. In terms of not only being a dominate player but also just being an all around good person and carrying themselves like a professional, Michael Jordan would be my pick. Of course by my definition, half of the people on that list would be eliminated.
jordans greatness cant be questioned, but he is pretty widely regarded as an asshole
 
Pretty sure at Barcelona Olympics in 92 the dream team were the main attraction. Not soccer.

I doubt the 92 Olympics was bigger than the World Cup around the same time before or after, dont remember. Wasnt that Olympics when the world really got to see NBA stars for first time? Isnt that when BBall started getting bigger globally? Soccer was big for a long time before that Olympics.
 
Ali was widely percieved to be an asshole too. Many still think that.
true, he was definitely a controversial figure. but he was perceived as that by some for totally different reasons. people didnt like his religion, politics, social causes, etc. when you believe in causes like ali did, you cant avoid the haters. however, he still became the most recognizable and one of the most respected people on earth. jordan stood for zero causes. people thought he was an asshole just because he was an asshole
 
Again, Pele was and is definitely a bigger sports figure world wide than Ali.
Apparently you guys still don't get how popular football/soccer is outside of the USA.
 
Again, Pele was and is definitely a bigger sports figure world wide than Ali.
Apparently you guys still don't get how popular football/soccer is outside of the USA.
Well, Jordan was bigger than both by miles, so consider the controversy avoided.
How Michael Jordan Still Earns $80 Million A Year (in retirement)
The Jordan Effect The world's greatest basketball player is also one of its great brands. What is his impact on the economy? (Forbes article, 1998)


I couldn't find the one I recall, but some German firm called "Sports Research International" has conducted polls on behalf of the IOC in the past, and discovered that numerous US brands like McDonald's or Shell are more recognizable globally than the symbol of the cross itself. I'm am fairly certain this is the poll/study I recall from when I was still at the uni because I remember discussing it on the court at the Coles center. Note that the Olympic Rings themselves are recognized by 92% of respondents, and as I recall, Jordan was in the 90's himself. Here's an old one from 1995 (has me wondering if Shell got passed up by BP):
https://www.marketingweek.com/1995/07/21/mcdonalds-bigger-than-jesus-christ/

Found this while digging. An interesting article also from 1995 (American athletes only):
20th Century Top 10 : Babe Ruth Best Athlete of All Time; Ali Ranks Next; Deion in That League

It's not like soccer is that grand in comparison on the global scale. ESPN's #1 is Ronaldo, but right there at #2 is Lebron, ahead of Messi, and he's no Jack Kennedy:
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/worldfame100/espn-world-fame-100-top-ranking-athletes
Let's be real. If they counted retired athletes, Jordan would still be #1 on that list.
 
insular muricans, being insular muricans, is the same old, same old, the only correct answer on a worldwide scale is Ali, Jordan is by no means unknown, but he's almost certainly known more for his shoes than for what he did on court, anywhere else outwith North America.
 
It's not like soccer is that grand in comparison on the global scale.
You aren't serious?
https://www.vox.com/2014/7/3/5868115/most-popular-sports-world-cup
http://www.totalsportek.com/most-popular-sports/
https://www.pledgesports.org/2017/06/10-most-popular-sports-in-the-world/
http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/fans.htm
https://sporteology.com/top-10-popular-sports-world/
You only need to google it.

ESPN's #1 is Ronaldo, but right there at #2 is Lebron, ahead of Messi, and he's no Jack Kennedy:
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/worldfame100/espn-world-fame-100-top-ranking-athletes
Funny that your source is an American sports network specialized on American sports.
Again,clearly you don't know how popular football is in Europe, Africa and South America and to some degree in Asia.
 
You aren't serious?
https://www.vox.com/2014/7/3/5868115/most-popular-sports-world-cup
http://www.totalsportek.com/most-popular-sports/
https://www.pledgesports.org/2017/06/10-most-popular-sports-in-the-world/
http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/fans.htm
https://sporteology.com/top-10-popular-sports-world/
You only need to google it.

Funny that your source is an American sports network specialized on American sports.
Again,clearly you don't know how popular football is in Europe, Africa and South America and to some degree in Asia.
Googling produces garbage sources like "Top End Sports". You're new. You'll learn.

Nevertheless, even that source puts soccer at a sub-50% recognition level. Not that special in the context of American brand power as my evidence irrefutably demonstrates.
 
Googling produces garbage sources like "Top End Sports". You're new. You'll learn.

Nevertheless, even that source puts soccer at a sub-50% recognition level. Not that special in the context of American brand power as my evidence irrefutably demonstrates.
Yeah I'm new...look at my joining date. You on the other side sound like what we in Switzerland call "ein neunmalkluger"...but yeah, I'm sure you now better then everybody else.
 
Yeah I'm new...look at my joining date. You on the other side sound like what we in Switzerland call "ein neunmalkluger"...but yeah, I'm sure you now better then everybody else.
Jordan made $110m in endorsements in 2015, nearly twenty years after he retired, and it goes up each year, but you think the soccer star making 1/5th of that in the prime of his career somehow enjoys greater sprawl of recognition.

We have all manner of playground words for that poverty of reason.
 
Jordan made $110m in endorsements in 2015, nearly twenty years after he retired, and it goes up each year, but you think the soccer star making 1/5th of that in the prime of his career somehow enjoys greater sprawl of recognition.

We have all manner of playground words for that poverty of reason.
Fucking high horse you have there.

Typical American mentality...only money counts. If you are so smart like you think you are then you should know that before the 90's nobody in Sports was making the kind of money that they are doing today...specially in countries like Brazil where Pele played. But yeah the only guy who as ever won 3 World Cups in the most popular sport in the world is surely an unknown guy.
He was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee but yeah he really is unknown because he didn't make as much money as Jordan.
I know a lot of people who buy Jordans without ever have watched a single NBA game...they buy it because of the brand and not because of the player itself.

Matthew Stafford was a few months ago the best paid player in the NFL...i'm sure he is much better than Manning, Montana, Marino, Brady, Young etc...

Fucking high horse you have there.
 
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John L. Sullivan. Last bare knuckle HW champ, First gloved champ. Most memed athlete?

dtlek1t.jpg
 
Fucking high horse you have there.

Typical American mentality...only money counts. If you are so smart like you think you are then you should know that before the 90's nobody in Sports was making the kind of money that they are doing today...specially in countries like Brazil where Pele played. But yeah the only guy who as ever won 3 World Cups in the most popular sport in the world is surely an unknown guy.
He was elected Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee but yeah he really is unknown because he didn't make as much money as Jordan.
I know a lot of people who buy Jordans without ever have watched a single NBA game...they buy it because of the brand and not because of the player itself.

Matthew Stafford was a few months ago the best paid player in the NFL...i'm sure he is much better than Manning, Montana, Marino, Brady, Young etc...

Fucking high horse you have there.

Pele could walk through Time Square with a sign saying "I'm Pele" and no one would know who he was. Jordan literally rocked a Hitler stache and no one said a word. Jordan is clearly greater.
 
Jordan.

People in Japan don't even watch basketball and they knew who Jordan and the Jordan/Pippen/Rodman Bulls were.
 
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