Most popular athlete IN THE WORLD ever to wear no. 23: Jordan or Beckham?

Better question is, who are women in the USA more likely to know, Jordan or Beckham? I suppose as far as male audience, the edge goes to Jordan, ok. Sure.
As far as women, 25+, I'd have to assume Jordan again. But women under 25? Teen girls of today? Not to mention, there are more women in the world then men. Always have been. They live longer as well. So what do you think, MJ being an icon and so well known for basketball or Beckham being such a big celebrity even in States. I'm curious, who you think it is?

[QUOTE=Emile]Better question is, who are women in the USA more likely to know, Jordan or Beckham? I suppose as far as male audience, the edge goes to Jordan, ok. Sure.
As far as women, 25+, I'd have to assume Jordan again. But women under 25? Teen girls of today? Not to mention, there are more women in the world then men. Always have been. They live longer as well. So what do you think, MJ being an icon and so well known for basketball or Beckham being such a big celebrity even in States. I'm curious, who you think it is?[/QUOTE]

You don't know what you're talking about. Jordan is one of the most famous people in the history of the world. There are many writings on this, why don't you do some research on it? Beckham is very famous, that's for sure but he is not, nor has he ever been on the level Michael Jordan reached. Only two, maybe three other people in entertainment ever have been. That's Muhammed Ali, Michael Jackson and probably Pele.

This isn't opinion, it's fact.

Those writings are possibly from when, 1998? 1996? 1993? Way before the internet? Way before internet became a norm? When mentioning Michael Jackson in a positive context was actually going on?
You cannot begin to believe how many things have changed since. I mean you can..but go back to 1998. Only techies were using internet I believe. Now every family in every corner of the world is. What does internet have to do with this? Well, a lot. The 3 people you listed, it just sounds very outdated. Sure, those are big icons, always will be, but it sounds outdated.
Beckham has reached such an amazing level of fame in this age, when informations travel so fast, when the world is more global then ever so as big as Jordan was, Beckham is bigger now than he's ever been, yeah...and not only then, Beckham's age surely made that a lot more possible for him.
And I'm pretty sure there have got to be more popular persons than Ali, Jordan, Jackson. Ali is an American icon and although wide known, I'd be surprised if he had so much recognition around the world. And yes, I know he boxed in Africa. It just that mainstream world isn't really in the know of those things and a lot of people are too young. Times change. Jackson? Sure. Jordan? Sure. Just doubt they're topping the list. I'd say it's the likes of Beckham and Madonna. Hell, maybe even Britney lol. Brad and Angelina. And so on.

[QUOTE]Blaze, you're wrong about this subject. I've lived and travelled extensively overseas, and am also very familiar with Jordan's career. The three most famous people in this history of the world are:

Muhammed Ali
Michael Jackson
Michael Jordan

In no particular order. There have been studies done on this issue, etc. etc. Jordan was MOBBED in China like two years ago. This is 10 years after he retired from the Bulls.

I think that being in the US, you really don't have a true grasp on the extend of Jordan's worldwide fame. He wasn't just another very famous athlete, he reached the pinnacle of the famous elite, and I'm talking about on a historic scale.[/QUOTE]

I just dont see it. The Joe comparison I mean. Everyone I read or hear about it suggests that at his peak Joe Louis was part of the biggest event in America. The most talked about major thing happening...period. Sports or not. America vs Hitler. Saw an HBO documentary on the fight with old people mentioning that every single house with a radio had 40-50 people in it for the fight. Roads shut down so people could play the fight out their windows and people could stand in the streets and watch. I dont think Jordan has ever done anything that relevant to all of America.

As I said worldwide he gets the edge due to technology but in America I gotta think Joe was bigger at his peak.

And really...just as many people who have been all over the world say Beckham. Why should I assume you know more of it than they do? Im not saying I know either way....but just as many who go all over disagree with you. Its insane how big soccer is. I know Jordan had to tell people not to bow to him when he went to China and all...but Beckham sold 250 million La Galaxy jerseys before he played a game. Who the **** are the LA galaxy to be selling 250 million of ANYTHING?

Soccer has a power in the world basketball just cant touch. David Beckham at times has been in games viewed by more than half a billion people at the very least. Hes been the face(justified or not) of the biggest sport the world has ever known.

