The biggest Sports Star in the World

eagle eye

Just a simple question really.

Who is the first person that you think of when you read the next line and why?

The most famous sports star in the world.

Austin 3:16

ALI! Probably ends the discussion really.

Diabhal Beag

Michael 'Bong' Phelps

premierstone

Current sports star? First one that springs to mind when I read the question is Tiger Woods

maverick09

Probably Beckham. Tiger has his own sport to completely dominate and take all the recognition and cash rewards but David Beckham would be recognised in virtually every country in the world.

acontadino

El Diego. Fed. Becks. Woods

eyebrows63

Austin 3:16 wrote: »

ALI! Probably ends the discussion really.

yea. i,d go for him too.

Kinetic^

Too many to name just 1.

Tiger Woods - Golf
Ronaldo/Beckham - Soccer
Lebron James - Basketball
Roger Federer - Tennis

Pangea

Shaq o Neill and David Beckham.

RHunce

Paul O Connell

the man is a legend

Iang87

Ronaldo - the real one not the overrated united one.
Tiger Woods
Pele
Ali

BolBill

RHunce wrote: »

Paul O Connell

the man is a legend

The question was "the world" not "Munster"

Munster fans .... :rolleyes:

Peyton Manning

Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and Lebron James are the biggest sports stars in America, in that order.

3 Dollar Bill

Iang87 wrote: »

Ronaldo - the real one not the overrated united one.

You can't seriously consider that overweight Brazilian up there with the best??

Xavi6

3 Dollar Bill wrote: »

You can't seriously consider that overweight Brazilian up there with the best??

Did you not see the hype when he came back the other week? Brazil went Ronaldo mad for the umpteenth time.

Still one of the most marketable sportsmen there is.

Mr. Presentable

Tiger Woods. He's the top in the only truly global popular sport

live2thewire

ribery

mike65

Current star globally? Has to be Tiger Woods which is damned weird given he plays golf. Then Beckham then possibly (don't shoot me) Lewis Hamilton. Stars of "domestic" American sport may be fantasticly famous in the USA and the best paid in the world but outside they have no fame at all.

Blazer

Tiger Woods..immediately his name came to mind..Beckham's only a manufactured sports star.

3 Dollar Bill

Phil Taylor....How may years has he been dominating Darts for??

Holsten

Pele or Ali.

Beckham too.

K4t

mike65 wrote: »

Current star globally? Has to be Tiger Woods which is damned weird given he plays golf.

Are you colour-blind?

Nadal/Federer together would have to be up there too.

I think Michael Schumacher is still better known than Hamilton.

Footballers - Ronaldinho, Beckham and C.Ronaldo are recognised all over the world.

Phelps is huge too after the olympics.

Woods is definitely the biggest sports star in the world imo though. Nobody else has dominated a main stream, global sport like he has done for the past decade or so.

chalad07

The question is whos's the biggest sports star in the world today, not the best.

Only one person stands out - David Beckham. Amongst sports fans he may not be the biggest, but in general he is. My mother would know who David Beckham is, she wouldnt have a clue who Tiger Woods is. I'm based here in the states, and Beckham gets as much coverage over here as Brady, A.Rod, LeBron or Tiger Woods. SO world wide it's got to be Becks,


Plus he's dreamy

yayamark

Michael Jordan
Robbie Fowler
Maurice Fitzgerald

3 Dollar Bill

yayamark wrote: »

Robbie Fowler??????
Maurice Fitzgerald?????

Obviously a Kerryman supporting Liverpool? Is GAA Global?

Snorting cocaine maybe Global but just because Robbie Fowler sniffs the white stuff, It doesn't make him a Global sportsstar.

ascanbe

mike65 wrote: »

Current star globally? Has to be Tiger Woods which is damned weird given he plays golf. Then Beckham then possibly (don't shoot me) Lewis Hamilton. [HTML]Stars of "domestic" American sport may be fantasticly famous in the USA and the best paid in the world but outside they have no fame at all.

