CanadianFan Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Real football (Soccer to you Americans) player Ronaldo comes 1st. Lebron comes in second. This ranking still favours US athletes as it uses a formula based on endorsement money. Based on pure popularity, I doubt very much if Lebron comes in top 5. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/worldfame100/espn-world-fame-100-top-ranking-athletes# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) I'm surprised Mickelson is at #5 and so many tennis players are up there. I'm not surprised about the strong soccer showing. (Tom Brady #21, despite how I hate to point that out.) Edited May 30, 2017 by Augie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I'm surprised Mickelson is at #5 and so many tennis players are up there. I'm not surprised about the strong soccer showing. (Tom Brady #21, despite how I hate to point that out.) Mickelson surprised me too but I suppose both those sports have majors internationally and likely carry some premium sponsorships Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Who was that famous curling champion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) Real football (Soccer to you Americans) player Ronaldo comes 1st. Lebron comes in second. This ranking still favours US athletes as it uses a formula based on endorsement money. Based on pure popularity, I doubt very much if Lebron comes in top 5. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/worldfame100/espn-world-fame-100-top-ranking-athletes# I think that you misread it. It's based on social media, searches, etc... Lebron is absolutely the 2nd most popular athlete in the world with the NBA's Chinese presence. It's without question the 2nd most popular sport in the world and the list supports that. These lists are always littered with soccer & basketball players (35 of the top 65). The rest comes from golfers, fighters and tennis players as those are also international games. Edited May 30, 2017 by Kirby Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsherd Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 (edited) They even have 4 cricket players. surprising. Edited May 30, 2017 by billsherd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I'm surprised Mickelson is at #5 and so many tennis players are up there. I'm not surprised about the strong soccer showing. (Tom Brady #21, despite how I hate to point that out.) There were 8 NFL Football Players listed but only 1 ranked on top of cheating list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Top guys are in sports with international followings. Makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teef Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 i don't recognize most of the names, but i figured some of the f1 racing guys would be on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJB Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Lol the list is a joke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) who gives a **** what the world thinks of our athletes? i don't care about some cross country kick ball penny loafing limp wristed players or some guy who plays with bugs so i wouldn't expect them to give a whoop about me caring about a bunch of men in tight pants playing grab ass on sunday. Edited May 31, 2017 by Boyst62 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY315 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Lol the list is a joke Looks pretty accurate to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Looks pretty accurate to me but who cares?! its like the high school year books best dressed or prettiest smile. or the list of the coolest beach destinations that are in the world beginning with the letter 3 or any such nonsense. the world is the world. that dale junior is on the list just shows is all about commercial marketing. plain and simple. i woulnd't know ryan lochte from manny packywow to whoever tony croos is to half those dolts. i had to look after your comment. i would recognize: dale junior tiger woods lebron tom brady in his mini skirt cam newton kyrie irving drew brees hope solo (if she wasn't wearing pants because hamburger) eli manning odell beckham if he had his hair colored still thats all. i wouldn't know a soccer player even if he put down his pompoms, changed his skirt for a pair of pants and let his man bun down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY315 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) but who cares?! its like the high school year books best dressed or prettiest smile. or the list of the coolest beach destinations that are in the world beginning with the letter 3 or any such nonsense. the world is the world. that dale junior is on the list just shows is all about commercial marketing. plain and simple. i woulnd't know ryan lochte from manny packywow to whoever tony croos is to half those dolts. i had to look after your comment. i would recognize: dale junior tiger woods lebron tom brady in his mini skirt cam newton kyrie irving drew brees hope solo (if she wasn't wearing pants because hamburger) eli manning odell beckham if he had his hair colored still thats all. i wouldn't know a soccer player even if he put down his pompoms, changed his skirt for a pair of pants and let his man bun down. And I know all of the soccer players. Why are you so emotional about this? Edited May 31, 2017 by CNY315 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 And I know all of the soccer players. Why are you so emotional about this? im not. i just don't think soccer or golf are sports. i won the debate on golf being a sport. i'm waiting for transgreg to give me soccer as a sport. this is not me emotional. jeesh. trust