Who is the biggest global icon?

[Chocobanana]

I voted Messi but after thinking about it, it might be Ronaldo. More women probably know who Ronaldo is than who Messi is.
Tiger Woods makes a **** ton of money but that's probably because the average golf fan is worth than the average basketball/football fan.

[Side beard]

I bet more people know about Beckham than any called above.

[KembaWalker]

I bet more people know about Beckham than any called above.

obviously, for reasons already stated. Messi fanboys think someone whos 100% irrelevant in the country that commands a quarter of the worlds GDP can the biggest global icon in that world

[dockingsched]

damn, is that^^^ what the 1st 13 pages on this thread have looked like?

[hugolizard]

There are 2 ways to look at this question. If you're talking about $$$ made, then you go with the Forbes list. But if you're talking about being a household name across the globe, then it's probably a soccer player and I'd vote for Beckham (he's playing in LA still right?). Nike for example are willing to pay LBJ are lot $$$ because guys in the US are willing to pay $300 for a pair of LBJ shoes. Not a lot of people would pay $300 for a pair of soccer sneakers anywhere in the world.

People here talk about China's huge population, but you need to realize sports itself is not big outside the few big cities here. If I had to guess I'd say Yao Ming is 10x more well known than guys like Kobe or Messi as I see his ads quite often still. Random numbers from someone whose living in China atm, so take it for what it's worth but I'd say if you survey the whole Chinese population, maybe 50% have heard of Yao Ming compared to <5% for Kobe/Messi/Woods etc.

[albo23]

I bet more people know about Beckham than any called above.

obviously, for reasons already stated. Messi fanboys think someone whos 100% irrelevant in the country that commands a quarter of the worlds GDP can the biggest global icon in that world

Amerifag supremacy.

I don't know why Americans have such a narcissistic view of themselves, it is so irrelevant in this poll. America has ~300 million people which is about 4% of the worlds population. Basketball is an America only sport. Even in Spain, soccer is utterly dominant on TV, in the media, and in the minds of its population. China, the state where you people think basketball is every part of their life, is actually not! I've been there! Soccer is more popular because it is the oldest sport with the richest history, the more cultured game, and easier to pick up.

Let me take a page out of your book. "Kobe fans think some whos 100% irrelevant in every country outside the US, which is 3/4 the worlds GDP, can be the biggest global icon in that world "

[Mac1]

i live in Dubai. I also travel the world often . I was around during jordans peak in popularity. Let me tell you all something. I love soccer and basketball. I don't consider myself a homer to any athlete..but from what i've seen. Messi when its all said and done will surpass michael jordan as the greatest icon in sports. In the middle east foe example i can't remember 1 time where I've not driven by people with messi shirts on. I was in bahrain last week and it was the same..oman the week before and it was the same.

he is bigger right now then jordan was in 1993 globally. ( trust me...i was there)

he is probably the best player I've ever seen. Surpasses maradona for sure and i never rated pele. He has taken goalscoring to a whole new level..

if you were to find an equilevent in the nba..kevin durant would need to average 40 ppg.

[LAKESHOW]

This is an easy one. its DIRK DIGGLER NOWITSKY of course...International celebrity and Icon

[Bullsfan87]

Usain Bolt is probably the world's most recognisable and popular athlete.

After him I'd say Messi and Ronaldo, fact is football is the worlds biggest sport and they are the biggest players, playing for the two most elite teams.

The only basketball player who can compte or even beat them is Jordan. You must realise basketball does not have a huge following outside of the US and then it is a countries 2nd or 3rd sport at best.

Kobe is the lead current player but I think Rose will take over as long as his injury works out ok. He is the only NBA player used in advertising over here and has the advantage of playing for the bulls and carrying on the image Jordan established.

[reignfire]

I bet more people know about Beckham than any called above.

obviously, for reasons already stated. Messi fanboys think someone whos 100% irrelevant in the country that commands a quarter of the worlds GDP can the biggest global icon in that world

Amerifag supremacy.

I don't know why Americans have such a narcissistic view of themselves, it is so irrelevant in this poll. America has ~300 million people which is about 4% of the worlds population. Basketball is an America only sport. Even in Spain, soccer is utterly dominant on TV, in the media, and in the minds of its population. China, the state where you people think basketball is every part of their life, is actually not! I've been there! Soccer is more popular because it is the oldest sport with the richest history, the more cultured game, and easier to pick up.

Let me take a page out of your book. "Kobe fans think some whos 100% irrelevant in every country outside the US, which is 3/4 the worlds GDP, can be the biggest global icon in that world "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008 ... basketball


China is crazy about Basketball, dude.

