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Beefy
October 18th, 2013, 8:00 AM
So we've had this discussion at work today (got to love Fridays) and it has got a bit heated. We seem to have it down to three names. David Beckham, LeBron James and Sachin Tendulkar.

I appreciate that Beckham has now retired but it's only a few months.

I remember this thread coming up on here eight or nine years ago and having difficulty persuading many Americans of Beckham's worldwide appeal although actually this time I'd guess that Tendulkar would be my bet. Whilst China would be the biggest country on Earth I suspect that more people in India know Tendulkar than Chinese people know any other sports person and he'd also be hugely well known in Pakistan and Bangladesh (#6 and #8 in the World in terms of population size).

So what do the people of Rajah think? Leo Messi? Tiger Woods? Manny Pacquaio? Mark Gower? Roger Federer?

Simon
October 18th, 2013, 8:15 AM
Probably Tiger Woods, if you're talking purely recognition factor. Outside of America Lebron James isn't THAT famous because basketball isn't big business, same with Tendulkar in non-cricketing places (even in England I doubt he is that famous and we're big on cricket...but you can't discount how massive he is in Asia). Tiger Woods is obviously a massive name in Europe and America, and I think golf has a reasonable pull in Asia doesn't it?

MikeHunt
October 18th, 2013, 8:15 AM
Usain bolt must be pretty famous at this point.

id go with beckham by miles though. Ridiculously famous in Europe, America, Asia and undoubtably known throughout the rest of the world.

All the ladies know him in the western world as well cause he's a sexy bastard and never out the shit magazines that they read.

Think about out it this way, if you were to show pictures of the three people you mentioned to your mum who would they recognise. Mine would definitely be beckham.

Bad Collin
October 18th, 2013, 8:50 AM
Surely it has to be Bolt.

Beefy
October 18th, 2013, 8:54 AM
What makes you say that BC?

JP
October 18th, 2013, 9:12 AM
I think Tendulka isn't a bad shout at all.

Fro
October 18th, 2013, 9:23 AM
I'm not sure about Bolt. I'm aware of him but I'm not sure I could pick him out of a lineup. I've watched him run maybe once ever.

Tiger Woods is a good shout, that's who I was going to say. Or Beckham since soccer is the most popular sport in the world.

JP
October 18th, 2013, 9:29 AM
Literally almost every single person in India knows who Sachin Tendulka is, added to that every cricket fan in the world and it's gonna be difficult to beat.

Myles
October 18th, 2013, 9:29 AM
I have never ever heard of Tendulka, and I'm a sports fan, so he can't be that famous.

I don't like soccer, I never watch it, but I could still pick Ronaldo or Beckham out of a line up. I'm guessing Tendulka is cricket just based on what people have said in this thread. But I had honestly never heard the name before I came in here 2 minutes ago.

I would say that Andy Murray is pretty damn famous now, but Federer would have to be the most recognizable athlete. In North America it would be Lebron James. Worldwide I'd say Federer.

but then again I would almost say every single person in China knows who Li Na is and there population is about 2 billion, so it might be her.

wardy
October 18th, 2013, 9:47 AM
Never heard of Tendulka. I could name you several English, Australian and West Indies cricketers and pick a few of them out of a line-up but I couldn't say the same for any Asian players.

Answer to the question has got to be Beckham with Woods not far behind.

Canuck
October 18th, 2013, 9:49 AM
Are we talking total number of people who are aware this person exists, or general knowledge across the globe?

Across the globe, you can count Tendulka out. Nobody in North America knows who that is, including me.

I'd say your top 3 are Ronaldo (Much more recognized than Messi in North America), Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt/Michael Phelps.

If you're talking about total number of people knowing someone exits, then you're probably looking at an olympic athlete. The Chinese basically own this world and you can be damn sure they are aware of whoever does better than them in the Olympics.

JP
October 18th, 2013, 10:05 AM
India has a population of 1.235 Billion people. Again, I'm not making this up, almost every single Indian knows who Sachin Tendulka is. Cricket is practically a religion in India. If we're going on number of people who know of him then he really is going to take some beating.

If we're going on global recognition though then Messi, being the biggest name of the biggest sport, probably gets it.

Bad Collin
October 18th, 2013, 10:06 AM
What makes you say that BC?

No evidence I suppose it just seemed to me that he was known everywhere whereas other sportsmen are hampered by their sports not being followed in some countries.

Bennedy
October 18th, 2013, 10:34 AM
On global recognition, Tendulka would not be the most well known. If I went down the street now and asked ten different people who he was maybe only one or two would be able to answer correctly. I know it's not the best way to measure something like this, but I don't think many people outside of India would know who he is.

Beefy
October 18th, 2013, 10:38 AM
Are we talking total number of people who are aware this person exists, or general knowledge across the globe?


Number of people who know who this person is.

Bennedy
October 18th, 2013, 10:42 AM
I have never ever heard of Tendulka, and I'm a sports fan, so he can't be that famous.

What a stupid thing to say.

Kneeneighbor
October 18th, 2013, 10:56 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aM8Am2ISh8

Cewsh
October 18th, 2013, 11:22 AM
I think that if it came to people being able to point to a picture of the athlete and know immediately who they are in every country in the world, we're talking about David Beckham here.

Atty
October 18th, 2013, 11:30 AM
I'd say Tiger with Becks retired. Beyond that, it's hard for me to say as an American. There are quite a few guys in Baseball, Basketball and (American) Football that I'd like to list but understand that Torn and Christopherson would be the only people outside North America who really knew who I was talking about.


Maybe Mayweather.

LOCONUT
October 18th, 2013, 11:48 AM
we're obviously all going to have major regional differences here. I would probably say Tiger, LeBron, or Mayweather.

Torn
October 18th, 2013, 11:51 AM
Sachin is a decent shout obviously due to India's size, there's two ways of looking it at I guess, just the number of people alone or judging it by how many countries they'd be known in etc.