I love MJ but I cant see anything hes done getting his face in front of 600 million people at once. Over the years Beckham has probably been on over a billion TVs.....a 6th of the world may well have seen him. Gatorade and Nike is big...but 1 out of every 6 people on this earth have been tuned in to soccer at one time. Considering how many people are little kids and people without access to tv.....he could well have been on half the televisions in all existance.

That is fame Spacejam doesnt get you.

Im not saying MJ gets blown away. But I just think its gotta at least be pretty close.

I wouldnt be suprised if almost as many people knew Beckham and MJ as know of Jesus.

How do you do that thing online that measures the popularity and search engine demands of some people?
Well anyhow, I know this is likely basic but..

Just putting their name in Google, I get 16.000.000 results for Beckham, 13.600.000 for Jordan which is a pretty wide margin. Especially I guess since there's only one Beckham and Jordan can also stand for Eddie Jordan for example who is huge himself, the F1 guy, not the Wizards coach, not to mention there actually is a country called Jordan and so on so I guess it's even more lopsided than what the results show.
Oh yeah, also considering that Jordan is better known in parts of the world where internet is more used and accessible while Beckham is better know there as well but the difference is, he is much more known in parts of the world where internet still isn't used as much. Not close.

[QUOTE=Emile]Those writings are possibly from when, 1998? 1996? 1993? Way before the internet? Way before internet became a norm? When mentioning Michael Jackson in a positive context was actually going on?
You cannot begin to believe how many things have changed since. I mean you can..but go back to 1998. Only techies were using internet I believe. Now every family in every corner of the world is. What does internet have to do with this? Well, a lot. The 3 people you listed, it just sounds very outdated. Sure, those are big icons, always will be, but it sounds outdated.
Beckham has reached such an amazing level of fame in this age, when informations travel so fast, when the world is more global then ever so as big as Jordan was, Beckham is bigger now than he's ever been, yeah...and not only then, Beckham's age surely made that a lot more possible for him.
And I'm pretty sure there have got to be more popular persons than Ali, Jordan, Jackson. Ali is an American icon and although wide known, I'd be surprised if he had so much recognition around the world. And yes, I know he boxed in Africa. It just that mainstream world isn't really in the know of those things and a lot of people are too young. Times change. Jackson? Sure. Jordan? Sure. Just doubt they're topping the list. I'd say it's the likes of Beckham and Madonna. Hell, maybe even Britney lol. Brad and Angelina. And so on.[/QUOTE]

No, you're wrong. The article I posted part from on the other page was from 2003. I think the Internet was around then. Again, Jordan has been written about as one of the most famous people in history. I dont' really think you fully grasp what that means, or how far his reach was. You don't still get mobbed in China almost 10 years after you retired from your main team unless you have an incredible amount of fame. Read the story about how they had to practically shut the city down when he came there. Again, Beckham is a famous person. Very famous. Extremely famous. But the Jordan phenomenon was just much greater.

[QUOTE=Emile]How do you do that thing online that measures the popularity and search engine demands of some people?
Well anyhow, I know this is likely basic but..

Just putting their name in Google, I get 16.000.000 results for Beckham, 13.600.000 for Jordan which is a pretty wide margin. Especially I guess since there's only one Beckham and Jordan can also stand for Eddie Jordan for example who is huge himself, the F1 guy, not the Wizards coach, not to mention there actually is a country called Jordan and so on so I guess it's even more lopsided than what the results show.[/QUOTE]

Just stop it. This would assume that everyone in the world has the Internet, and that every person who knows who Jordan is does google searches. You can't measure his fame by google hits. But the fact that he still gets that many, despite the fact that Beckham is in the height of his fame, while Jordan retired 10 years ago should tell you something, though it probably won't.