me, ask any woman in my life. i have no emotions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY315 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 im not. i just don't think soccer or golf are sports. i won the debate on golf being a sport. i'm waiting for transgreg to give me soccer as a sport. this is not me emotional. jeesh. trust me, ask any woman in my life. i have no emotions. I don't really understand the sentiment that soccer isn't a sport but ok lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DriveFor1Outta5 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 im not. i just don't think soccer or golf are sports. i won the debate on golf being a sport. i'm waiting for transgreg to give me soccer as a sport. this is not me emotional. jeesh. trust me, ask any woman in my life. i have no emotions. Really? I could see making an argument against golf as a sport, but soccer? I won't put anyone down for hating soccer (still not sure where I stand) but it fits every definition of the word sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I don't really understand the sentiment that soccer isn't a sport but ok lol. Billions of people don't get that either, so you're not alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I don't really understand the sentiment that soccer isn't a sport but ok lol. Really? I could see making an argument against golf as a sport, but soccer? I won't put anyone down for hating soccer (still not sure where I stand) but it fits every definition of the word sport. Billions of people don't get that either, so you're not alone. if you can successfully wear a man bun whilst "playing" it.... than it's not a sport. soccer = terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY315 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) Billions of people don't get that either, so you're not alone. Like a lot of Americans I wasn't into it because I wasn't exposed to the best, wasn't exposed to it much at all really. Only people I saw playing soccer were the least athletic kids in my schools. Wasn't until the 2010 World Cup that I "got it". Now Premier League football followed by the Bills is my routine. What these guys can do with a football is amazing Edited May 31, 2017 by CNY315 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 if you can successfully wear a man bun whilst "playing" it.... than it's not a sport. soccer = terrible. You can think it's terrible, but it's clearly a sport. I've seen man buns in the NBA. That is not the defining criteria of a "sport". Whether or not you like it is obviously irrelevant. (Give up, it undermines you on anything else you might post.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) You can think it's terrible, but it's clearly a sport. I've seen man buns in the NBA. That is not the defining criteria of a "sport". Whether or not you like it is obviously irrelevant. (Give up, it undermines you on anything else you might post.) man buns? nba? not a sport! edit: like anyone eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever takes me seriously unless it is actual football conversation which is unpossible to have this offseason. Edited May 31, 2017 by Boyst62 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Like a lot of Americans I wasn't into it because I wasn't exposed to the best, wasn't exposed to it much at all really. Only people I saw playing soccer were the least athletic kids in my schools. Wasn't until the 2010 World Cup that I "got it". Now Premier League football followed by the Bills is my routine. What these guys can do with a football is amazing I wasn't into soccer growing up. I came around later in life. My kids played almost everything growing up, and at a pretty high level. (I won't brag here, but I'll admit it was a blast!) It turns out soccer was my favorite sport to watch them play. "American" football saw too many injuries, though it had the biggest crowds and the most adulation. Baseball was just boring. Basketball was everyone screaming at the refs. Weightlifting? An entire day to see 6 lifts each taking a second or three, and for the state finals it's a couple days with travel. Soccer had smaller crowds, but it was my favorite (even with a broken arm and fear of concussions). The crowds and the entire atmosphere was part of that, but we came to appreciate the nuances of the sport. man buns? nba? not a sport! edit: like anyone eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever takes me seriously unless it is actual football conversation which is unpossible to have this offseason. Maybe we can get together for some kiddie 3 on 3, then work our way slowly up to World Cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY315 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I wasn't into soccer growing up. I came around later in life. My kids played almost everything growing up, and at a pretty high level. (I won't brag here, but I'll admit it was a blast!) It turns out soccer was my favorite sport to watch them play. "American" football saw too many injuries, though it had the biggest crowds and the most adulation. Baseball was just boring. Basketball was everyone screaming at the refs. Weightlifting? An entire day to see 6 lifts each taking a second or three, and for the state finals it's a couple days with travel. Soccer had smaller crowds, but it was my favorite (even with a broken arm and fear of concussions). The crowds and the entire atmosphere was part of that, but we came to appreciate the nuances of the sport. Maybe we can get together for some kiddie 3 on 3, then work our way slowly up to World Cup? Looking back I wished I had played. I played Basketball, Baseball, our Football and even