Becks is probably the most globally known, remember the Asian fans go wild for him too and he had that Chinese ambassadorial role. I feel like Bolt and Federer would be up there.

It's definitely not Lebron.

LOCONUT
October 18th, 2013, 11:59 AM
if they weren't famous in America then they simply aren't that famous. Actually they're probably shit because we have the most nukes.

Seanny One Ball
October 18th, 2013, 12:07 PM
I'm surprised it took this long to say Mayweather I'd have him in the top few alongside the likes of Usain Bolt and Tiger Woods.

Essentially I'm convinced it is a black fella.

Bad Collin
October 18th, 2013, 12:15 PM
Titus Bramble

Matthew
October 18th, 2013, 12:15 PM
john cena

Atty
October 18th, 2013, 12:17 PM
No. Fuck Cena. But, if we were to count wrestlers, would Rock be active?

Cewsh
October 18th, 2013, 1:56 PM
Actually, somebody was just mentioning to me that they were watching an episode of Top Gear or something like that and they were in some random Bulgarian village and found kids writing "John Cena" in the dust on old cars.

I'm not sure we have any solid idea of how well known wrestlers are worldwide after WWE's global push in the past 10 years.

MMH
October 18th, 2013, 2:11 PM
Tiger Woods easily I reckon.

I wouldnt recognize Tendulkar if he attacked me about the head and face with his cricket bat. Surely if we are using the size of India as something to go off then it would be a Chinese sports person.

Cewsh
October 18th, 2013, 2:13 PM
Yao Ming would probably be tops there then.

Canuck
October 18th, 2013, 2:45 PM
I'd argue Mike Tyson to be more known than Mayweather... And I'd argue Kobe to be just as known as LeBron.

Myles
October 19th, 2013, 9:27 PM
Yao Ming would probably be tops there then.

Li Na. She won a grand slam, all ming ever did was get hurt all the time.

JRSlim21
October 20th, 2013, 10:24 AM
Tiger Woods. Usain Bolt. Lionel Messi. Roger Federer. That's my top 4 in whatever order. Woods, for his global brand and now more known/cared about for all of his tabloid news. Bolt, for literally stretching himself across additional sports platforms (sits courtside at NBA games, attends Grand Slam tournaments, huge EPL fan primarily of Man U). Messi is the biggest name in the most global sport, and edges out Ronaldo by simply being acknowledged as the better player. Tennis' global brand seems to get overlooked at times but his name pops up in non-sports endeavors.

I've never heard of Tendulkar, which could be a combination of not knowing anything about cricket.

Basketball is becoming a global sport and Lebron is the best on the planet, but I wouldn't put him at the top because I believe (making this an opinion) that outside of North America and maybe Spain (which is becoming an academy of solid talent) no one really cares about him. In China, Yao Ming's brand is still top notch which is why Rockets' revenue sees a big number on their bottom line. In Germany, it's Dirk then everyone else. Countries like Brazil and Argentina in South America care about their brand of basketball.

Pacquiao is overtaken by Mayweather but I also ask objectively, is boxing's star power faded? Could someone like Georges St. Pierre or Anderson Silva be considered more "famous" at this current juncture? IMO, the 2 sports cancel each other out because MMA is still growing and people seem to care less for boxing nowadays unless you're a boxing fan.

I'd add Beckham to that list because the guy is a model who happens to be good at what he does (stop, let me explain). The Anna Kournikova argument. Both were brought up to be sports stars. Their athletic success of course took different turns but you couldn't deny their good looks. That puts their name everywhere, literally. So whether you care about football (or tennis) or not from jump is irrelevant because you already know who he is. A guy like Beckham with his handsome build, hot rockstar wife, and massive soccer accolades is a world-renown superstar. I think the only reason I didn't put him in that initial list is because he's retired, so I thought of a more active list. Otherwise, you could still make an argument for Jordan.

Also, another name. You may or may not care for women's tennis, but people know who Serena Williams is.

Just my 2 cents on some of the names tossed out. Coming from an American btw

Gary J
October 20th, 2013, 3:57 PM
Easily Tiger Woods.

After that i'd say Bolt.

I would also put Ronaldo ahead of Messi as Messi doesn't promote himself as much as Ronaldo. I would put Tom Brady up there with Lebron.

I wonder if the question was who is the most female sportswoman in the world. Is there anyone even close to Serena or Venus Williams?

Canuck
October 20th, 2013, 4:07 PM
Danica Patrick is the only one who comes to mind that might be close, so no.

Myles
October 20th, 2013, 5:53 PM
Easily Tiger Woods.

After that i'd say Bolt.

I would also put Ronaldo ahead of Messi as Messi doesn't promote himself as much as Ronaldo. I would put Tom Brady up there with Lebron.

I wonder if the question was who is the most female sportswoman in the world. Is there anyone even close to Serena or Venus Williams?

outside of canada and the us, no one cares about nfl at all. Basketball is much more of a global game than Football. Micheal Jordan is more well known than any NFL player past or present.

Myles
October 20th, 2013, 5:57 PM
outside of canada and the us, no one cares about nfl at all. Basketball is much more of a global game than Football. Micheal Jordan is more well known than any NFL player past or present.

edit: nfl style football is only really played in those two countries. Basketball is played in many parts of the world. most uk posters are here could name a couple basketball players, i doubt many could name any nfl players.

if i walked down the street here in sydney and i asked the first ten people to name some from each sport, i bet all the english, irish, and australian folks would have a better idea who jordon, lebron, and kobe, are than say tom brady, manning, and brett favre.

Gary J
October 20th, 2013, 6:19 PM
I think the NFL is more popular over here then Basketball as I really think the uk could not give a fuck about the NBA. The NFL is getting big over here again like it did in the 80's when it was shown regularly. The Superbowl even gets pretty hyped up over here now when shown.

