Topic #3, Group #1: Most Internationally Famous Athlete

[klunderbunker]

This thread is to be used by those in Group #1 (see the stickied thread for rosters if you're unsure of where you are). Any other posts in here will be flagged for spam and deleted. You have four days from the time this is posted to post (as in the time this is posted on Saturday, which is approximately when the new topic will go up. Note that I mean 96 hours after MY initial post, not the lead off debater.) your arguments, rebuttals and anything else you want. Best overall debater in that time period receives 10 points, second receives 9, third receives 8, all others receive 7.

Hitting Lead-Off in this debate is Tiger. He has 24 hours to reply and if he doesn't then it's open season.

Again: 4 days, best overall poster gets first place points.

Topic: Which athlete is the most famous on a global scale? This can be anyone throughout history and does not have to be current.

Scores will be posted as soon as the three judges give their scores.

Go.

 

[The People's Peep]

If you are looking for the most internationally known athlete, you have to remember what the most internationally played sport is: football/soccer. Thats why I think the most internationally famous athlete is David Beckham.

Outside of the U.S., Beckham gained his fame by being the young superb star playing for Manchester United, the team that has been called the most popular team in the world for many years now. After becoming one of the best players in the world at Man U, he transferred to another of the most popular teams in the world, Real Madrid. He continued to play at a high level, expanding his fame. He then took on the challenge of trying to jumpstart soccer in America by playing for the MLS team, Los Angeles Galaxy. He also played for the English National Team and has recently become the second most capped player in the history of the team and has captained the team more than anyone else. Clearly, his on the pitch accomplishments and talent made him one of the most famous players of the worlds most famous sport.

Some might say that Beckham is even more famous for his off the pitch activities. Of course, he is married to Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl (I'll save posting the video for "Wannabe" for another time), and the two of them make up one of the most known couples in the world. David Beckham has also appeared in movies such as the Goal series, and even has a movie referencing his famous name. He has an enormous amount of endorsements, including Pepsi, video games bearing his name, and modeling clothing for brands such as Calvin Klein.

With all of this, its hard to believe that any educated person in the world hasnt heard of David Beckham.

 

[I Suck Ass]

For me, the most internationally famous athlete would be Tiger Woods. Why? 2 reasons.

Reason 1: Golf. He has been the most dominant golf player in a long time. He has fallen off in recent years, but if you ask someone if they have heard of Tiger Woods, they will say yes. Golf has a worldwide presence, and Tiger is the face of golf. Any sports fan who watches ESPN or a similar network in their country gets golf updates. And who is always on the top of those updates? Tiger. Tiger is always in any golf discussion, and he will always be mentioned in any golf discussion.

Reason 2: Scandal. I know that this is kind of a cheap reason, but it's a reason none the less. When Tiger's scandal happened, it was the biggest story in a long time. People magazine covered it, Time covered it, CNN covered it, and ESPN was all over it. Nothing like this had happened to a sports star of his caliber and fame. Everyone heard about it. There was no way to avoid it. Worldwide, a famous star had fallen. The role model for kids. The one star we looked up to. And he had fallen.

Those are my reasons. Now, onto TPP.

David Beckham may be famous, but he's a soccer star. That cancels out the US, even if he plays for the LA Galaxy. He's only played 48 games for them, and has gone on loan to other teams 2 times. As for the celebrity thing, besides ads, he hasn't done much. He doesn't come near the caliber of Tiger's celebrity status, even if it came from scandal.

 

[hatehabsforever]

For me, it would be Tiger Woods. Calling it so no one else does it. Writing it now.

Sorry, noah, you snooze, you lose.

You're about 2 hours too late, check out group #2.

 

[I Suck Ass]

Groups are unrelated. Check Topic 1.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

This one is a no-brainer: Pelé (birthname: Edison Arantes do Nascimento) is the most internationally famous athlete of all time. There are two major reasons for believing that this is so.

1. He's Considered To Be The Greatest Player Ever In The World's Most Popular Sport​

While I don't doubt that a more significant football/soccer player will come along in the future (he may even be in the early stages of his career as we speak), as of this moment, no other footballer can claim to rival Pelé's talent and achievements. In 1999, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics named Pelé footballer of the century. In addition to this accolade, the International Olympic Committee named Pelé the greatest athlete of the century. Obviously then, Pelé's veneration extends beyond organizations that strictly honor those involved in football. That this veneration extends to an organization that oversees the world's most well-known and important sports competition speaks volumes about how significant Pelé is; the Olympics fields competition in those two sports whose most well-known athletes are the only ones for whom a case could be made against Pelé (i.e., Michael Jordan in basketball and Muhammad Ali in boxing), but the IOC chose Pelé over both in naming its athlete of the century.

