Who is currently the most recognizable athlete in the entire world?

[Bourn]

No way Tiger is the more recognizable... a lot of opinions here from people that live in the US bubble.

Yes. Very much so. You have to know many other countries don't give a rats ass or pays any attention to our circus over here. I read a stat a few years back that 50% of the worlds population has never USED a phone. Let that sink in for a minute. Soccer is the worlds most popular sport so I'm thinking it has to be a soccer player. I still think Pele is at the top of that list. Ronaldo, Messi, Beckham I'm sure are up there.

Yes I'm sure many people know who Tiger is and Jordan, but not like Pele. After all he's the greatest soccer player ever.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

People are funny. The same ones that post tiger and a soccer player are the same ones that purchase car insurance

 

[bigtendominator]

People are funny. The same ones that post tiger and a soccer player are the same ones that purchase car insurance

You don't have car insurance?

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

You don't have car insurance?

It is a scam. People only purchase because "its the law". Biggest bunch of bs ever. You force Americans to buy. Anytime that is the case, executions need to happen.

 

[pocketrockets]

People are funny. The same ones that post tiger and a soccer player are the same ones that purchase car insurance

You are funnier. You seem to live in a bad nbc sitcom and you never seem to be right on any topic, ever.

 

[seanjohn007]

My one and two would be tiger and david beckham

MJ and kobe are probably up there (kobe has a much bigger following in europe and asia than lebron)


my sleeper would be who ever is the best cricket player in the world, statistically the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer.

 

[Akillies]

Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest name globally.
4 several yrs

 

[Akillies]

billions of people in china and india, have no idea what golf is

 

[VIEJODINOSAUR]

billions of people in china and india, have no idea what golf is

Absolutely not true......

 

[Akillies]

[h=1]Most Popular Sports in China[/h]

1) Basketball:
Basketball popularity

2) Football (Soccer):
Football (Soccer) popularity

3) Badminton:
Badminton popularity​

4) Table Tennis:
Table Tennis popularity

5) Baseball:
Baseball popularity​

 

[Akillies]

[h=1]Most Popular Sports in India[/h]

1) Cricket: Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India. India has produced some of the finest cricketers in the world who hold or once held various world records. India won the cricket world cup in 1983 and recently the first ever T20 world cup in 2007. In recent times, India has also emerged as the country where the maximum amount of money in Cricket is involved. The cash rich and glamorous IPL (Indian Premier League) attracts cricketers from all over the world. Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni are the highest earning crickers (by way of prizes and endorsements) in the world as of 2010.
Cricket popularity

2) Football (Soccer): Soccer is second most popular sport in India. Despite the fact that the Indian soccer team stands at around 139th position in the world according to FIFA rankings (2010), the sport has many fans in the country, especially in certain regions like West Bengal, Goa and many states in North-East India. There are only a handful FIFA approved stadiums in the country.
Football (Soccer) popularity

3) Field Hockey: Field Hockey is the national sport of India In the Olympics, India is the most successful country in men's field hockey (as of 2012).
Field Hockey popularity​

4) Badminton: Badminton is a very popular hobby sport in India. Recently, India has achieved good success at International level in the arena and hence it is also becoming a popular professional sport.
Badminton popularity

5) Tennis: Tennis has long been a popular sport in India. Though India has not been a powerful force in the singles event, it has often done very well in the doubles and mixed doubles category. As of 2010, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza are among the most successful male and female tennis players in the country. A decade or two ago, tennis courts were a rarity even in big cities but that has slowly changed. These days, it is not hard to find tennis courts in educational institutes, big apartment complexes and clubs in Indian cities.
Tennis popularity​

Next

 

[Akillies]

[h=1]Most Popular Sports in India[/h]

6) Wrestling: Next in the list of most followed sport in India is wrestling, a popular sport followed by teens and youngsters in the country. WWE has become a common passtime among kids in India.
Wrestling popularity

7) Basketball: Basketball is becoming more and more popular in India in recent times. At college level, many teenagers - both boys and girls - take up the sport as a hobby. Recently, the Indian brothers - Sim and Tanveer Bhullar, are making headlines in America . Their skills and build (heights 7'4" and 7'2") are attracting coaches of top basketball college teams for including them in their team.
Basketball popularity

8) Table Tennis:
Table Tennis popularity​

9) Motor Sports: Motorsport has recently gained a lot of popularity in India. Though it is not common for people to take part in the sport, it has a huge fan following. In 1971, the FMSCI: Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India was founded. As of 2010, its chairman is Dr. Vijay Mallya, also the owner of the Force India F1 team.
Motor Sports popularity

10) Golf: Golf is a popular sport in India. Almost every major town - especially among the newly developed ones - has a golf course. These days, many big townships in metro cities boast of their own golf facility.
Golf popularity​

 

[Akillies]

Most Frequently Cited Ranked Lists
1) Football: 3.3-3.5 billion fans (Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, etc.)
2) Cricket: 2-3 billion fans (India, UK, Pakistan, Asia, Australia, etc.)
3) Field hockey: 2-2.2 billion fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia)
4) Tennis: Around 1 billion fans (Europe, Americas, Asia)
5) Volleyball: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Americas, Australia)
6) Table tennis: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas)
7) Baseball: Around 500 million fans (US, Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic)
8) Golf: Around 400 million fans (US, Canada, Europe)
9) Gridiron (American football): 390-410 million fans (US mainly)
10) Basketball: Not more than 400 million fans (US, Canada mainly)

 

[Akillies]

Even if 12% of the worlds soccer fans had heard of ronaldo
that would far exceed every golf fan in the World

 

[CHOPTALK]

Hard to believe cricket is 5x more popular then baseball and 6x more popular then American style football

What a bubble we live in
almost like a larger version of the Truman show

 

[Bourn]

Michael Strahan Chop? Lol I hear he's huge in Zimbobway. For the record I would f the hell out of Kelly ripa. She's seems like a bitch and I'd like to choke her

 

[loomis41973]

Michael Strahan Chop? Lol I hear he's huge in Zimbobway. For the record I would f the hell out of Kelly ripa. She's seems like a bitch and I'd like to choke her

With my co$@

 

[akphidelt]

Hard to believe cricket is 5x more popular then baseball and 6x more popular then American style football

What a bubble we live in
almost like a larger version of the Truman show

What constitutes a fan though? I don't watch tennis or soccer but I can definitely name people I've heard of. Does that make me a fan? I find it hard to believe there is a ping pong player that is more recognizable throughout the world than Lebron James or Tiger Woods.

 

[Bourn]

What constitutes a fan though? I don't watch tennis or soccer but I can definitely name people I've heard of. Does that make me a fan? I find it hard to believe there is a ping pong player that is more recognizable throughout the world than Lebron James or Tiger Woods.

Ever heard of Forest Gump?

 

[CHOPTALK]

What constitutes a fan though? I don't watch tennis or soccer but I can definitely name people I've heard of. Does that make me a fan? I find it hard to believe there is a ping pong player that is more recognizable throughout the world than Lebron James or Tiger Woods.

I mean is the worlds greatest cricket player of all-time 5x more well known globally then Babe Ruth? I have a hard time believing that.