[quote=Emile]
Just putting their name in Google, I get 16.000.000 results for Beckham, 13.600.000 for Jordan which is a pretty wide margin.[/quote]

Google results using just their name:

[SIZE=-1]Results [B]1[/B] - [B]10[/B] of about [B]47,200,000[/B] for [B]beckham[/B]. ([B]0.18[/B] seconds)
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Results [B]1[/B] - [B]10[/B] of about [B]247,000,000[/B] for [B]jordan [/B][[URL="http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&oi=dict&q=http://www.answers.com/jordan%26r%3D67&usg=AFQjCNGXzjWP4FGnbPa_KHb2G_HxNh4OGA"]definition[/URL]]. ([B]0.24[/B] seconds)

lol.
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=LJJ]Google results using just their name:

[SIZE=-1]Results [B]1[/B] - [B]10[/B] of about [B]47,200,000[/B] for [B]beckham[/B]. ([B]0.18[/B] seconds)
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Results [B]1[/B] - [B]10[/B] of about [B]247,000,000[/B] for [B]jordan [/B][[URL="http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&oi=dict&q=http://www.answers.com/jordan%26r%3D67&usg=AFQjCNGXzjWP4FGnbPa_KHb2G_HxNh4OGA"]definition[/URL]]. ([B]0.24[/B] seconds)

lol.
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE][/QUOTE]


:roll: :roll: :roll:

Might wanna check that definition link in your post. Tells an interesting story.

[QUOTE]Jor

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]Just stop it. This would assume that everyone in the world has the Internet, and that every person who knows who Jordan is does google searches. You can't measure his fame by google hits. But the fact that he still gets that many, despite the fact that Beckham is in the height of his fame, while Jordan retired 10 years ago should tell you something, though it probably won't.[/QUOTE]

Well, those who don't have the internet are far, far more likely to know about Beckham since you"ll likely find far more people in the 3rd world countries knowing about Beckham. I mean, I bet that many people in Brazil and other parts of South America don't have the internet. Who are they more likely to know? Beckham. Arabic people? The same.
Yet Beckham blows Jordan away even on the internet. And no, Beckham isn't at the height of his fame, he's playing soccer in America for God's sakes. That's like a famous basketball player, say Kobe coming to play basketball in Saudi Arabia. I mean, USA is basically the only country where soccer isn't popular. Beckham is much bigger than Jordan, sorry.
But see, he still is big, his fame still is overwhelming because of his celebrity status. Not just iconic soccer status. He doesn't have that. He doesn't need it. He's much bigger. So even in the USA, where the sport of soccer has very little following, he's still HUGE, because it's David Beckham who's there, not the sport of soccer. No one cares for the sport. Everybody cares about Beckham, from all walks on entertainment, from all areas of it. Imagine how a player can be so big in a country that doesn't care about his sport one bit, never did, but he's still the biggest thing going on there? Beckham > Jordan. End.

[QUOTE=Emile]No, it's football. It's only known in the USA as soccer. It's football. WTH do helmets and pads, even if they're worn on sundays have to do with the name football, something that would indicate a freaking game being played with geez....I dunno...foot? and a ball?[/QUOTE]

i realize that its called football elsewhere. my point is that its a crappy sport. the only good sport thats called football is american football. soccer is boring and lame.

[QUOTE=gotbacon23]i realize that its called football elsewhere. my point is that its a crappy sport. the only good sport thats called football is american football. soccer is boring and lame.[/QUOTE]

One man's opinion against a huge majority? Take a seat, son. We will never welcome the day when American football overtakes soccer or comes close. But you're entitled to your own opinion, of course. You just need to know that you're speaking for yourself only when you talk like that and it's impossible for that to be backed up by any analysis, research or anything else.

[QUOTE=Emile]Well, those who don't have the internet are far, far more likely to know about Beckham since you"ll likely find far more people in the 3rd world countries knowing about Beckham. I mean, I bet that many people in Brazil and other parts of South America don't have the internet. Who are they more likely to know? Beckham. Arabic people? The same.
Yet Beckham blows Jordan away even on the internet. And no, Beckham isn't at the height of his fame, he's playing soccer in America for God's sakes. That's like a famous basketball player, say Kobe coming to play basketball in Saudi Arabia. I mean, USA is basically the only country where soccer isn't popular. Beckham is much bigger than Jordan, sorry.
But see, he still is big, his fame still is overwhelming because of his celebrity status. Not just iconic soccer status. He doesn't have that. He doesn't need it. He's much bigger. So even in the USA, where the sport of soccer has very little following, he's still HUGE, because it's David Beckham who's there, not the sport of soccer. No one cares for the sport. Everybody cares about Beckham, from all walks on entertainment, from all areas of it. Imagine how a player can be so big in a country that doesn't care about his sport one bit, never did, but he's still the biggest thing going on there? Beckham > Jordan. End.[/QUOTE]

Look, being long winded doesn't = saying something intelligent.

first of all, is Beckham TEN YEARS past RETIREMENT, or is he still playing? Michael Jordan still has that many google hits WELL past his retirement.