Obviously Michael Jordan was more famous then Kobe and Lebron (He's probably up there with Ali as one of the most famous ever) who I think are only mainly known over here due to Kobe being accused of rape and Lebron's move to Cleveland got a lot of press over here. Obviously they must have been two of the biggest talents in the NBA that's why i'd put them on a par with Brady in terms o being recognised as being the best and featured in a lot of popular culture. I know when the Patriots played at Wembley the other year it was all abut how it was our chance to see the greatness that is Tom Brady and it was basically all about him.

The Rick
October 20th, 2013, 6:30 PM
Jesus

http://www.tackytreasures.com/images/jesusplayingfootball.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-j_KBDTPlXWDa8xwxRbWtHcUcNFcVXftt27wf2kvJD8dIu2pWiQ

Simmo Fortyone
October 20th, 2013, 6:48 PM
I have never ever heard of Tendulka, and I'm a sports fan, so he can't be that famous.
Didn't realise that was one of the criteria.

David Beckham is at the top of this list for sure. Tiger Woods a close second. Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Usain Bolt and Sachin Tendulkar would all be top ten.

I wonder if Sebastian Vettel would be up there?

As far as women go, Serena Williams by the length of the straight. Li Na and Sharapova would be next. I'd struggle to think of someone outside tennis though. Lindsay Vonn? Jessica Ennis?

Myles
October 20th, 2013, 7:39 PM
:lol:

what I meant by my statement was as a kid who grew up in North America and watched sportscenter every night I had no idea who he was. if I'm interested in sport, and I have never heard of his name, how is your average american housewife going to know who he is?

i also find it hard to believe that NFL players are known world wide. Maybe I'm wrong, but are these guys (Brady, Manning) really as famous as Woods, Federer, Jordan, Bolt, Beckham, Ronaldo etc.

Gary J
October 20th, 2013, 7:44 PM
I didn't say Brady was as famous as those guys because he's clearly not but I would say he's as famous as Lebron and Kobe because other then the US I don't think anyone gives a fuck about the NBA.

Myles
October 20th, 2013, 7:49 PM
I thought basketball was big in South America, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe. Then again I haven't been to most of those places so I can't comment first hand. But every Filipino kid I have ever met loves the heat cuz the coach is part Filipino.

maybe it is that basketball jerseys are sexier than football, but walking around the streets here i see a lot of irish rocking the celtics jersey and a lot of meat head types wearing lakers colors.

I'm not trying to be harsh here gary, as I quite like you, and I'm actaully impressed that the NFL has a following in the uk. :yes: I just figured most wrote NFL off as a white trash fat american sport. Which it kinda is, but I love it just the same.

Gary J
October 20th, 2013, 8:08 PM
I get what you are saying about the jerseys you do see a few but it's mainly the lakers or Miami so i'm guessing they are the more successful teams I know a fair few people who have got into the NFL in recent years who have picked the Patriots as their team because of their recent success. Can't knock them for that it's how I picked The Redskins because when I was growing up and getting into it it seemed we only ever got to see them or Chicago unfortunately the skins have been shit since.

I wouldn't say the NFL is huge over here but it's growing more and more the Wembley games have helped and we get a lot of NFL programming now. Basketball is barely covered over here although that is changing a bit as Sky are starting to show the NBA now. But yeah I would say the NFL is definitely bigger over here then the NBA obviously it could be different in the states I don't know.

Simmo Fortyone
October 21st, 2013, 1:05 AM
:lol:

what I meant by my statement was as a kid who grew up in North America and watched sportscenter every night I had no idea who he was. if I'm interested in sport, and I have never heard of his name, how is your average american housewife going to know who he is?
You still don't get my point. Test cricket playing nations account for about a quarter of the planet's population. You're saying that the sports knowledge of one "average american housewife" is more significant than the combined sports knowledge of roughly one quarter of all humans.


i also find it hard to believe that NFL players are known world wide. Maybe I'm wrong, but are these guys (Brady, Manning) really as famous as Woods, Federer, Jordan, Bolt, Beckham, Ronaldo etc.
You're right on that one. A lot of folks might have heard the names but wouldn't know the faces from a bar of soap.

Simmo Fortyone
October 21st, 2013, 1:15 AM
I didn't say Brady was as famous as those guys because he's clearly not but I would say he's as famous as Lebron and Kobe because other then the US I don't think anyone gives a fuck about the NBA.
The NBA is massive in Asia. Probably second behind the EPL in terms of professional sports league popularity.

Eggbert Spam
October 21st, 2013, 2:40 AM
People keep mentioning China like the whole population there knows what's going on in their own country, let alone the rest of the world. You can't count them as a big population base in this kind of debate because a rather decent portion of them don't know anything about anything other than work and food and sleep.

Whereas even Indians and Bangladeshis living in huts made of shit and have to travel 100 miles to listen to the village radio know who Tendulkar is.

Still, it's probably Beckham or Woods.

Simon
October 21st, 2013, 4:22 AM
It definitely isn't Messi. Even inside football I would say Ronaldo is more well known than him (well I suppose realistically inside football everyone knows both of them, but whatever), but when you take into account non-fans Ronaldo is way better known. He's more or less a celebrity in his own right aside from football now, Messi isn't to the same extent.

Beefy
October 21st, 2013, 5:12 AM
Whereas even Indians and Bangladeshis living in huts made of shit and have to travel 100 miles to listen to the village radio know who Tendulkar is.


That's kind of my original point. Whilst there's more Chinese people than Indian people I suspect that a lot of Chinese people are not that aware of too many sports personalities. I doubt they watch much Fox Sports. Whereas Tendulkar is a God in India.

The Rosk
October 21st, 2013, 7:50 AM
Tiger.

MikeHunt
October 21st, 2013, 7:50 AM
beckham

JP
October 21st, 2013, 8:13 AM
That's kind of my original point. Whilst there's more Chinese people than Indian people I suspect that a lot of Chinese people are not that aware of too many sports personalities. I doubt they watch much Fox Sports. Whereas Tendulkar is a God in India.

Exactly.