2. Pelé has remained relevant off-the-field since his retirement in 1977​

Once their playing days are over, most athletes ride off into the sunset to live a quiet life. While some may like to think that such a lifestyle if of an athlete's own choosing, the truth is far from it: once their professional career is done, an overwhelming majority of athletes become almost instantaneously irrelevant regardless of what they've done for the game. In contrast to most athletes, Pelé's continued involvement with the sport of football, with such international organizations as the United Nations, and with such humanitarian causes as the fight to end Brazilian poverty has kept him just as relevant as he was when he put up his boots some 30 years ago. It should come as no surprise to anyone then that Pelé's popularity is just as strong today as it ever was.

With these two reasons in mind, I can't think of anyone else that could rightfully lay claim to being the most internationally famous athlete of all time.

 

[The People's Peep]

David Beckham may be famous, but he's a soccer star.

Being a soccer star is a bad thing? Soccer is the most popular and most widely played sport in the world. That means he is reaching far more people than any baseball, football, or basketball player here in America.

That cancels out the US, even if he plays for the LA Galaxy. He's only played 48 games for them, and has gone on loan to other teams 2 times. As for the celebrity thing, besides ads, he hasn't done much. He doesn't come near the caliber of Tiger's celebrity status, even if it came from scandal.

The US is one country and its not even the biggest one. This is about the most internationally known athlete. Beckham is easily more known than Tiger in every country not named the United States.

 

[CH David]

David Beckham may be famous, but he's a soccer star. That cancels out the US, even if he plays for the LA Galaxy. He's only played 48 games for them, and has gone on loan to other teams 2 times. As for the celebrity thing, besides ads, he hasn't done much. He doesn't come near the caliber of Tiger's celebrity status, even if it came from scandal.

Fuck it, I'm just going to rebut this because it's just really fucking stupid. So because he is a soccer star, the face of soccer for the past long while internationally, it cancels him out? This is new levels fucktarded, even for you Noah. Just because soccer has not caught on like football or baseball in the US, that barely means shit compared to the rest of the world. I'll get to the rest of your post about Tiger later, but this is a fucking ******ed comment you made.

As for who I choose, I'm gonna go with Michael Jordan. Not as a homer, but it helps. He has been regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, by his own peers I should add, and helped the widespread popularity of basketball during his career.

On The Court - he was a fuckin' monster. He was as clutch as clutch got (wah about the no call in '98). He had 25 game-winning shots in the NBA, 24 within 10 seconds of the final buzzer, with 8 at the buzzer. Plus he had that one in college, the one for the National Championship over Georgetown.

6 time NBA champ, 6 time Finals MVP, 5 time MVP, led the league in scoring 10 times. He was also ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury Top 100 Athletes of the 20th Century. Stout on defense, explosive on offense, the guy did it all, and also did it twice in the Olympics for the Gold Medal.

Off The Court - the marketing was amazing. He fit the description of what fans wanted to a T. Scoring, awesome dunks, and winning (in the '90s). Three of his sponsorships definitely helped his overall exposure, Nike without a doubt, Wheaties (who didn't think of wanting to be on a Wheaties box as a famous athlete?) and Hanes. He is still out there right now in the light as a Hanes representative with the commercials that are out there. Nike brings out Air Jordan's which tons of people enjoy. Jordan is all over the place, relevant as an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, in the public eye with Hanes, and his own brand of shoes are still coming out.

MJ was the total package for the NBA. Talented and marketable. He was huge in the '90s and that popularity went farther than any other NBA player has ever seen.

 

[I Suck Ass]

Yeah, it was ******ed in retrospect. I really need to learn how to put what I think into words better.

KB: I'm gonna go on a limb and say that David Beckham is more internationally know than Pele. In his time, soccer wasn't very big in the US. It still isn't huge now, but compared to when he played, it's grown a ton. Plus, a good number of sports fans who are 30 or younger never saw him play. I personally know nothing about Pele other than he was a master of the bicycle kick.

TPP: My comment was quite ******ed. Beckham was actually my second choice, but you took him. Grr. I really have no rebuttal here.

CH: I think in terms of what they have done for their sport, Tiger has beaten Jordan. Sure, Jordan is the player that everyone else dreams of being, but there will never be another one. As for Tiger, he revolutionized golf, and took it to a whole new level. Jordan just dominated and honestly made the playoffs a bit predictable. Tiger has lost, and he has played through an entire tourney with a hurt knee. Don't think Jordan ever did that.

 

[Big Sexy]

Open​

For me it goes to Muhammed Ali. No athlete in the history of sports has been more famous internationally then Ali. Throughout his career he had many fights around the world including some of the biggest, and most well known fights in boxing history. In retirement Ali has been recognized with many awards and distinct honors from many different countries. He is also the biggest ever sports personality and is known worldwide for his flamboyant style. His personality was one that transcends through time and his legacy continues to entertain sports fans around the world.

Worldly Achievements​

Ali fought 16 of his 61 fights outside of the US with 10 of those being title fights, and he has fought professionally in 12 different countries. Two of his biggest and most well known fights came outside of the US. "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1973 when he defeated George Foreman in Zaire and "The Thrilla in Manilla" in 1975 when he defeated Joe Frazier in the Philippines.