Lacrosse (which is fun as hell) but never gave soccer much thought. There was only one youth soccer league I knew about but it seemed to be a suburban thing. There weren't any teams in my neighborhood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) Looking back I wished I had played. I played Basketball, Baseball, our Football and even Lacrosse (which is fun as hell) but never gave soccer much thought. There was only one youth soccer league I knew about but it seemed to be a suburban thing. There weren't any teams in my neighborhood Rec league was fun, but the traveling teams are the only thing the college recruiters really looked at. You travel that much with the same people and they become family. My youngest played point guard the first 3 years in HS (same season in FL), then went back to soccer as a senior. Every HS team we played had 1-2 kids from his traveling team. It was like a season long family reunion. Great times! Edited May 31, 2017 by Augie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cba fan Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) Real football (Soccer to you Americans) player Ronaldo comes 1st. Lebron comes in second. This ranking still favours US athletes as it uses a formula based on endorsement money. Based on pure popularity, I doubt very much if Lebron comes in top 5. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/worldfame100/espn-world-fame-100-top-ranking-athletes# Internet searchs and twitter ect etc leader does not mean you are the most famous. Many people are very interested in Lebron and only watch his games on tv. By this criteria Kato was the most famous person in the world even though most of the world could have cared less after a couple weeks of the OJ trial. The 24/7 media coverage got old fast. Edited May 31, 2017 by cba fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Mickelson surprised me too but I suppose both those sports have majors internationally and likely carry some premium sponsorships Yup, and Phil is an all-time great. That gets overlooked sometimes in the age of Tiger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I think that you misread it. It's based on social media, searches, etc... Lebron is absolutely the 2nd most popular athlete in the world with the NBA's Chinese presence. It's without question the 2nd most popular sport in the world and the list supports that. These lists are always littered with soccer & basketball players (35 of the top 65). The rest comes from golfers, fighters and tennis players as those are also international games. I get why you mentioned China - it's the most populous county in the world. But China's not the only foreign country into the NBA. I was once running down a footpath through a jungle in the Philippines when I oddly encountered a basketball court. I had seen one primitive nipa hut nearby but otherwise no homes in the area - no buildings of any kind. I later asked an urban Filipino about this and he didn't think it surprising at all that I found a b-ball court deep in the jungle. He explained that the NBA is hugely popular in the Philippines. I've also traveled in South America and the Middle East where the locals tried to connect with me by talking about the NBA - a league I know virtually nothing about. I was rarely - if ever - asked about American football when I was overseas. Basketball is easy to understand and nearly non-stop action. And you don't need to be a deeply-studied aficionado to appreciate the skill and athleticism of NBA athletes. So it's no surprise that the NBA stars show better on this list than the NFL stars. And I don't really care. I still like football better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Yup, and Phil is an all-time great. That gets overlooked sometimes in the age of Tiger. A strange era for that sport, for sure. I hope some of the new guys can emerge and bring the old Tiger interest back. Phil on top of the leaderboard for a few more majors will help ratings, but it's nothing like the "Tiger Draw". (Tiger's eyes in that mug shot looked like a guy who didn't know what state he was in, sadly.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uticaclub Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Actually surprised Ovechkin wasn't on there. Hockey, never getting any respect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 I get why you mentioned China - it's the most populous county in the world. But China's not the only foreign country into the NBA. I was once running down a footpath through a jungle in the Philippines when I oddly encountered a basketball court. I had seen one primitive nipa hut nearby but otherwise no homes in the area - no buildings of any kind. I later asked an urban Filipino about this and he didn't think it surprising at all that I found a b-ball court deep in the jungle. He explained that the NBA is hugely popular in the Philippines. I've also traveled in South America and the Middle East where the locals tried to connect with me by talking about the NBA - a league I know virtually nothing about. I was rarely - if ever - asked about American football when I was overseas. Basketball is easy to understand and nearly non-stop action. And you don't need to be a deeply-studied aficionado to appreciate the skill and athleticism of NBA athletes. So it's no surprise that the NBA stars show better on this list than the NFL stars. And I don't really care. I still like football better. Yeah, I didn't mean to just mention China. The NBA has immensely popular there and in many parts of the world. They are working there way into India now as well. It has huge global reach was my point. It's really they only American export that can boast that. I