Secondly, I've travelled EXTENSIVELY in the middle east, and have known quite a few Arabs, and I can tell you that his fame was just as big in the middle east as anywhere else in the world.

As for the US, give me a break. Most of Beckhams' fame comes from the media hype of him, not because the average American gives a shyt about soccer or watches his games. Please.

[QUOTE=Emile]One man's opinion against a huge majority? Take a seat, son. We will never welcome the day when American football overtakes soccer or comes close. But you're entitled to your own opinion, of course. You just need to know that you're speaking for yourself only when you talk like that and it's impossible for that to be backed up by any analysis, research or anything else.[/QUOTE]

i agree with that. in MY opinion its boring. but i dont care what the masses say. Lots of people read the bible. Its the most read book ever, but that doesn't mean its not a boring book cause it is. its hard for football to go global because its a sport that takes a lot of money to play. thats the appeal of sports like bball and soccer (excuse me, football), worldwide as opposed to american football. all you need is a ball and a field, or a ball and a hoop, so people of all incomes can play.

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl][QUOTE]Look, being long winded doesn't = saying something intelligent. [/QUOTE]

Yes it actually does because there's no way you can argue any of those points.

[QUOTE]first of all, is Beckham TEN YEARS past RETIREMENT, or is he still playing? Michael Jordan still has that many google hits WELL past his retirement.
[/QUOTE]

Technically, Jordan is 5 years past retirement. He's big, no doubt. Not arguing that. But 2 million and 400 internet results more speak more than anything I can say. And of course, soccer being so much popular in parts of the world that aren't technologically up to date makes that even more lopsided. And oh yeah, Beckham isn't at the height of his fame either.


[QUOTE]Secondly, I've travelled EXTENSIVELY in the middle east, and have known quite a few Arabs, and I can tell you that his fame was just as big in the middle east as anywhere else in the world.[/QUOTE]

So what, we"ll take your opinion based on speaking to 10 people about only one of them, that being Jordan over the general statistics of how popular soccer and basketball are in those parts of the world and who naturally people are more likely to know, that of course being Beckham? Not to mention, the people you spoke to probably spoke English and I suppose in way represented the majority? Yeah...

[QUOTE]As for the US, give me a break. Most of Beckhams' fame comes from the media hype of him, not because the average American gives a shyt about soccer or watches his games. Please.[/QUOTE]


Duh, that's the point. No one gives a **** about soccer. Doesn't affect Beckham's popularity. Still is enormous. Why? Because he's David freaking Beckham and everybody care about him. If there's so much media hype as you say and there is, even more in fact, isn't there a high demand as well? Beckham isn't popular for being a great soccer player. He's mainstream popular for everything. He's a celebrity. An entertainment juggernaut. All of it. Even in the USA.

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]Most of Beckhams' fame comes from the media hype of him, not because the average American gives a shyt about soccer or watches his games. Please.[/QUOTE]

it's still the fame, one way or the other.

in fact that's the biggest reason beckham is much more famous than many players who are higher on the GOAT list. he goes far beyond football. he's the half of the second most famous celebrity couple in the world. he is sex and fashion icon. he's famous for sake of being famous, just like paris hilton. and the important difference is - he appeals to women more than any athlete ever. and women consist more than half of the world.

that's the reason he is probably more famous than football GOATs like pele, maradona, ronaldo, zizou and so on. and i definitely think, more than jordan too. jordan transcended the basketball and took it to the different level - but he still can't compete with the world cup or champions league finals.

[QUOTE=yobore]Are these based on fact because I'm surprised to see Hitler and no Stalin. I have met a Vietnamese man who didn't know of Hitler I was kind of surprised but then if a country doesn't have do much world history and the kids don't go to school it doesn't surprise me. Because the regions they influenced I wouldn't surprised if Stalin is more famous than Hitler. SE Asia and the istans didn't have any contact with Hitler and poorer countries typically don't have as much attention to world history.

