Tiger Woods -- "The most famous athlete on the planet?"

Definitely belongs in the conversation.

Is Tyson considered active? If so, my short list is Tyson, Schumacher, Woods, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Yao... in roughly that order.

If they don't have to be active then Ali by a mile, with Pele and Jordan likely next.

 

On a boatride down a river a day's ride into the jungle in Thailand I saw a small Thai villager wearing a Jordan jersey. Just sayin'.

 

I'll go with Beckham and Yao as my top two. I think Beckham's looks and star persona put him over the top.

Third? Maybe Woods, but as NoOneLikesUs wrote, he plays golf.

Basketball is huge overseas...how about Kobe (per COCKDIAN), LeBron -- and this might be a huge stretch -- Dirk?

 

Have no idea who it might be, but I bet a cricket player in India is known by as many people as anyone on the list. A billion people can't be wrong.

 

damon allen

 

I saw a study a couple years ago where Schumacher is the most recognizable person on the planet. Obviously, that's carried by a lot of overseas people...but still. Most recognizable.

 

Seriously? I'm a pretty big sports fan & I have no clue what he looks like. More than Bush? Clinton? Bin Laden? Eastwood? Jordan? Seinfeld?

 

Nike has a sweat shop two villages over where they stitch those together. Fella you saw was probably the regional labor liason.

 

I think Geroy Simon has to be added to this list. He's the CFL's leading receiver! And he played at Maryland like 10 years ago! And until 17 seconds ago, I had no fucking idea who he was!

 

Second!

My list, in no particular order ...

Schumacher, Tiger, Yao, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Kobe (yes, Kobe), Ichiro, Shaq, Federer (yes, Federer), Valentino Rossi and Geroy Simon.

OK, Rossi is a bit of a stretch, but only because Formula-style motorcycle racing isn't big here. It is big elsewhere, bigger in some places than F1.

And whoever said some cricket player should be on the list is probably right. Just wouldn't know who that would be!

 

Schumacher says he loves to come to the US because it is virtually the only place on Earth where he isn't mobbed.

I would guess Clinton is the only one on your list that comes close. As big as Jordan is, there are places where F1 is big and no one gives a shit about the NBA. And I'm guessing "Seinfeld" reruns aren't too big in Beijing and Bahrain.

 

Its settled then.