And people saying you gotta be big in America to be big isn't narcissistic. Am I pro-water or water biased if I say everyone needs to drink water to survive? You can hate America or love America, but a fact is a fact. Anyone who is big in America is already a global icon because America's cultural influence and far and wide.

Basketball is a sport on rise, while Football is a sport in decline. This means the best and most well known Basketball players are going to be on center stage.

Also, any sport that China chooses to be its main sport WILL be the biggest sport in the 21st century. You can hate that fact, but it's still a fact.

[trickshot]

More people Google and Yahoo search 'Tiger Woods' than Messi in just about every international list released the last few years. Evidence like this and endorsement dollars are some of the things that show that Messi isn't there yet. People are mistaking Messi's dominance of his sport as worldwide popularity. Beckham still gets more searches. He's young. In 4 or so from now, he'll probably be the world's most popular athlete.

I don't know about internet searches, but I really doubt it's tiger woods. Having the biggest internet culture, I won't be surprised if a lot of the tiger woods internet searches were from NA. Unless you actually have data of the search distribution by country. You shouldn't be surprised to know that technological trends like internet cuture over the world differs especially from that of North America.

I'm African and having lived between Africa (mostly) and Europe, I can say the names Messi and Ronaldo dominates these places by a landslide (not even close). There are quite a lot of people that have know kobe, but even at that, many won't even recognize him if they saw him today. I don't know about China though. Are we talking about population or are we talkin about global reach? If it's the former(which most seem to be going by), then I think it's a flawed parameter to use as world population isnt equal and therefore may not represent global reach.

And the dudes trying to pay the ignorance game saying they've never heard of Messi thinking they're proving a point are joking. There's nothing wrong with not knowing a player since you might not actually give a F about the sport, but for you to actually think your views and knowledge are representive of the world's views is sheer ignorance and lunacy. What it should actually show any reasonable individual is the large difference in sports trends between their country and the rest of the world. Majority of the world won't be able to mention the most popular names(players or teams) in baseball or Nfl which are very big in North American households.
The dude who said if you're not popular in US, then you cant be the biggest global icon in the world is also an embarrassment. The way some of these dudes talk, you'll think they know foreign own countries better than its actual inhabitants.

The pro-USA dudes in this thread should calm down and actually try and hear the opinions of other countries since they actually represent the cumulative majority

[Rip Mammoth Ton]

Basketball is a sport on rise, while Football is a sport in decline.

[Brovva Blaqq]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/dec/06/football-brand-globalisation-china-basketball

China is crazy about Basketball, dude.

And people saying you gotta be big in America to be big isn't narcissistic. Am I pro-water or water biased if I say everyone needs to drink water to survive? You can hate America or love America, but a fact is a fact. Anyone who is big in America is already a global icon because America's cultural influence and far and wide.

Basketball is a sport on rise, while Football is a sport in decline. This means the best and most well known Basketball players are going to be on center stage.

Also, any sport that China chooses to be its main sport WILL be the biggest sport in the 21st century. You can hate that fact, but it's still a fact.

The article you linked to is from 2008 mayne! Everything written in this article is based on the assumption that China will provide more players like Yao and China will become a basketball powerhouse. Then there were a couple of economic crises in between. For the stadium plans: LOL - just look what happened to the Olympic stadiums in China - they are abandoned.

There are many US-celebrities, the rest of the world gives a f*ck, almost nobody in Europe knows Snookie, the Kardashians or whatever trash celebrities (aka global icons) you Americans have, even Oprah is unknown over here.

I bet you don't even speak a second language or have traveled to another continent in your lifetime...

[DrewBynum77]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/dec/06/football-brand-globalisation-china-basketball

China is crazy about Basketball, dude.

And people saying you gotta be big in America to be big isn't narcissistic. Am I pro-water or water biased if I say everyone needs to drink water to survive? You can hate America or love America, but a fact is a fact. Anyone who is big in America is already a global icon because America's cultural influence and far and wide.

Basketball is a sport on rise, while Football is a sport in decline. This means the best and most well known Basketball players are going to be on center stage.

Also, any sport that China chooses to be its main sport WILL be the biggest sport in the 21st century. You can hate that fact, but it's still a fact.

The article you linked to is from 2008 mayne! Everything written in this article is based on the assumption that China will provide more players like Yao and China will become a basketball powerhouse. Then there were a couple of economic crises in between. For the stadium plans: LOL - just look what happened to the Olympic stadiums in China - they are abandoned.

There are many US-celebrities, the rest of the world gives a f*ck, almost nobody in Europe knows Snookie, the Kardashians or whatever trash celebrities (aka global icons) you Americans have, even Oprah is unknown over here.

I bet you don't even speak a second language or have traveled to another continent in your lifetime...

Haha, it reminds the 2016 Olympics host selection.