[/HTML]

Not true in the case of basketball, which at this stage is not a 'domestic' american sport.
The likes of Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are hugely famous in much of Asia, Africa and Europe; Michael Jordan is regarded as a sporting god in most countries you could name.
Most famous athlete of all time would have to be Muhammad Ali as he would be a household name pretty much anywhere.

Ronaldinho/Beckham - only thing seperating them is the fact Beckham earns more per year.

Ronaldo "The Fat One" - What a disgrace that people call him the fat one, he has had a tough life and he may have brought some of it on himself (Trannies etc) but he is a hero in the sports world and the best player to have ever played football in my opinion. Ronaldinho is up there - both are far better than Ronaldo (united one) in my opinion regardless of how many he scores.

Racing Flat

Beckham.

Think of the person you know who least likes sport, and knows nothing at all about sport, the quiet girl in the corner at work for example. Name all of the people posted above, Beckham is the one they'll have heard of above all the others IMHO. Would that not make him the most famous? And he's a sports star...

Racing Flat you're thinking too small - think big.

Let me explain, what you said may be the case in Ireland.

Go to South America and it's a totally different ball game. Go to Spain and it's equally totally different.

Football is the worlds most popular sport (outside of North America - pfft Nascar)

Racing Flat

Deleted User wrote: »

Racing Flat you're thinking too small - think big.

Let me explain, what you said may be the case in Ireland.

Go to South America and it's a totally different ball game. Go to Spain and it's equally totally different.

Football is the worlds most popular sport (outside of North America - pfft Nascar)

I was in a backwater in Vietnam in 2001. I had a shaved head. And the kids used to run after me pointing at my hair and shouting 'Beckham, Beckham'...Also, he's famous for more than football, he's famous for being a celebrity. That's why I iamgine he's the most famous of all those mentioned above, all over the world. Everyone in Spain will have undoubtedly have heard of Beckham. Himself and Posh will often be on the cover of thier gossip magazines, not to mention all the football supporters who will have heard of him. Similarly in South America. I've worked in Brazil - there they are fascinated with the fascination elsewhere with Posh Spice, as women with small asses there hold no currency in the beauty stakes. So I imagine Beckham is also known and recognisable there.

I stand over it, I reckon Beckham will be the most recognisable name or face of any sports star all over the world at the moment.

Ronaldinho in my opinion.

inforfun

Michael Jordan.



Only human being who could fly a little.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

David Beckham IMO... Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Shaq O'Neil are noticed only by people who have some interest in their particular sport. Whereas Beckham has done so many television ads, on the papers at least once a week for something not related to soccer, hes married to one of the most popular women in the world.. And he's played in England, Spain, USA and now Italy.. which makes him a big name in all those countries, esp. USA because thet over-hype everything..

ascanbe

Racing Flat wrote: »

I was in a backwater in Vietnam in 2001. I had a shaved head. And the kids used to run after me pointing at my hair and shouting 'Beckham, Beckham'...Also, he's famous for more than football, he's famous for being a celebrity. That's why I iamgine he's the most famous of all those mentioned above, all over the world. Everyone in Spain will have undoubtedly have heard of Beckham. Himself and Posh will often be on the cover of thier gossip magazines, not to mention all the football supporters who will have heard of him. Similarly in South America. I've worked in Brazil - there they are fascinated with the fascination elsewhere with Posh Spice, as women with small asses there hold no currency in the beauty stakes. So I imagine Beckham is also known and recognisable there.

I stand over it, I reckon Beckham will be the most recognisable name or face of any sports star all over the world at the moment.

Still would be of the opinion that Michael Jordan and, especially, Muhammad Ali would be better known in larger tracts of the world. More importantly they're revered, so will still be hugely famous long after Beckham's star, which has far more to do with fleeting, vacuous celebrity than sporting prowess, has faded.
However, i do applaud you on managing to bring the attitudes of brazilian women towards ass size into the debate.

Epicurus

I'd go for Jack Nicklaus. The man is surely one of sports biggest stars. His record of 18 major victories is probably one of the few sporting records that wont ever be broken

andyman

Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Michael Jordan.

Yao Ming would have to be up there as well. He's adored all over Asia.