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 The 3 people you listed, it just sounds very outdated. Sure, those are big icons, always will be, but it sounds outdated.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.