I also really doubt Mohammad Ali is that well known don't know what kind of study that was.[/QUOTE]

Mohammad Ali is not famous at all however Muhammad Ali is still one of the most recogonizable faces in the world and at his apex was far more well known around the globe than Michael Jordan ever was, it's not even close

One thing people are overlooking when they cite the Air Jordan brand as evidence that MJ is more globally known is that many people wearing the Jordan brand now have no idea who Michael Jordan even is. It is its own standalone sports fashion label. Kind of like Polo. Few people could pick Ralph Lauren out of a crowd on the sidewalk, but his name is everywhere w/ Polo Ralph Lauren. Lacoste/Izod lost favor in the US, but it's still big in the rest of the world. 1 in 100 people who wear Lacoste clothing are aware that a French tennis player named Rene Lacoste is the man behind the brand. Jordan is entering that kind of territory. You don't see Michael Jordan popping up in non-North American news articles anymore because he is not as relevant to today's news. The media is searching for the lowest common denominator, so a Chinese or Japanese, or Indian, or French media outlet does not care where he ate dinner. He's no longer an entertainer, but only a business man.

Many of you will not believe this because this is a North American web site and Beckham's awareness and popularity is lower in N America than anywhere else in the world, while Jordan's is higher here than anywhere else in the world. The fact that this argument is still close in a basketball message board from the US should tell you something: it's Beckham and it's not even close.

[QUOTE=Sharas]it's still the fame, one way or the other.

in fact that's the biggest reason beckham is much more famous than many players who are higher on the GOAT list. he goes far beyond football. he's the half of the second most famous celebrity couple in the world. he is sex and fashion icon. he's famous for sake of being famous, just like paris hilton. and the important difference is - he appeals to women more than any athlete ever. and women consist more than half of the world.

that's the reason he is probably more famous than football GOATs like pele, maradona, ronaldo, zizou and so on. and i definitely think, more than jordan too. jordan transcended the basketball and took it to the different level - but he still can't compete with the world cup or champions league finals.[/QUOTE]


id actually say its easier to become famous today then it was when jordan was at his peak. no disrespect to beckham, but it is a lot easier for him. i mean think of all the people that are popular that have accomplished absolutely NOTHING... the people on the hills, paris hilton, the karasidian wh0res, brooke hogan, anyone on american idol etc, etc etc. now i am not comparing beckham to those people. ill admit, i now jack crap about soccer. i know he has accomplished a lot. but his accomplishments came in a time where people with NO accomplishments can become famous. im sure he would be famous regardless, very famous even, but its hard to compare when jordans peak ended in 1998 when the world of internet blogging, message boards, etc, etc didnt exist. even then jordan was widely popular.

[QUOTE=Kblaze8855]When I really think about it...is Jordan more famous in his time than Joe Louis in his? In America that is. technology gives more worldwide access to modern guys but hearing about Joe makes me think he may have been bigger here. As popular as Jordan was you wont have damn near all of america sit down to watch/listen(as the case may be at the time) to his games. I dont think anyone modern can approach the level of interest over the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling fight. Hearing about the level of interest....entire towns meeting in one place with dozens of radios so everyone could hear? Nationwide parties after Joe won? Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, and guys like that were probably as big as Jordan for the people who had access to them.[/QUOTE]

When Joe Louis fought, the United States came to a stand still, families all around the country, black, white-whatever were glued around the radio, if they didn't have one they went to the neighbors who did. There were crowds of people listening to the radio on the streets-in front of stores, in bars-wherever listening to the fight, there is no comparison. It was not a boxing or sporting event, it was a national "holiday" for those few hours.

[QUOTE=Chicago76]One thing people are overlooking when they cite the Air Jordan brand as evidence that MJ is more globally known is that many people wearing the Jordan brand now have no idea who Michael Jordan even is. It is its own standalone sports fashion label. Kind of like Polo. Few people could pick Ralph Lauren out of a crowd on the sidewalk, but his name is everywhere w/ Polo Ralph Lauren. Lacoste/Izod lost favor in the US, but it's still big in the rest of the world. 1 in 100 people who wear Lacoste clothing are aware that a French tennis player named Rene Lacoste is the man behind the brand. Jordan is entering that kind of territory. You don't see Michael Jordan popping up in non-North American news articles anymore because he is not as relevant to today's news. The media is searching for the lowest common denominator, so a Chinese or Japanese, or Indian, or French media outlet does not care where he ate dinner. He's no longer an entertainer, but only a business man.