People are seriously underestimating how Indian's view Cricket.

1_Pablo_Angel
October 21st, 2013, 8:49 AM
Sachin.

Simon
October 21st, 2013, 10:53 AM
Exactly.

People are seriously underestimating how Indian's view Cricket.
I think you're underestimating how few people in the world actually give a shit about cricket. Indians with cricket probably is the most dedicated national fanbase of a sport in the world, but that's not the question. Vast swathes of the world don't care about cricket at all.

Even if every Indian in the world knew who Tendulkar was, you still have to remember that China has no interest in cricket, almost all of North and South America, most of Europe, most of Africa...all places where football has a massive fanbase and the top stars would be well known. I don't think there is a part of the world where football isn't huge nowadays, twenty years ago it was still to really take off in Asia but nowadays it's even huge there...it's not the major sport in places like India, Australia and the States, but it is big enough that a large number of those big cricket, baseball, basketball, Yankball, Aussie Rules and hockey fans will know who the big football names are.

Also worth bearing in mind that because it's not an all-encompassing sport, the big names in cricket don't get attached to massive marketing campaigns for world-renowned brands (might be wrong but I don't think Nike, Adidas etc are big in cricket are they, it's still all Kookabura and Salix bats isn't it?). I have virtually no interest in golf or tennis, but Federer and Woods are unavoidable because of their connections with Nike.

Woods is my choice because he follows reasonably closely to Beckham in the 'all bases covered' stakes. Biggest name in a sport that covers the entire world, attached to numerous marketing campaigns, has a USP (Beckham the beautiful man, Woods the black man in a white sport) and he started to match Becks in the tabloid stakes when he was outed as a sex maniac. All he's missing is the superstar wife.

Beefy
October 21st, 2013, 11:06 AM
But several of the largest countries in the World do give a shit about cricket. It's not like we're just talking about India.

Simon
October 22nd, 2013, 10:34 AM
Top 50 countries in the world:


1. China 1,343,239,923
2. India 1,205,073,612
3. United States 313,847,465
4. Indonesia 248,645,008
5. Brazil 199,321,413
6. Pakistan 190,291,129
7. Nigeria 170,123,740
8. Bangladesh 161,083,804
9. Russia 142,517,670
10. Japan 127,368,088
11. Mexico 114,975,046
12. Philippines 103,775,002
13. Vietnam 91,519,289
14. Ethiopia 91,195,675
15. Egypt 83,688,164
16. Germany 81,305,856
17. Turkey 79,749,461
18. Iran 78,868,711
19. Congo, Dem. Rep. 73,599,190
20. Thailand 67,091,089
21. France 65,630,692
22. United Kingdom 63,047,162
23. Italy 61,261,254
24. Burma 54,584,650
25. Korea, South 48,860,500
26. South Africa 48,810,427
27. Spain 47,042,984
28. Tanzania 46,912,768
29. Colombia 45,239,079
30. Ukraine 44,854,065
31. Kenya 43,013,341
32. Argentina 42,192,494
33. Poland 38,415,284
34. Algeria 37,367,226
35. Canada 34,300,083
36. Sudan 34,206,710
37. Uganda 33,640,833
38. Morocco 32,309,239
39. Iraq 31,129,225
40. Afghanistan 30,419,928
41. Nepal 29,890,686
42. Peru 29,549,517
43. Malaysia 29,179,952
44. Uzbekistan 28,394,180
45. Venezuela 28,047,938
46. Saudi Arabia 26,534,504
47. Yemen 24,771,809
48. Ghana 24,652,402
49. Korea, North 24,589,122
50. Mozambique 23,515,934


Six that are recognised as being big cricketing countries. Fair play, two of them are in the top six, but how many of those countries are recognised as being big football countries? Basically all of them. Not all as in love with football as India is with cricket, but then this isn't about strength of feeling, it's about recognition. Maybe some of the poorer African and Asian countries' love of football doesn't equate to recognition of, say, Ronaldo, but you can be sure that a massive number of people in China, Brazil, USA, Russia, Japan and Mexico will.

Cricket is still a minority sport worldwide basically - the fact that one of the biggest countries (that is also one of the poorest, as someone already mentioned there are vast swathes of India that almost certainly don't have access to knowledge of who Tendulkar is) is obsessed with it doesn't necessarily make up the difference.

Having said that, a little root around on the net suggests that cricket's 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan was watched by around a billion people, whereas football's 2010 World Cup final was watched by around 910 million, although this doesn't count out-of-home viewers which would push it to over a billion. So maybe it's closer than I realise. But again, I would suggest there are hundreds of millions of people who know Ronaldo, Beckham etc who wouldn't watch even the World Cup final, they're not interested in football but the top stars' fame goes beyond football - whereas I would say that a far higher ratio of people who know who Tendulkar is would have been watching that match.

MikeHunt
October 22nd, 2013, 10:39 AM
I wouldn't know what tendulkar looks like. Apart from the fact I would guess he was brown.

Bill Casey
October 22nd, 2013, 2:22 PM
Kobe Bryant in China...

http://turnernbahangtime.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/0817-kobe-bryant-china-450.jpg
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/REU-CHINA_1.jpg
http://chinasportsbiz.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/kobe-bryant-in-china-22.jpg

Beefy
October 22nd, 2013, 2:50 PM
Beijing?

Mik
October 22nd, 2013, 4:44 PM
100% without a doubt David Beckham.

Myles
October 23rd, 2013, 3:52 AM
having never seen him play, the only reason i know david beckham is because of bend it like beckham.

in my first year film class way back in the year 2005, one of the films we watched was Bend it like Beckham. It was under our classic British cinema section. :wtf: the general consensus after the film was that english films are all about soccer and indian girls. :lol: this isn't the only genre though, because guy ritchie defines english film.

in north america i would say ronaldo and beckham are more recognizable than messi... i can't picture him and im thinking he is either from argentina, brazil, or spain? not quite sure but i think he is greasy?