Ali has been named Sportsmen of the Century by Sports Illustrated (A US Magazine) and Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC (A UK Broadcasting Corporation). The voters for the BBC award came to a unanimous decision as Ali had more votes then Pele, Jesse Owens, George Best, Donald Bradman, and Jack Nicklaus combined.

Global Humanitarian​

In 2002 Ali visited Afghanistan as the "United Nations Messenger of Peace" and was in Kabul for 3 days as the UN's special guest. In 2005 he received the "Otto Hahn Peace Medal" from the United Nations Association of Germany. He is to this day the only athlete to ever win the award. In 2009 Ali was voted the first ever "Freedom of Ennis." Ennis is a city in Ireland and the birthplace of Ali's great grandfather.

 

[CH David]

CH: I think in terms of what they have done for their sport, Tiger has beaten Jordan. Sure, Jordan is the player that everyone else dreams of being, but there will never be another one. As for Tiger, he revolutionized golf, and took it to a whole new level. Jordan just dominated and honestly made the playoffs a bit predictable. Tiger has lost, and he has played through an entire tourney with a hurt knee. Don't think Jordan ever did that.

Really? Noah, are you kidding me?

Jordan didn't take the NBA to a new level of popularity, but Tiger did with golf? He didn't transcend basketball and become mainstream? Wooooooow. You cease to amaze me with utter stupidity.

I honestly don't understand what having to do with being the greatest basketball player has to do with anything. So there will never be another Jordan, big fucking deal. There won't be another Tiger will there? Let's toss him out of the discussion! Christ do you read what you write? Jordan made the playoffs predictable, potentially. But that didn't mean they weren't exciting. 5 of the 6 Finals series went 6 games, with only the first Bulls championship being won 4 games to 1. Yeah that is just so predictable.

As far as Tiger playing a whole tournament with a bum knee, wooooooooooow he is so courageous! Jordan played Game 5 of the '97 Finals with flu-like symptoms.

Spoiler

He remembers waking up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely, shaking, and feeling as if he was going to die. "I was scared; I didn't know what was happening to me," Michael Jordan would say.


At first, he thought it was a nightmare. Then he realized it was real, that he was seriously ill. "I felt partially paralyzed," he would later say.

When he lifted himself up from his bed in his Utah hotel room, his head began spinning. He'd never been so nauseated before. He feared that somehow, some way, someone had slipped some kind of drug in something he ate.

It was the middle of the night in Salt Lake City, an off day between Games 4 and 5. The series was tied, 2-2, following Utah's second consecutive win, but how in the world could Jordan play in this condition in Game 5?

Jordan called the Bulls' medical personnel, which came rushing to his room. They determined that he was suffering from food poisoning or an intestinal stomach virus. "There's no way you'll be able to play Game 5," Jordan was told.

Jordan remains in bed for the next 24 hours, missing the Bulls' morning practices the day before and the day of Game 5. He had lost several pounds. He was dehydrated. Then, at 3 p.m., just three hours before tip-off, Jordan rose from his hotel bed and dragged himself to the Delta Center.

Jordan would put up 38 and lead the Bulls to a key win that put the Bulls up 3-2 against a tough Jazz opponent, nearly collapsing and passing out during the entire game. Yeah, he definitely did nothing like Tiger playing with a bum knee.

 

[I Suck Ass]

That's one game. If anything, what Jordan did was stupid. He potentally put his carrer on the the line for one game. Of course the same can be said for Tiger. I honestly think that's it's kind of stupid to debate who is more important to their sport, seeing as that's not what the thread is about. So let's debate what the topic is about, who is more famous internationally. And that would still be Tiger. He was famous at the age of 2. He played golf on late night TV. Meanwhile, Jordan wasn't even on his high school team until his junior year. Millions of people knew who Tiger was by the time Tiger became a pro. I don't think too many people who Jordan was until he got to UNC.

 

[Big Sexy]

This topic really only boils down to three guys; Ali, Jordan, and Pele. Tiger is still too young at this point in his career and just hasn't reached an international audience for as long or as well as the three previously mentioned athletes have. Beckham is in the same boat as Tiger plus he isn't even the most internationally famous athlete in his own sport. Pele absolutely shits on him when it comes to soccer fame.

When it comes to Ali, Jordan, and Pele the first to get eliminated is MJ. As famous as Jordan is around the world with all of his endorsements and all he did for the game of basketball, helping to make it more of an international sport, he just hasn't done the types of things like Ali and Pele have. Both Ali and Pele have done work with the United Nations, both have won awards and been honored in multiple countries and Jordan just isn't at that level, at least not yet.

When it comes to Ali and Pele it is close but I give the slight edge to Ali not just for the reasons mentioned in my opening post but also because the fact that Ali's Muslim religion has had him travel the world even more then he has for non-religious reasons. Ali on average is traveling more then 200 days per year. Pele is a great humanitarian himself but I'm not sure he can even compete with that. During Ali's prime boxing was arguably the second biggest spectator sport around the world so although Pele has a slight advantage with futbol being the most popular international sport, it isn't as big of an advantage as you may think.