consider golf, tennis and the Olympic sports as "world events" if that makes sense. While we have a lot of the stars in those sports the games don't belong to us. Actually surprised Ovechkin wasn't on there. Hockey, never getting any respectIf you think about it though hockey is Canada, US (north of the Mason-Dixon Line), Germany, Latvia, the old USSR, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. There just isn't the reach. I wouldn't at all be shocked if you went to number 200 of a hockey player didn't appear. Living in the South has opened my eyes to how regional it is. I hang out with diehard sports fans and they have no idea who Connor McDavid is. They've heard his name but know nothing about him. These guys have season tickets in college football, the NBA and the NFL. That is the rule down here, not the exception. I played golf on Monday and we went to Hooters after the round. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup wasn't on a single TV until we asked for it. It was Tigers vs. Royals and the college baseball tournament preview show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) Mickelson's #5? Higher than Tiger? At being famous? Hmm, that seems more than a bit skewed. As for the rest, they're right about the NFL. I live in Japan and most people here used to be able to name Joe Montana and that was about it. Nobody recent, except for the kids who actually play the game. It's just nowhere near big here. They know LeBron and some NBA guys, but mostly nobody in the NFL. Edited May 31, 2017 by Thurman#1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If you took out the endorsements variable, I would have to believe that Messi would be #1. Simply put he is the most dominating pro that we've seen in any sport since Michael Jordan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iinii Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 No surprise here. As far as the world is concerned the NFL is a regional nuanced sport. Outside of the US they have heard of Brady (maybe) but revere Messi, Christiano, Pogba, Neymar...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If you took out the endorsements variable, I would have to believe that Messi would be #1. Simply put he is the most dominating pro that we've seen in any sport since Michael Jordan. Best player ever in the world's biggest sport.... but the list is about fame. I'm not surprised to see Ronaldo ahead of him in that regard. Messi lives a quieter, more unassuming, (and a little more tax dodging) existence.... I've had the privilege to see them both live a handful of times. Messi is incredible. No surprise here. As far as the world is concerned the NFL is a regional nuanced sport. Outside of the US they have heard of Brady (maybe) but revere Messi, Christiano, Pogba, Neymar...... Pogba? Pogba? Seriously.... he isn't in the same league as those other three. Speaking from a general UK perspective the two NFL players that none fans mention when they find out I love the NFL are Brady (obviously) and OBJ (I think the Beckham name helps). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Only one F1 driver that I could tell, mostly Tennis, Golf and Basketball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsintaiwan Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 (edited) I get why you mentioned China - it's the most populous county in the world. But China's not the only foreign country into the NBA. I was once running down a footpath through a jungle in the Philippines when I oddly encountered a basketball court. I had seen one primitive nipa hut nearby but otherwise no homes in the area - no buildings of any kind. I later asked an urban Filipino about this and he didn't think it surprising at all that I found a b-ball court deep in the jungle. He explained that the NBA is hugely popular in the Philippines. I've also traveled in South America and the Middle East where the locals tried to connect with me by talking about the NBA - a league I know virtually nothing about. I was rarely - if ever - asked about American football when I was overseas. Basketball is easy to understand and nearly non-stop action. And you don't need to be a deeply-studied aficionado to appreciate the skill and athleticism of NBA athletes. So it's no surprise that the NBA stars show better on this list than the NFL stars. And I don't really care. I still like football better. Aye the Philippines is huge into basketball. Pro league is fun. Lots of running and gunning. Soccer and basketball will always win out. All you need to play is a ball. Baseball is big in Taiwan, Korea, and japan. That is about it outside of the western hemisphere. O.J. Simpson is undoubtedly the best known nfl player in taiwan Edited May 31, 2017 by billsintaiwan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Hi-light of the month, work colleague comes in with the list and asks me for someone ranking high that "nobody has ever heard of." Virat Kohli is my reply in a microsecond. He thinks I'm even more of a rainman freak now. Nah, just a cricket fan, being the top player of a country like India would be worth face recognition by the billions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elite Poster Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 if you can successfully wear a man bun whilst "playing" it.... than it's not a sport. soccer = terrible. Connor McGregor fought for about a year and half wearing a man bun. THIS JUST IN, MMA IS NOT A SPORT!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 must be a premature baldy who can't deal with it as an adult worried about man buns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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