Myles
October 23rd, 2013, 3:54 AM
while soccer gets little respect in north america and is still considered a foreign 3rd world game, people at least know what it is.

id say that less than 1 percent of the population (in the us) could name a cricket player and that 1 percent would most likely be the indian guys.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 8:51 AM
Top 50 countries in the world:



Six that are recognised as being big cricketing countries. Fair play, two of them are in the top six, but how many of those countries are recognised as being big football countries? Basically all of them. Not all as in love with football as India is with cricket, but then this isn't about strength of feeling, it's about recognition. Maybe some of the poorer African and Asian countries' love of football doesn't equate to recognition of, say, Ronaldo, but you can be sure that a massive number of people in China, Brazil, USA, Russia, Japan and Mexico will.

Cricket is still a minority sport worldwide basically - the fact that one of the biggest countries (that is also one of the poorest, as someone already mentioned there are vast swathes of India that almost certainly don't have access to knowledge of who Tendulkar is) is obsessed with it doesn't necessarily make up the difference.

Having said that, a little root around on the net suggests that cricket's 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan was watched by around a billion people, whereas football's 2010 World Cup final was watched by around 910 million, although this doesn't count out-of-home viewers which would push it to over a billion. So maybe it's closer than I realise. But again, I would suggest there are hundreds of millions of people who know Ronaldo, Beckham etc who wouldn't watch even the World Cup final, they're not interested in football but the top stars' fame goes beyond football - whereas I would say that a far higher ratio of people who know who Tendulkar is would have been watching that match.

Tendulkar would be one of the most known people in India. I remember reading that he had to drive his car around in the middle of the night or he would get mobbed by people. Australian crickets attract huge crowds over there never mind the countries greatest ever player.

Just India, Pakistan and Bangladesh alone account for over a quarter of the planets population and I would doubt there are too many people don't know of Sachin Tendulkar (or Dhoni)

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 8:52 AM
while soccer gets little respect in north america and is still considered a foreign 3rd world game, people at least know what it is.

id say that less than 1 percent of the population (in the us) could name a cricket player and that 1 percent would most likely be the indian guys.

Who gives a fuck you idiot Indias population is many many times greater than that of the US.

Myles
October 23rd, 2013, 9:01 AM
yeah, and some of the people in India would know who David Beckham or Federer as well, where as most in the 3rd greatest population wouldn't have a clue who Tendulka is.

edit: guys like federer or woods would be known world wide, while cricket seems to be a very regional game. this ties in with simons post about how soccer is a global game.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 9:07 AM
Yes, but literally everyone even new born babies in India know of Tendulkar. This accounts (along with Bangladesh and Pakistan) 25 percent of the worlds population. That is 1/4 people know of Tendulkar just from those three countries.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 9:17 AM
As Simon alluded to earlier

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/mar/30/india-pakistan-ultimate-cricket-derby

about a billion people watched the India/Pakistan semi final game. Does Federer often play in front of TV audiences of a billion people ?

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 9:20 AM
To compare last years Super Bowl between the Ravens and Niners attracted a TV audience of 164 million in the US. Its amazing what a large population can do to numbers eh myles.

Seanny One Ball
October 23rd, 2013, 9:22 AM
Oooook so it's Tendulkar then.

It could have been Beckham but England have never stayed in a tournament long enough whilst he was playing to reach the dizzy heights of Tendulkars billion.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 9:28 AM
It would have to be a sports person with reasonable success in China plus other parts of the globe to beat him. The population of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is about 1.5 billion people. That is a serious amount of people.

Mik
October 23rd, 2013, 2:40 PM
I think that Beckham would be very recognisable in all of those countries too. Beckham is a bloody worldwide superstar.

MMH
October 23rd, 2013, 3:08 PM
Yes, but literally everyone even new born babies in India know of Tendulkar. This accounts (along with Bangladesh and Pakistan) 25 percent of the worlds population. That is 1/4 people know of Tendulkar just from those three countries.

I would say all of those people know who Tiger Woods is too. And Beckham but im not counting him as he isnt an active player. If we were including anybody then Ali, Tyson, even OJ Simpson would be up there. Jordan would probably be one of the best known too.

Mik
October 23rd, 2013, 3:13 PM
Jordan wouldnt. Basketball just isnt a universal sport. Neither is American football or Baseball.

Beefy
October 23rd, 2013, 4:51 PM
Why would people in little towns in India or China know who Tiger Woods is?

Simmo Fortyone
October 23rd, 2013, 5:15 PM
You'd be surprised at how wide reaching Nike's advertising is.

Myles
October 23rd, 2013, 5:23 PM
people in little towns in china would surely know who Li Na is. She is the only Chinese person ever to win a Grand Slam. If the population argument holds, then it is safe to say that she is at least more well known than guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Lebron James.

MikeHunt
October 23rd, 2013, 5:25 PM
Why would people in little towns in India or China know who Tiger Woods is?

The make nike clothes in their sweatshops

MikeHunt
October 23rd, 2013, 5:26 PM
Kobe is more recognisable than lebron

wardy
October 23rd, 2013, 5:27 PM
people in little towns in china would surely know who Li Na is. She is the only Chinese person ever to win a Grand Slam. If the population argument holds, then it is safe to say that she is at least more well known than guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Lebron James.
Who is seriously arguing for those guys though? They're barely known outside of North America.

MikeHunt
October 23rd, 2013, 5:27 PM
I would be prepared to argue that becks is possibly the most famous man in the world

wardy
October 23rd, 2013, 5:29 PM
Does Alex Rodriguez still play? I reckon he's had more press here than any other current American sport guys.

Myles
October 23rd, 2013, 5:34 PM
He got done for steroids.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 6:05 PM
As Simon alluded to earlier

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/mar/30/india-pakistan-ultimate-cricket-derby

about a billion people watched the India/Pakistan semi final game. Does Federer often play in front of TV audiences of a billion people ?