USA sent **** Oprah there to gather the African votes as if she was a global icon LOL. Most IOC executives there didn't even knew who she was and that was Chicago's BID trump haha.

Chicago's Olympic dream hinges on the oratory of Oprah and the Obamas

The Windy City may still be in tough against Rio de Janeiro, but the star power it is bringing to tomorrow's showdown with the Brazilian resort town - as well as Tokyo and Madrid - should not be underestimated. As recent history has shown, the members of the International Olympic Committee who decide such matters have been known to get all weak-kneed in the company of the famous.

...

A galaxy of sporting stars from Olympics past here that the bid team hopes might help dazzle an impressionable delegate or two. They include former NBA star David Robinson and track legends Michael Johnson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Brazil is countering with soccer legend Pele.

Despite its clear advantage in celebrity firepower [Drewbynum here: ], Chicago may still not have the ammunition to win this fight.

...

For now, all eyes are on tomorrow's decision. IOC president Jacques Rogge is predicting it will come down to three or four votes. So then the question will be how much is a handshake from Mr. Obama worth? Or a hug from Oprah?

LOL.

Brazil sent Pelé to do the same job (beckham -Football Player- did it for London 2012, btw) and Chicagoers were complaining before the vote because a lot of IOC members that would vote a day later were asking for Pelé's autographs and taking picks with him nonstop haha.

What happened? Chicago and it's global stars like Oprah lost in the first round and the bid with the most popular football player working there to captivate voters upset the favorites for the second time in a row. You americans know why is that? Because football is not just a sport worlwide, it's a religion in most countries. Football legends are not just sports legends, they are semigods.

Imagine if American football was even more popular in the US (it's already amazingly popular but half of US population still not watch the superbowl, for example...) now imagine if it was like it's in US in most of the world then only this way you'll realize how big and important football is.

Anyway, reality hit them hard! Then after the first round of the BID selection:

Chicago, Obama, and Oprah Lose in Powerful Olympic Bid

In spite of the efforts of the American President, his wife, and a host of celebrities (none bigger than Oprah Winfrey), the International Olympic Committee knocked down Chicago as place for international athletes to display their talents in the 2016 Olympics.

It should not be news to soccer fans around the world that there are bigger international stars than Oprah and Barack Obama. Even non-fans have heard of Pele, a historic and legendary figure in the world of what Europeans and others call "football." The soccer star and national hero spoke out for Brazil on several recent occasions and his popularity is undiminished even after decades. Pele is not merely a Latin American phenomenon. In 1999, Pele was named by Time Magazine as one of the world's 100 most important people.

http://voices.yahoo.com/chicago-obama-o ... 71127.html

Poor Oprah

I still remember the chicagoers on the gamesbids.com forums all excited a week before the election because Oprah agreed to go to Denmark to convince IOC voters They really thought she was known worldwide. The 40yo retired footballer still way more popular and way more important than an american celebrity.

[Doctor MJ]

Who is the biggest global sport icon and why?

Wow, I just voted for Pacquiao and was shocked to see that he's not even close to the top of the list. Interesting.

I don't know if people here really realize how big of a deal being a crossover fighter from a country outside of the Western World is.

[GrangerDanger]

I had never heard of that Leonardo Messi dude before. Thought it was a woman before I googled him. And isn't Pacquio a comedian? Lol why is he on a list of athletes? Anyways this is Woods, Bolt and Kobe by far. Most normal people haven't heard of these other "athletes"

[inquisitive]

If you're talking about the sheer # of people who is familar with an athlete, i would put messi up there. There are more people who follow soccer in the world then any other sport. If you're talking about the sheer # of diverse fans, then he probably might not be as widely recognized. Most Americans don't know Messi. China sure knows who Messi is. I will say Pacquiao and Lebron have a case too.

[GrangerDanger]

How is Messi winning? Let's do a quick test

Google Leonardo Messi. you get 9,650,000 hits. pretty good

Google Kobe Bryant. you get 74,800,000 hits. not close

Google Tim Tebow (a backup QB on a mediocore NFL team). you get 44,100,000 hits. not close

Google Mike Trout (rookie MLB player on an expansion team). you get 14,700,000 hits. kind of close

So scrubs in the NFL and MLB are more well known than the most popular soccer player in the world. Don't let your love of soccer cloud your judgement. NBA, NFL, and MLB stars are far more known around the world

[dockingsched]

leonardo messi?



here:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Lionel+Messi

[Canada_7]

I'd say that for soccer/futball, C. Ronaldo and Beckham are more popular or at least well known than Messi.

Kobe is bigger than LeBron, or at the very least was before he finally won a championship this year. Michael Jordan trumps both of them I think.

Usain Bolt based purely on his ability and his Olympic games hype & coverage is up there too but I don't think he's #1.