Many of you will not believe this because this is a North American web site and Beckham's awareness and popularity is lower in N America than anywhere else in the world, while Jordan's is higher here than anywhere else in the world. The fact that this argument is still close in a basketball message board from the US should tell you something: [B] it's Beckham and it's not even close[/B].[/QUOTE]

:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

I can't imagine David Beckham being more popular than Michael Jordan. No one here know for sure, of course, but I would think Pele, Maradona or even Ronaldo is currently more famous than Beckham. This is due to England never winning the world cup in Beckham's era. He would be far more popular if they did.

Anyways, the other MJ and is more popular than both Jordan and Beckham. Also, Mike Tyson is currently more famous than Muhammad Ali :D

[QUOTE=gotbacon23][B]id actually say its easier to become famous today then it was when jordan was at his peak[/B]. no disrespect to beckham, but it is a lot easier for him. i mean think of all the people that are popular that have accomplished absolutely NOTHING... the people on the hills, paris hilton, the karasidian wh0res, brooke hogan, anyone on american idol etc, etc etc. now i am not comparing beckham to those people. ill admit, i now jack crap about soccer. i know he has accomplished a lot. but his accomplishments came in a time where people with NO accomplishments can become famous. im sure he would be famous regardless, very famous even, but its hard to compare when jordans peak ended in 1998 when the world of internet blogging, message boards, etc, etc didnt exist. even then jordan was widely popular.[/QUOTE]

OK, i'd say that's definitely true, i think some people even already mentioned that on the pages before. the hype machine is getting stronger by the day, and beckham benefited from it like very few others. that's basically what allowed him to venture so successfully into non-sport areas of life and become basically more famous that GOATs of the football. (while he was top 3-5 in the world for a few years, some people even proclaimed him #1 for a time, although i myself don't think so, he definitely isn't in GOATs discussions)

[QUOTE]Yes it actually does because there's no way you can argue any of those points. [/QUOTE]

Then why am I doing so?

[QUOTE]Technically, Jordan is 5 years past retirement. He's big, no doubt. Not arguing that. But 2 million and 400 internet results more speak more than anything I can say. And of course, soccer being so much popular in parts of the world that aren't technologically up to date makes that even more lopsided. And oh yeah, Beckham isn't at the height of his fame either. [/QUOTE]

First of all, he's 10 years past retirement at the height of his fame. BECKHAM IS STILL PLAYING, AND IS AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS FAME. Yet he doesn't trail Jordan all that considerably, all things considered.

But anyway, I already explained why you can't use Google hits as an indicator since it doesn't take into account those that don't have the Internet, nor those that know Jordan but don't do google hits on him.

Even so, the difference in hits considering the stages in their careers actually helps my argument more than it does yours.


[QUOTE]So what, we"ll take your opinion based on speaking to 10 people about only one of them, that being Jordan over the general statistics of how popular soccer and basketball are in those parts of the world and who naturally people are more likely to know, that of course being Beckham? Not to mention, the people you spoke to probably spoke English and I suppose in way represented the majority? Yeah...[/QUOTE]

The point, my intellectually challenged friend, is that I have been in the Arab world, know Arabs and your suggestion that his fame is diminished there is patently false. But since you have travelled there extensively and know about the culture, why don't you tell me all about it?

[QUOTE]Duh, that's the point. No one gives a **** about soccer. Doesn't affect Beckham's popularity. Still is enormous. Why? Because he's David freaking Beckham and everybody care about him. If there's so much media hype as you say and there is, even more in fact, isn't there a high demand as well? Beckham isn't popular for being a great soccer player. He's mainstream popular for everything. He's a celebrity. An entertainment juggernaut. All of it. Even in the USA[/QUOTE]

First of all, Jordan's popularity and fame far trancended basketball. How else do you think he became one of the most famous people in history, and at one time the most famous person in the world by playing a sport that is NOT the biggest in the world? THINK. That says something right there.

Your problem is that you're talking based on what you THINK, rather than what actually IS.

