Which Mike was the bigger cultural icon, Jordan, Jackson or Tyson?

[Syd-TK3]

Jackson and it's not close at all

[jacoby1us]

Gotta be Michael Joseph Jackson!

[planetmars]

Jackson might be the biggest cultural icon ever. Only the Beatles probably surpassed him, but that's a collective and not a single person. And even then it was arguable.

[MostValQuitter]

Jackson easy comeon now.

Music transcends sports at least it used to

[dhsilv2]

Everybody in the world knows Micheal Jackson cmon now this has to be a joke.

less people are into sports then bloody music that’s not even up for debate. Literally every parent that’s over 30 would have danced or listened to Jackson that’s how friggin huge he was. Dude was Jesus

The Thriller music video literally was the biggest catalyst for all the other music videos that came after it. MTV anyone? That was Thriller

Well I'm not a parent but I'm certainly over 30. I can assure you, I have never danced or chosen to listen to Jackson's music outside of looking it up when these topics come up to remind myself what songs he did.

This forum is an interesting place for this given I think something like 70% of the forum falls into the 30-55 demographic which would be ideal for these 3.

That said my point was that not everyone listens to music beyond, it's on in a bar or whatever. And many people also frequent places that don't play pop or worse yet the horrible pop of the 80's and 90's. It's a point many seem to miss. I'm by no means saying the answer here isn't jackson, it clearly is. My point is that for many people what is or isn't insanely popular isn't as obvious as it may seem to others. We all live in a bubble that we create. if you'd asked me who was bigger in the 90's, I'd have said without thinking it even POSSIBLE, that Jordan was 10x more famous. But I didn't listen to music...EVER. I mean, seriously...I don't think I could have named you 10 songs on the radio. The whole idea that POP music of all things was popular (yes, the term might have clued me in but lets not go there) even at that time was beyond me.

For context I was born in the early 80's.

More importantly, this forum is at least 90% male.
Among men, Jordan vs Jackson may be a toss up. But when you add in the other half of the population, its Jackson in a landslide.

That's a great point I'd never thought of. I do recall more women upset over his passing now that you bring it up.

[dhsilv2]

People still purchase Michael Jackson’s music. Nuff said.

They still buy MJ's brand of clothing...and his jersey's...

I don't think that's really a good argument other than "wait, people BUY music?"

They will still be buying it 100 years from now. Doubt that will happen with Jordan.

You think a billion dollar company is going to go out of business in 100 years?

That said and i don't know a lot of jackson songs...I'm sure I've heard them but I can't name 10. Were any of them good? I mean, pop music is by definition BAD music. That's why it's pop...

[D.Brasco]

Jackson might be the biggest cultural icon ever. Only the Beatles probably surpassed him, but that's a collective and not a single person. And even then it was arguable.

Elvis has an argument for MJ. He's been dead several decades longer and his name and image is still quite well known. His specific songs haven't held up as well as MJs though.

[dhsilv2]

Also, according to Billboard, Michael Jackson's album Thriller peaked at #9 on the US Billboard Charts this year in 2021. With 262 weeks on the chart.

https://www.billboard.com/music/michael-jackson/chart-history/TSL/song/181096

He also peaked at #10 Globally in 2020:

https://www.billboard.com/music/michael-jackson/chart-history/TGL

MJ has passed away going on twelve years doing this. And it's not including other countries individually for albums, Jackson 5 work or even global asset/merchandise sales.

This is absurd. An album that came out nearly 40 years ago, by an artist who’s been deceased for over a decade, is still consistently around top 10 in charts?

Not even to mention in spite of all the allegations over the years.

I mean, I already knew the answer, but there’s the facts.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-triller-global/2020-11-14

I mean...it's also likely the only album in the top 20 most have ever heard of. Dear god...just the names of those songs are terrible lol. Thick? By DJ what? LMAO.

[jokeboy86]

It's Jackson even though it might start to fade as time goes on due to society now revisiting everyone's past.
Now was he a better artist than Prince? That''s a resounding HELL NO. Jackson was bigger but Prince is the best artist of all time and that is not even close.

[ForeverTFC]

Michael Jackson is clearly in his own stratosphere.

Tyson doesn't even belong. I think the biggest American athlete (globally as an Icon) is Ali.

[ForeverTFC]

Jackson might be the biggest cultural icon ever. Only the Beatles probably surpassed him, but that's a collective and not a single person. And even then it was arguable.

Elvis has an argument for MJ. He's been dead several decades longer and his name and image is still quite well known. His specific songs haven't held up as well as MJs though.

Elvis was a lot bigger in the US than globally. MJ is a global Icon.