That's impressive. But is this thread about "which sportsman has the most followers" or "who is most famous worldwide"?

Sure a billion people watched the game but (I'm guessing) the majority of viewers were from the two countries.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 6:12 PM
It would have to be a sports person with reasonable success in China plus other parts of the globe to beat him. The population of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is about 1.5 billion people. That is a serious amount of people.

Yao Ming would get my vote.

Mik
October 23rd, 2013, 6:22 PM
Says who?

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 7:15 PM
I don't know whether that was directed at me or not.

I wouldn't call Yao Ming the most famous athlete on earth. In the context of being Chinese and having a very successful career in the NBA I would think he's gotta be up there. Shame he had to retire so early.

MMH
October 23rd, 2013, 7:45 PM
Jordan wouldnt. Basketball just isnt a universal sport. Neither is American football or Baseball.

He wouldnt be known just for his sport though. His shoes and stuff are what get him more known.

MMH
October 23rd, 2013, 7:47 PM
Why would people in little towns in India or China know who Tiger Woods is?

Why wouldnt they? Hes a black golfer with a weird name. Everyone knows him. Maybe not the North Koreans or something but I reckon everyone else in the world is at least aware of him.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 7:55 PM
That's impressive. But is this thread about "which sportsman has the most followers" or "who is most famous worldwide"?

Sure a billion people watched the game but (I'm guessing) the majority of viewers were from the two countries.

Those two countries practically make up one quarter of the words population being known in India and Pakistan means you are more known than someone mostly known in the US by a factor of like 4 and the US is the third most populated country in the world. It is hard to express how much larger India and China is compared to every other country.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 8:20 PM
How many countries follow cricket? I really have no clue but I assume it's only followed by a handful of countries being England/Australia/most south Asian countries. Some parts of Africa? Canada's quite multicultural and cricket was always popular among the young immigrant lads I went to school with.

If it's a numbers thing than sure that fellow might be the most famous athlete in the world. In terms of reaching a global audience I don't see it.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 8:26 PM
So ?

Do you understand what you mean by global audience. You are for some reason trying to argue that number of countries matters....if you divided India up into 9 countries would that give Tendulkar a larger global audience or the exact same global audience. Use some sense.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 8:40 PM
Larger. What's the point of that?

What I'm getting from this is that Tendulkar is the most famous athlete on earth because the second largest country who's population is over 1 billion idolizes him. How is that a global audience? Because it makes up a quarter of the world's population? So what. It's one country out of nearly 200.

Maybe I am missing the sense of this whole thing but being on the opposite side of the world where the most deserving cricketers are not even known is not reaching a global audience. The scale of a country's population shouldn't have anything to do with it IMO.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 8:58 PM
Its a global audience because its 1 billion people. Population is the only thing that matters in this type of thing. Who cares if some swimmer is hugely popular in the 14 least populated countries...he is not more globally popular than Tendulkar through India and Pakistan. Well known...popular might be the wrong word for Pakistan.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 9:01 PM
I disagree. It's a recognition thing. In a world of many many countries.

kangus
October 23rd, 2013, 9:25 PM
At issue here is how global is defined. One way to look at it is the following; say for example you took one person from each country around the world and asked them to list a certain number of athletes. The most consistent name found on these lists, possibly a Tiger Woods or a David Beckham type transcendental athlete, could viably be said to be the most globally recognized because their reach is the most universally prevalent. However, you could also define globally as a strictly statistical category. So in this definition imagine you gathered the entire human population in one area and randomly asked an individual if they recognized a certain sportsman. Obviously the athlete who would statistically have the best odds of receiving a yes from a random individual would be the one who is recognized by the most people, regardless of any other restrictions. Because of the sheer number of people in India/Pakistan et cetera it may be likely Tendulkar would be this individual.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 9:56 PM
I disagree. It's a recognition thing. In a world of many many countries.

But who cares about countries nobody lives in. Australia has a population of a little over 20 million...who cares if Tiger Woods is more known here compared to Tendulkar (although that would be perhaps debatable). It is statistically insignificant compared to India. The question is most famous sportsman on Earth not person known in the most countries.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 10:04 PM
It's not statistically insignificant. You're a part of it whether you have a population of a billion or 130 million or 30 million.

Maybe areas where sports/athletics/whatever isn't a huge part of the country's social structure don't matter as much but australia/canada/england, etc are all equally relevant. It all counts and taking one sample out of a whole lot of other countries is not a good representation. To me. I hated stats class.

Pete Cash
October 23rd, 2013, 10:10 PM
Do you understand that 20 million is many times smaller than 1.2 billion right ?

Beefy clearly said at the start and clarified that he is talking about most known in pure numbers.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 10:13 PM
No I don't realize that the smaller number is .. smaller .. than the larger number.

Qualitative over quantitative I suppose.

thetony
October 23rd, 2013, 10:21 PM
And I've already acknowledged the whole "numbers thing" vs "global reach thing". It's just something I don't agree with.

If we're going to talk about numbers what about the earth's other 6 billion citizens who have no idea who this guy is.

Judas Iscariot
October 23rd, 2013, 11:52 PM
There's only 20 million people on the entire massive continent of Australia?

I did not know that.

Carry on.

Also I vote Peyton Manning.

Simmo Fortyone
October 23rd, 2013, 11:53 PM
And I've already acknowledged the whole "numbers thing" vs "global reach thing". It's just something I don't agree with.

If we're going to talk about numbers what about the earth's other 6 billion citizens who have no idea who this guy is.
It's not up for whether you agree with it or not, it's a factual statement.

Total up all of the test cricket playing nations, and the number is around 2.2 billion. So roughly 25% of everyone.

Simmo Fortyone
October 23rd, 2013, 11:55 PM
There's only 20 million people on the entire massive continent of Australia?

I did not know that.

Carry on.

Also I vote Peyton Manning.
22m, but yeah whatever. Half of them live in one of three cities.

