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

[QUOTE]The game is to answer the question, Who will be the best known person of the 20th century in 5000 years? It's somewhat like asking who will win the Super Bowl in 2050, but better. The famous person question relies on principles that are probably pretty constant over time. The principles that make someone famous today probably made them famous 5000 years ago and will do so 5000 years from now. The object of the game is to figure out what those principles are and, to answer this particular question, who will benefit from them most.

Today the most famous person from the 20th century is probably Hitler, Pele, Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali. Their name recognition is above 90% around the globe. But in the year 7003 no more than a fraction of a percentile will know who these athletes were, and there will probably be many more horrific and brutal people to dilute Hitler's infamy. (I'm not confident we'll be able to keep powerful weapons out of the hands of evil men forever -- especially not for 5000 years. The man responsible for leveling London will be famous for a long, long time.) Hitler's fame also rests largely on the fact that he's not truly history yet -- so many people now living witnessed him and his horrors. That living link gives him salience that will erode over the next thousand years. And as soon as there's a more resonant placeholder for the proposition that evil really does exist in the world, Hitler's role in the popular imagination will wither away.

It's possible that the winner is a sleeper -- someone who's scarcely above the noise now. The fame of Muhammad and Van Gogh has grown exponentially over time. Who knows, maybe Glenn Reynolds's star is just rising.

My best answer for the question is a person who today might be known by 50% of the world. Maybe a lot more or a lot less. I'm sure he's not known by 98%, like Muhammad Ali supposedly is, but he's not a dark horse, either. But in 5000 years I suspect he'll still be known by a significant number of people, and he'll certainly be better known than Einstein, Churchill, FDR, Pope John Paul II or any living athlete or entertainer. [/QUOTE]

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[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]As I said, not only have I lived and travelled extensively abroad, but I have also read about Jordan and his international fame. At one time, in the mid 90s he was described as the most famous person in the world.

Oh, and I would wager that if he went to South America, Europe or wherever he would still get mobbed there as well.

The fact is that he is one of the most famous people in history, and at the height of his fame easily more famous than Beckham.

Like I said, the only two people that approach him at the height of his fame are Michael Jackson and Muhammed Ali. Tiger may come close, and Madonna but that's it.[/QUOTE]

Beckham doesn't get mobbed?:roll:

Unless you provide me with the Word document that you typed up in highschool, we're going to have to agree to disagree. I think you are definitely underestimating the Beckham hype machine around the world.

[QUOTE=Hawker]Of course everyone here is going to pick Jordan and those that did are incredibly biased.

It's David Beckham and it isnt even close.[/QUOTE]

It's not biased,all you have to do is a read up on it and you'll find the simple answer is that Jordan was more popular at his height than Beckham.Even Ali probably was more known than Beckham

You guys must have seriously never left the country if you think there is any current athlete ever to have as much international popularity as Jordan, and Beckham?!? Sure most people would know his name but that doesn't make him anywhere near Jordan in terms of popularity. People are more likely to have been fans of Zidane outside of the USA, where soccer trumps tabloid marraiges. Whoever mentioned Tiger Woods as being almost as popular as Jordan internationally is crazy because most of the world doesn't care about golf. The most popular sports internationally are soccer and tennis, with basketball rising fast, and those are the sports where you can find names almost everyone knows. It's a testament to how insanely marketted Jordan was that he is known everywhere even before basketball became very popular in these places.

People everywhere have clothes that say Jordan on them. If you mention you're from North Carolina in China they all instantly bring up Michael Jordan, because that's in their middle school text books. Seriously there is no comparison esp. with Beckham.

That quote you just posted about who will be best known is wrong, Knoe.

History books revolve around leaders, not athletes.

I will be suprised if anyone knows Ali in 5000 years. Every scholar in 5000 years will know Hitler. Every religious scholar will know JPII.

[QUOTE=i seen hippos]That quote you just posted about who will be best known is wrong.

History books revolve around leaders, not athletes.

I will be suprised if anyone knows Ali in 5000 years. Every scholar in 5000 years will know Hitler. Every religious scholar will know JPII.[/QUOTE]

*sigh*

The point is that the most famous people in the 20th century were Hitler, Jordan, Pele Ali and I would say Michael Jackson.

Jordan is more famous than Beckham, you're just wrong.

that fact that this topic is being brought up even though michael jordan hasnt played in 5 years; and he hasnt played for the bulls when he was really well known for TEN years, shows you how its no debate. honestly, i dont even know what david beckham looks like.

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]*sigh*

The point is that the most famous people in the 20th century were Hitler, Jordan, Pele Ali and I would say Michael Jackson.