LOL, I'm going to post this on a soccer board, just flat out do a V Unit and copy paste the whole OP. Let's see what they say.

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]Then why am I doing so?



First of all, he's 10 years past retirement at the height of his fame. BECKHAM IS STILL PLAYING, AND IS AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS FAME. Yet he doesn't trail Jordan all that considerably, all things considered.

But anyway, I already explained why you can't use Google hits as an indicator since it doesn't take into account those that don't have the Internet, nor those that know Jordan but don't do google hits on him.

Even so, the difference in hits considering the stages in their careers actually helps my argument more than it does yours.




The point, my intellectually challenged friend, is that I have been in the Arab world, know Arabs and your suggestion that his fame is diminished there is patently false. But since you have travelled there extensively and know about the culture, why don't you tell me all about it?



First of all, Jordan's popularity and fame far trancended basketball. How else do you think he became one of the most famous people in history, and at one time the most famous person in the world by playing a sport that is NOT the biggest in the world? THINK. That says something right there.
[B]
Your problem is that you're talking based on what you THINK, rather than what actually IS.[/B][/QUOTE]

Amazing. :roll:
So why don't you actually explain the part where you say that google doesn't take into account people that don't use internet, which is true but why don't you explain the part that those folks are so much more likely to know Beckham that it's not even funny? And lol, doesn't take into account those who have internet but don't search for Jordan? LOL, there are only those who know Jordan but don't search for him? So I guess it's no other way around, everyone who knows Beckham search for him, right? Hilarious.

And why the hell would I talk about what I know about Arab world, that would in fact be me, doing what you said I do, say what I know and not what it is. So yeah, since that is blatantly incorrect I won't do that...my intellectually challenged friend. What I do know however that soccer, just like most the world is the most popular sport there while basketball really isn't big. That I know. That is.

So keep ignoring everything, keep ignoring google that shows the overwhelming difference of 2.5 million more results for Beckham, keep ignoring the size of soccer audience, keep ignoring the internetless part of the world favoring Beckham in this debate, keep ignoring the appeal to women, keep ignoring the mainstream recognition, the ratings of world cup, champions league compared to that of the NBA and so on. It isn't close. Deal with it. Beckham > Jordan. Regardless of what you want to think is true and defy any common sense and every other proof put in front of you to make it look as it's true.

I can't believe this is still being discussed. MJ was the most popular athlete in the world to a level that has never been matched, certainly not by Beckham, who isn't really more popular than many players of his own era like Ronaldinho, Zidane, and the Ronaldos. I think the thing is when people say "the world" means UK and Western Europe (though in most of Europe Zidane and Ronaldo was/are as or more popular). In fact the world includes other places like Asia and Africa, where generally, even in countries where soccer dominates, MJ is much more well known and popular than Beckham.

I will settle this once and for all with one question.

what was a better movie: space jam or bend it like beckham?

these debates can be resolved so simply.

And one more thing since I"ll know you"ll bring up "Jordan was at the top of his fame in 98". Beckham practically retired from soccer as well. I mean, playing in America, not playing for his national team, it's as if he's retired. I mean, it's like Scottie Pippen playing in Sweden. What's his status? Retired. It's like it doesn't matter that he's playing.
But thats just the thing. Beckham doesn't need to play, be in his prime or whatever. He's famous and known for reasons beyond that. So being practically retired, he's still one of the hottest celebrities. How's that? You rarely see or hear about Jordan, other than America, even more so. Beckham? All around the world aya ya ya... Even if he still isn't relevant to the soccer world. That's one of many differences in favor of David Beckham over Michael Jordan.

[QUOTE=gotbacon23]I will settle this once and for all with one question.

what was a better movie: space jam or bend it like beckham?

these debates can be resolved so simply.[/QUOTE]

Beckham still didn't really have a movie. If some day he does, most say he's eying Hollywood, of course it"ll be bigger and more publicized than anything Jordan's ever done in that venture because Beckham is so much bigger as far as entertainment goes. That of course being the USA, we're talking about, the place where MJ's bigger than everywhere else and soccer smaller than anywhere else. Well, Becks still trumps MJ, of course.