Peyton Manning wouldn't even be top 20.

thetony
October 24th, 2013, 12:11 AM
Sure. going by numbers he would be the most popular. I've admitted this.

It just seems like such a centralized figure that worldwide popularity or "most famous on earth" goes further beyond one or two or half a dozen country's opinion.

Simmo Fortyone
October 24th, 2013, 12:34 AM
fame: the state of being known by many people
I don't see how national borders come into this.

Judas Iscariot
October 24th, 2013, 1:00 AM
22m, but yeah whatever. Half of them live in one of three cities.

Peyton Manning wouldn't even be top 20.

I'd expect him to be even lower that 20. There have to be 20 soccer players known better worldwide than any NFL player. Let alone the 16 billion people who follow cricket in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh alone.

Judas Iscariot
October 24th, 2013, 1:01 AM
EDIT fucking double post bullshit

Eggbert Spam
October 24th, 2013, 3:48 AM
You'd be surprised at how wide reaching Nike's advertising is.

The most famous American in China, to this day, is the Marlboro Man.

Judas Iscariot
October 24th, 2013, 4:55 AM
Only because he cursed them with the smog he used to breathe in and out.

Beefy
October 24th, 2013, 5:40 AM
Why wouldnt they? Hes a black golfer with a weird name. Everyone knows him. Maybe not the North Koreans or something but I reckon everyone else in the world is at least aware of him.

I'd guess that 80% of the World couldn't care less about golf. It's a rich white-man sport popular in rich white countries.

Myles
October 24th, 2013, 5:43 AM
tennis is more well known than golf.

andy murray and federer play for the people.

Beefy
October 24th, 2013, 5:48 AM
Do you understand that 20 million is many times smaller than 1.2 billion right ?

Beefy clearly said at the start and clarified that he is talking about most known in pure numbers.

Indeed I did.

If the question is defined as being purely world-wide reach (i.e. well known in the most countries) then it would obviously be David Beckham and we wouldn't have much of a thread. The interesting part is the pure numbers who might or might not know of any of these big name sportsmen.

Simon
October 24th, 2013, 6:03 AM
I'd guess that 80% of the World couldn't care less about golf. It's a rich white-man sport popular in rich white countries.

Many people will know who Tiger Woods is without having any interest in golf. Same with Beckham and maybe Ronaldo. That's my issue with Tendulkar - yes, he has huge 'coverage' in the countries that love cricket, but outside of that he isn't a celebrity in his own right, which means he's virtually unknown in the three quarters of the world that don't care about cricket. Whereas someone like Ronaldo (if we are ignoring Beckham as he's retired) may not have one country obsessed with him, but because he's the biggest name in the biggest game in the world, he has greater overall coverage, especially once you take into account all the non-fans who are aware of him because his fame goes beyond football.

Also, a lot of Indians who are aware of Tendulkar will also be aware of Ronaldo. I suspect very few Americans, Brazilians, Russians, Chinese etc who are aware of Ronaldo are also aware of Tendulkar.

I just can't see it with Tendulkar. Near-total coverage of India and Pakistan doesn't make up for strong coverage in basically every country in the world like the top footballers have.

I wonder with tennis if maybe the Williams' sisters are more recognisable than Federer? Certainly they are the most famous female sport stars.

JP
October 24th, 2013, 6:14 AM
While underestimating Cricket in India and Pakistan I think people are also overestimating the general interest in sport in the world's population.

Simon
October 24th, 2013, 6:22 AM
Let's assume that everyone in India/Pakistan/Bangladesh know who Tendulkar is, along with all the other major cricketing countries, that's 1.7 billion. It's reasonable to assume also that coverage would be very low in non-cricket countries, yes? So if we assume 1.7 billion, which IMO is a bit high as there are areas of Asia so poor that they probably don't know who Tendulkar is, along with presumably a lot of women...Ronaldo would need less than one in four people across the entire world to know who he is. With such huge take-up of football across the world, including China...I can't see it personally. And I think that 1.7 billion for Tendulkar is very high the more I think of it.

Seanny One Ball
October 24th, 2013, 8:13 AM
It's Barry Bonds now fuck off

Pete Cash
October 24th, 2013, 8:32 AM
There are areas too poor to have heard of their national hero ? Here is an interesting article on tendulkar written about why he became such a huge part of Indian life
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/642141-indian-cricket-sachin-tendulkar-is-not-just-a-cricketer-he-is-the-indian-dream

Pete Cash
October 24th, 2013, 8:34 AM
From the article
What we have not seen is a thing that we dread the most. We have not seen a day without Sachin Tendulkar somewhere around us. We have not seen a day without his name in the newspapers. To put it very simply, my generation just does not know its life without Sachin Tendulka

Pete Cash
October 24th, 2013, 8:43 AM
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=110329/cricket
Two weeks after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, India's 9/11, with the country reeling, India played a Test match against England. Sachin anchored the match, his performance rising to meet the stakes of the day, scoring more than 100 runs without getting out, which would be like dropping 50 in the NBA Finals. A century, it's called. His success, which he dedicated to those suffering in his hometown, added to his legend. Over coffee one evening, his current agent asked me, essentially, if Derek Jeter had a Secret Service detail. He was completely serious. I laughed out loud. No, I told him. He seemed surprised. Everywhere Sachin goes, the government of India protects him.
He's a national treasure.

Pete Cash
October 24th, 2013, 8:55 AM
Anyways if you can excuse the stacks of posts (im posting from my phone in bed so editing is annoying) the poorness of India (despite it not being that poor) is probably a positive in his favour. Sachin came along at an interesting time in Indias history. The country was searching for national identity and to prove that india could matter. The fact that sachin is arguably the greatest batsmen of the modern era is not the entire story. India have produced good batsmen before. Gavaskar played against better bowlers in pretty god awful sides and he did well.

Sachin transcends cricket in India because he went on to symbolise the economic growth of the country. We can split hairs on if he's the most famous sports person but he's certainly the most revered.