Jordan is more famous than Beckham, you're just wrong.[/QUOTE]

Right now they might be in the top 10, but you quoted something that specifically said 5000 years from now. Read your quotes before posting them please.

Nobody will know Jordon or Ali in 5000 years.

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]*sigh*

The point is that the most famous people in the 20th century were Hitler, Jordan, Pele Ali and I would say Michael Jackson.

Jordan is more famous than Beckham, you're just wrong.[/QUOTE]
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.

The only reason for Becks' popularity is that soccer is bigger than basketball worldwide, and he haven't done anything much for soccer other than being popular. Beckham is still an extremely skilled footballer though.

[url]http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=david+beckham&word2=michael+jordan[/url]

[QUOTE=Knoe Itawl]*sigh*

The point is that the most famous people in the 20th century were Hitler, Jordan, Pele Ali and I would say Michael Jackson.

Jordan is more famous than Beckham, you're just wrong.[/QUOTE]

The thread is 'popular' not 'famous'. Jordan is more famous than Beckham, but I don't think he's that much popular. Think about popularity, look, every fan of the NBA knows who is Kobe Bryant, this means he is famous among NBA fans. This DOES NOT mean he is popular among NBA fans. There is the slight but crucial difference.

As for Pele? He is famous, no doubt, but I remember posting in a football thread months ago about the greatest football players, and I posted pele as one of them, and some people asked 'Who's pele?" (it made me cringe, but I remembered I was on ISH).

And I think that article which you quoted from underestimated knowledge, people like Plato, Socrates, Homer, Pythagoras, Aristophanes, they lived 2000 years ago, but their names still live on. 50% of the population? Certainly not. But their fame still exists, however small. To a lesser extent, Chinese mythology documents kings up to 5000 years ago.

And the 90% figure, that people like Hitler, Ali etc are known to 90% to the people on the world, in fact, I refuse to believe it. You cannot tell me with a straight face that 6,037,830,090 people on this Earth (since 0.9 x 6,708,700,100) know who Hitler is. It is impossible.

[QUOTE=brantonli]The thread is 'popular' not 'famous'. Jordan is more famous than Beckham, but I don't think he's that much popular. Think about popularity, look, every fan of the NBA knows who is Kobe Bryant, this means he is famous among NBA fans. This DOES NOT mean he is popular among NBA fans. There is the slight but crucial difference.

As for Pele? He is famous, no doubt, but I remember posting in a football thread months ago about the greatest football players, and I posted pele as one of them, and some people asked 'Who's pele?" (it made me cringe, but I remembered I was on ISH).

And I think that article which you quoted from underestimated knowledge, people like Plato, Socrates, Homer, Pythagoras, Aristophanes, they lived 2000 years ago, but their names still live on. 50% of the population? Certainly not. But their fame still exists, however small. To a lesser extent, Chinese mythology documents kings up to 5000 years ago.

And the 90% figure, that people like Hitler, Ali etc are known to 90% to the people on the world, in fact, I refuse to believe it. You cannot tell me with a straight face that 6,037,830,090 people on this Earth (since 0.9 x 6,708,700,100) know who Hitler is. It is impossible.[/QUOTE]

At least someone defines popular as I do.:D

[QUOTE=brantonli]The thread is 'popular' not 'famous'. Jordan is more famous than Beckham, but I don't think he's that much popular.[/QUOTE] Definitely disagree there. Beckham is not in the same stratosphere of popularity. Well, maybe in the UK, but in the rest of the world it is Jordan in a landslide.

[QUOTE=yobore]Definitely disagree there. Beckham is not in the same stratosphere of popularity. Well, maybe in the UK, but in the rest of the world it is Jordan in a landslide.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, yeah I think I'll have to change my views (go flipflopping!) after thinking about it. Here in Hong Kong, football is probably more popular than basketball (even that's a hmmmm), but I think the reason why Jordan is more popular is because of the diversity in football. You've got Cristiano Ronaldo, fat Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rooney, Henry, Beckham, so many different clubs representing so many different sides of football. But for basketball, in general there Jordan and...uhh.....who?

The face of football is much more varied than the face of basketball. But then, there's the definition of popularity as well, somebody who supports a certain player, and I'm not sure even Jordan had nearly had much popularity as his fame. Nowadays, go to basketball courts, anywhere, and you see more people with jerseys like Bryant, Anthony, James, Wade, McGrady and it makes me wonder how much popularity does Jordan has. Of course, it helps Beckham that he's still playing.

This is making my head ache.....good night everybody.