[QUOTE=Emile]And one more thing since I"ll know you"ll bring up "Jordan was at the top of his fame in 98". Beckham practically retired from soccer as well. I mean, playing in America, not playing for his national team, it's as if he's retired. I mean, it's like Scottie Pippen playing in Sweden. What's his status? Retired. It's like it doesn't matter that he's playing.
But thats just the thing. Beckham doesn't need to play, be in his prime or whatever. He's famous and known for reasons beyond that. So being practically retired, he's still one of the hottest celebrities. How's that? You rarely see or hear about Jordan, other than America, even more so. Beckham? All around the world aya ya ya... Even if he still isn't relevant to the soccer world. [b]That's one of many differences in favor of David Beckham over Michael Jordan.[/b][/QUOTE]it's still not enough sorry. There is a whole lot more world out there than the USA and UK. And MJ way more popular in the USA, and most other places as well. You can break it down all you want but picking random people from around the world and ask them who is the more popular athlete you will always get MJ.

[QUOTE=yobore]I think the thing is when people say "the world" means UK and Western Europe (though in most of Europe Zidane and Ronaldo was/are as or more popular). In fact the world includes the continents of Asia and Africa, where generally, even in countries where soccer dominates, MJ is much more well known and popular than Beckham.[/QUOTE]

you're kidding yourself. just compare the part of the world that watches world cup and champions league and the part that watches NBA, and you need nothing more. that last sentence is right out of your ass.
basketball in africa, especially compared to football? you got to be joking. not to mention latin america.

[QUOTE=Emile]Beckham still didn't really have a movie. If some day he does, most say he's eying Hollywood, of course it"ll be bigger and more publicized than anything Jordan's ever done in that venture because Beckham is so much bigger as far as entertainment goes. That of course being the USA, we're talking about, the place where MJ's bigger than everywhere else and soccer smaller than anywhere else. Well, Becks still trumps MJ, of course.[/QUOTE]

it was just a joke anyway.

[QUOTE=yobore]it's still not enough sorry. There is a whole lot more world out there than the USA and UK. And MJ way more popular in the USA, and most other places as well. You can break it down all you want but picking random people from around the world and ask them who is the more popular athlete you will always get MJ.[/QUOTE]

:oldlol:

[QUOTE=Sharas]you're kidding yourself. just compare the part of the world that watches world cup and champions league and the part that watches NBA, and you need nothing more. that last sentence is right out of your ass.
basketball in africa, especially compared to football? you got to be joking. not to mention latin america.[/QUOTE]
lol I am not talking about basketball in africa compared to football in africa. I am talking about MJ vs. Beckham. It is not close. Beckham may be popular in Europe but he is not a super-international-phenom like Jordan. He has never dominated soccer. He does get some boost from his celebrity status and the women vote, but really this is not a fair competition. MJ is by far more popular. Most african countries dont even have basketball but people know who MJ is.

[QUOTE=yobore]lol I am not talking about basketball in africa compared to football in africa. I am talking about MJ vs. Beckham. It is not close. Beckham may be popular in Europe but he is not a super-international-phenom like Jordan. He has never dominated soccer. He does get some boost from his celebrity status and the women vote, but really this is not a fair competition. MJ is by far more popular. Most african countries dont even have basketball but people know who MJ is.[/QUOTE]

sorry, that's not "some boost". beckham is a global sex and fashion symbol. he is a regular in every celebrity gossip magazine. he appeals to women in a way no athlete has ever appeared before. him never being a dominant on court player has nothing to do with it. he has reached paris hilton status now, famous for being famous. he transcended the sports themselves and became an worldwide icon in many other ways.

[QUOTE=Sharas]sorry, that's not "some boost". beckham is a global sex and fashion symbol. he is a regular in every celebrity gossip magazine. he appeals to women in a way no athlete has ever appeared before. him never being a dominant on court player has nothing to do with it. he has reached paris hilton status now, famous for being famous. he transcended the sports themselves and became an worldwide icon in many other ways.[/QUOTE]
The tabloid boost is good in the USA and Europe. But it doesn't happen everywhere in the world.

beckham receive one red card is bigger deal than jordan win 6 championship,or anything he has done,that's the fact

More people know Beckham. You can go into the most ghetto area of thailand or Congo and people know who he is.

Only the rich countries know who Jordan is. Most based off his name. They don't actually know who he is, just his brand of clothes and shoes.