[heezyo2o]

Yeah Jackson was loved by every single demographic you can think of and the most popular genre of music and as a solo act and has the highest selling album ever. This is a mainly focused sports forum with a certain age demo. And the poll is still by a landslide

Now just broaden that to the world and it’s not close to being close.

Just put the Bieber phenomena to everyone... that was Jackson and then some. Dude was a recluse they did a small interview years ago and literally everyone in the center from young to very old, man or woman stopped and pulled out their cameras or hands out. It was like witnessing a messiah or a biblical figure entering a hall. That was him every where he went in the globe.

I like some Bieber songs, but an insult to compare him to MJ

[Sedale Threatt]

It's Jackson even though it might start to fade as time goes on due to society now revisiting everyone's past. Now was he a better artist than Prince? That''s a resounding HELL NO. Jackson was bigger but Prince is the best artist of all time and that is not even close.

Revisiting a serial pedophile's past is probably pretty justified.

[heezyo2o]

Jackson is probably the biggest single music artist in history. There may be a few bands that can rival him, but no single individual can.

Jordan isn't close to being the biggest athlete in history (probably Pele, though he may have already been supplanted by Messi/Ronaldo), and in any case more people listen to music than care about sports. You can go your whole life without ever seeing a single clip of Jordan, but you can't avoid hearing Jackson songs.

Out of curiosity, which Jackson song can you not avoid hearing still today (like say I was 15)? I've never actually gone out of my way to learn what songs he did, I'm sure I've heard dozens, but the only song off the top of my head I know he did was with the jackson five, the whole 1 2 3 thingy. Actually beat it was him too...but I can't say I remember the last time I heard that. But good lord that song would feel insanely dated and out of place almost anywhere to me. Though as soon as I post this, someone will tell me the horrors of the 80's are coming back into style *shudders*.

Are you 15? That 1 2 3 song probably isn't even a top 20 song of his

[KembaWalker]

Jackson
Jordan
J Fox
Douglas
Tyson
Phelps
Vick
Johnson

[Roy The Natural]

Jackson might be the biggest cultural icon ever. Only the Beatles probably surpassed him, but that's a collective and not a single person. And even then it was arguable.

Let's not be hyperbolic... is there really any argument that Michael Jackson is a more impactful than the likes of Shakespeare, Mozart, Beethoven... I'm not seeing it other than recency bias.

Michael Jackson was really famous for a while... but he's likely not even in the top 100 in American history as far as "cultural impact" or iconisism .... he just has no leg to stand on when it comes to competing with the likes of MIK, Malcolm X, George Washington and many others who had major cultural impact in the US... let alone the Ghandi's of the world for international fame and iconisism.

In reality, Michael Jacksons contributions to society can basically be boiled down to taking dancing to a new level and spawning 20-30 years of similar sounding pop.

[Roy The Natural]

Jackson
Jordan
J Fox
Douglas
Tyson
Phelps
Vick
Johnson

Mike Myers is more famous than at least 50% of those.

[90sAllDecade]

Got some downtime and I thought this was interesting, stories of Jordan and Tyson how they held Jackson in high regard. And how Jackson was a fan and later became friends of both.

Tyson was actally hurt he wasn't acknowledged by Jackson at first because he was a big fan, but later got to know him and liked him again.

Jordan’s ambivalent musings on fame



Jordan on his intense fame and what Jackson might be experiencing:

In 1989, two years before Jordan first hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Chicago Sun-Times published a feature on his megastardom. He told reporter Lacy J. Banks, “Sometimes I wish I could be Michael Jackson, but just for a day. Just for a day to see how much worse it could get.”

https://www.yahoo.com/now/the-michael-jordan-anecdotes-the-last-dance-didnt-cover-041530473.html

Here’s how Michael Jordan decided to be in the music video of ‘Jam’:

“‘First I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this, because this guy’s going to try to get me out there to dance, and that’s going to be really embarrassing.’ But then I said: ‘Well, shoot, it’s Michael Jackson. When would you ever get an opportunity to get to know him socially for a little bit, and yet at the same time, get to do his video?’ So, I changed my mind and went on and did it.’

https://www.nickiswift.com/238507/inside-michael-jordan-and-michael-jacksons-friendship/

"I got to work with the greatest sports legend of all-time, Michael Jordan," Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, revealed in a behind-the-scenes clip about the making of the "Jam" vid. "We had to play one-on-one, it was so embarrassing. He never missed." Jackson, however, could not seem to get the ball in the basket, as shown in the BTS footage. (For what it's worth, Jordan also lacked the flow of Jackson's seamless dance moves.)

"I think they really did like each other, and you could see that," director David Kellogg told ESPN, calling Jordan "a really good sport" to "embarrass himself" while learning Jackson's choreography. As for any on-set hijinks, that was all in Jackson's wheelhouse.