Canuck
October 24th, 2013, 9:01 AM
Nevermind, didn't see the 5th page.

Beefy
October 24th, 2013, 5:02 PM
Many people will know who Tiger Woods is without having any interest in golf.

Many people in rich, white countries.

Pete Cash
February 15th, 2015, 10:30 PM
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11402679

The game that stopped two nations turned a tranquil Australian city into the heart of the Indian subcontinent.

Adelaide has never had an audience like it.

The sleepy South Australian capital was transformed into a heaving mass of colour and noise when it hosted Sunday's World Cup fixture between bitter foes India and Pakistan.

One fan entering the ground summed up the prevailing feeling.

"If there is anything bigger in cricket than a World Cup match between India and Pakistan, please let me know," said Rahil Seth, a 45-year-old Indian businessman from Melbourne.

Depending on the feats of 22 cricketers in a game that means more to their people than any other, one nation would be plunged into mourning, the other pure joy - even though this only day two of a six-week tournament.

There was a predicted worldwide television audience nearing 1.5 billion people - more than 1000 times the population of Adelaide.

India v Pakistan
Five conclusions
A party breaks out as great rivals face off in Adelaide
India continue Pakistan dominance

There was a capacity crowd nudging 47,000 - 35,000 of them visitors, who long ago snapped up tickets in just 20 minutes to ensure a sell-out.

Indians dominated the gathering, seemingly all bringing their own national tri-coloured flag.

They drowned out bays of Pakistanis adorned in the bright green shirts of their nation's cricketers.

Together, the Indians and Pakistanis created a memorable buzz.

India's winning of the toss produced a deafening cheer; the sight of gigantic flags of the respective nations for a pre-game ceremony prompted standing ovations.

There was no hint of hostility among fans or even players - Indian batsman Virat Kohli shared a bottle of water with Pakistani fielders in a game between nations who have such trouble sharing a border.

Many fans didn't even bother booking accommodation in Adelaide. They plan to spend Sunday night at Adelaide Airport instead.

So authorities converted the terminal into a makeshift dormitory, laying out mattresses and bean bags, scheduling Bollywood movies to play on a giant video screen and laying artificial lawns for people to watch from.

"This is the first time the terminal will be open all night," Adelaide Airport spokesman Brenton Cox said.

About 5000 fans were expected to spend the night at the airport before catching one of 19 flights out of Adelaide on Monday morning.

Estimated worldwide viewers
India v Pakistan - 2015 Cricket World Cup - 1.5 billion
Germany v Argentina - 2014 FIFA World Cup final - 1 billion
Super Bowl 48 - Seahawks v Broncos - 160 million viewers

eldanielfire
February 16th, 2015, 2:32 PM
Many people in rich, white countries.

Yeah but rich white sports still get massively marketed in poorer countries.

I'd still wgaer Usain Bolt. The 100m final was the most watched part of the most watched sports event in the world.

McBain
February 16th, 2015, 7:41 PM
Tiger Woods easily I reckon.

I wouldnt recognize Tendulkar if he attacked me about the head and face with his cricket bat. Surely if we are using the size of India as something to go off then it would be a Chinese sports person.

I enjoy how in a thread about who is the most famous, it took 28 posts for someone to spell one of the candidates names correctly. :lol:

Pete Cash
February 16th, 2015, 9:09 PM
He's retired now so its probably dhoni or kohli.

Beefy
February 17th, 2015, 3:34 AM
I enjoy how in a thread about who is the most famous, it took 28 posts for someone to spell one of the candidates names correctly. :lol:

Or one post...

McBain
February 17th, 2015, 3:35 AM
I had a feeling that would probably happen. But still, the sentiment remains.

LOCONUT
February 17th, 2015, 5:23 AM
It's probably an American as we have all the real sports plus the most sophisticated media coverage and also the best army.

McBain
February 17th, 2015, 5:28 AM
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Pete Cash
February 17th, 2015, 5:37 AM
It's probably an American as we have all the real sports plus the most sophisticated media coverage and also the best army.

No, lol no, yes

Beefy
February 17th, 2015, 5:38 AM
American Football is fucking awesome to be fair. It is rapidly becoming my favourite sport.

McBain
February 17th, 2015, 5:56 AM
SACK!

(I like it too)

LOCONUT
February 17th, 2015, 1:09 PM
American Football is fucking awesome to be fair. It is rapidly becoming my favourite sport.

This just happened to me about 2 years ago after a lifetime of truly not giving a fuck about football.

Judas Iscariot
February 17th, 2015, 1:30 PM
I'm glad you're not a communist anymore.

Pete Cash
February 17th, 2015, 7:13 PM
Its pretty good. My brother in law is a massive fan. Supports the Detroit lions despite not being american or having any connection with Detroit outside of that. Why would anyone choose to support a traditionally terrible side.

Judas Iscariot
February 17th, 2015, 8:04 PM
They're on the ups recently and it's more fun to support an underdog. At least he's not a Patriots fan or a Cowboys fan.

Fuck the Patriots and fuck Fro and fuck RockOverBoston.

virms
February 17th, 2015, 9:51 PM
Fuck new york

Beefy
February 18th, 2015, 4:58 AM
LET'S GO GIANTS

Judas Iscariot
February 18th, 2015, 5:07 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwC1rhjzmRg

LOCONUT
February 18th, 2015, 1:29 PM
We should probably add Manny Pacquiao to the list...

Spedizzo
February 18th, 2015, 2:23 PM
I would have to go with Cristiano Ronaldo currently, and I am not a big soccer/futbol guy.

Next would be Tiger Woods... Of all time I would say Michael Jordan.

I don't know the cricket guy, but if the whole world barring North America knows of him, he would have to be the winner.

TheWholeFnShow420
February 18th, 2015, 7:31 PM
Dennis Rodman


jk....Tom Brady

Judas Iscariot
February 19th, 2015, 4:59 PM
Fuck Tom Brady.