Mike Tyson Hated Michael Jackson for Years Because of Their 1st Encounter — ‘Why’d He Play Me Like That?’
Johnell GipsonMORE ARTICLES
October 17, 2020

Michael Jackson is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and it’s hard to find people that didn’t like him. His iconic dance moves and unforgettable songs can make even the hardest critic soften up. But apparently, Mike Tyson hated Jackon for quite some time.

According to Tyson, Jackon didn’t show Tyson very much respect when the two first met. Afterward, the former heavyweight champ resented the “King of Pop” for a long time, until Jackson invited him to hang out.

Michael Jackson didn’t acknowledge Mike Tyson



Mike Tyson | Donald Kravitz/Getty Images


Even though Tyson disliked Jackson for a while, he secretly admired him as well. Tyson was actually one of Jackson’s biggest fans and badly wanted to meet him. He explained how his hatred began during an episode of T.I.’s expediTIously podcast.

“Mike is interesting, right,” Tyson said. “I met Mike one day, I think he was at a concert in Cleveland, I’m with Don King. So me and Don come in, right? And I’m champ and everything, did all this s–t, undisputed. So Don goes and Don gives Michael Jackson the ‘peace’ sign, like this. And then so Michael gives Don the ‘peace; sign, and so I give Michael the ‘peace’ sign, and Michael put his hand down. In a way, I say, ‘Did he play me? Nah, he didn’t play me, he just didn’t see me. I knew he didn’t play me, cause I’m f—ing champ.”

Unfortunately, Tyson’s hunch was correct. Tyson and King went backstage during the show, and the disrespect only continued. Tyson explained that as he was signing autographs for dozens of hysterical fans, Jackson continued to play him.

“So we went backstage, right? So I’m backstage, and so there’s his backstage, some of his singers and stuff. He’s on stage, it’s over I’m signing autographs and stuff, so Michael comes over and he talks to Don, he doesn’t talk to me. … I say ‘Let me just go on and meet Mike’, cause that’s really why I’m here, I want to meet Mike. And then I go over to meet Mike, … and he goes like this, ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere? Where I know you from?’

Michael Jackon hurt Mike Tyson’s ego
https://youtu.be/dVo5BxIt3nk?t=4596

According to Tyson, Jackson’s lack of recognition really hurt his ego. He had just become the world’s youngest heavyweight champion ever, and Jackon acted like he had no idea who he was.

“He broke my ego, he crushed me,” Tyson said. “I said ‘No, I’m just a fan, pleasure to meet you, sir. He said, ‘Okay’, and then he got out and went in the car”

Mike Tyson hated Michael Jackson until he was invited to hang out

Tyson didn’t let go of his encounter with Jackson for a long time. He later revealed in the same interview that he hated Jackson for some time, and would always talk down on him.

“So I hated his guts forever, Tyson said. “Every time Michael Jackson’s name came, I said ‘F–k that mother f—er’, and this and that and this and that …”

Finally, the beef came to an end when Jackson invited Tyson to hang out with him. Tyson initially rejected the idea but gave in shortly after.

“I said ‘Okay, I’m coming, I’ll be over there’, right?” Tyson said. “So I got on a plane, went over there, hung out, and we just started hanging out together. And I said ‘F–k man, he’s a good guy, but in my mind, I said ‘Why’d you play me though, Mike, why’d you play me like that? You knew who I was, why’d you play me?”

Tyson and Jackson’s first encounter proves that even huge celebrities can get played by larger celebrities.

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/mike-tyson-hated-michael-jackson-for-years-because-of-their-1st-encounter-whyd-he-play-me-like-that.html/

[RyderMike]

You mean the biggest Mike in the world isn't 'rydermike from realgm'?

<<<<

[Lord Eder]

Also, according to Billboard, Michael Jackson's album Thriller peaked at #9 on the US Billboard Charts this year in 2021. With 262 weeks on the chart.

https://www.billboard.com/music/michael-jackson/chart-history/TSL/song/181096

He also peaked at #10 Globally in 2020:

https://www.billboard.com/music/michael-jackson/chart-history/TGL

MJ has passed away going on twelve years doing this. And it's not including other countries individually for albums, Jackson 5 work or even global asset/merchandise sales.

This is absurd. An album that came out nearly 40 years ago, by an artist who’s been deceased for over a decade, is still consistently around top 10 in charts?

Not even to mention in spite of all the allegations over the years.

I mean, I already knew the answer, but there’s the facts.

https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-triller-global/2020-11-14

I mean...it's also likely the only album in the top 20 most have ever heard of. Dear god...just the names of those songs are terrible lol. Thick? By DJ what? LMAO.

Lmao. I think that shows our age more than anything. I always see kids at the park dancing for their tiktok videos to some music I’ve never heard of but it must be popular lol