Well, I guess there are no hard and fast rules. It's a big cocktail of
-modernity
-how much they're on television
-how good they were at their sport
-whether they're still alive
-whether they're still playing
-whether they were well liked
-whether they have any products (Foreman Grill, Air Jordans, Tigers' face on Gatorade, etc)
There's definitely no right or wrong answer, though I think the one definite is that Michael Jordan is either at or very near to the top of the list.
I don't see how anyone could dispute Jordan, no.
Except maybe with Kobe... being that he's sort of this generation's Jordan.
Jordan is still this generations Jordan, IMO.
0
Options
ChanusHarbinger of the Spicy Rooster ApocalypseThe Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered Userregular
Well, I guess there are no hard and fast rules. It's a big cocktail of
-modernity
-how much they're on television
-how good they were at their sport
-whether they're still alive
-whether they're still playing
-whether they were well liked
-whether they have any products (Foreman Grill, Air Jordans, Tigers' face on Gatorade, etc)
There's definitely no right or wrong answer, though I think the one definite is that Michael Jordan is either at or very near to the top of the list.
I don't see how anyone could dispute Jordan, no.
Except maybe with Kobe... being that he's sort of this generation's Jordan.
When you're "this generation's version of someone more famous" you haven't made it high enough yet. In 15 years if people are calling some player "this generation's LaBron James", then you know Bron Bron has staying power.
0
Options
Deebaseron my way to work in a suit and a tieAhhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered Userregular
Sports memes that grab even the non-sports people, huh? I just bought All-Star Pro Football from Gamestop yesterday for $1. This is an XBOX 360 football game where all the legends of the sport, the best of the best, are selectable and can be mixed and matched in any way you see fit. Despite having a huge stable of well-known Hall of Famers, the game sold poorly. This makes me think that even though you're a household name, it doesn't mean the average Joe cares about you ... that's kind of bizarre if you think about it.
I already have Madden. My Friends have Madden. I can play Madden with my friends online. Why would I want to play All Star Pro Football?
Chu, I wonder if asking ourselves the question "Will people remember this man/woman as the prime example of their sport for decades/centuries after they retire?" helps.
Going off your list, I would definitely keep Tiger Woods where he is now, but I think he probably replaced Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus.
Michael Jordan belongs there, so does Gretzky. Favre isn't a bad example of football at all, but Joe Namath may be up there. Baseball has a long-ass history with luminaries like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and that's just a start. It is hard to limit baseball down to one legend because it has had so many legendary players. Beckham is probably a good pick for the US due to the limited exposure of soccer, and while I am unsure about tennis, but the Williams sisters are probably a good pick.
Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
I love me some John Madden so maybe!
“If the quaterback throws the ball in the endzone and the Wide Receiver catches it……. It’s a touchdown.”
I don't follow pro football. How do I know who Johnny Unitas is? How did this name get planted in my brain when I don't even know what he accomplished as a quarterback? His career was over before I was born.
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
It's funny how some sports are still generating what I consider "legends" and some aren't. Fuck baseball. Seriously, who will remember any of the baseball players in 50 years like they do Ruth, Mantle, Robinson and Gehrig. I may be wrong, it's just a feeling. I feel like that game has lost whatever majesty it once had on the American psyche.
0
Options
ChanusHarbinger of the Spicy Rooster ApocalypseThe Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered Userregular
Except maybe with Kobe... being that he's sort of this generation's Jordan.
When you're "this generation's version of someone more famous" you haven't made it high enough yet. In 15 years if people are calling some player "this generation's LaBron James", then you know Bron Bron has staying power.
While I agree, I don't know how many of this generation would call Kobe Bryant "my generation's Michael Jordan".
Like... how it's relevant to the current generation is part of the equation... which is why someone like Joe Montana probably doesn't apply, even though he was arguably the best quarterback of a generation that fielded most of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. That guy in the underwear ads?
Allegedly a voice of reason.
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
I don't follow pro football. How do I know who Johnny Unitas is? How did this name get planted in my brain when I don't even know what he accomplished as a quarterback? His career was over before I was born.
It is a cool name. I know the name too but not what he played.
We should try and figure out what characteristics all the people on the list have in common. For instance athletic dominance is not one of them - Beckham's the most famous face in soccer, but he was never the best player in the sport.
In some cases it's down to the team or situation: Jeter wouldn't be on this list if he'd played for the Florida Marlins, for instance. The Williams sisters probably wouldn't be so famous if there were only one of them.
Chu, I wonder if asking ourselves the question "Will people remember this man/woman as the prime example of their sport for decades/centuries after they retire?" helps.
Going off your list, I would definitely keep Tiger Woods where he is now, but I think he probably replaced Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus.
Michael Jordan belongs there, so does Gretzky. Favre isn't a bad example of football at all, but Joe Namath may be up there. Baseball has a long-ass history with luminaries like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and that's just a start. It is hard to limit baseball down to one legend because it has had so many legendary players. Beckham is probably a good pick for the US due to the limited exposure of soccer, and while I am unsure about tennis, but the Williams sisters are probably a good pick.
I think Andre Agassi will probably have more staying power than the Williams Sisters. Beckham is more well known in the US for marrying one of the spice girls and for commercials than soccer though. If you're going purely on "why" someone is known, I'd say Pele would have more soccer-based name recognition here than Beckham.
0
Options
ChanusHarbinger of the Spicy Rooster ApocalypseThe Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered Userregular
I don't follow pro football. How do I know who Johnny Unitas is? How did this name get planted in my brain when I don't even know what he accomplished as a quarterback? His career was over before I was born.
It's funny how some sports are still generating what I consider "legends" and some aren't. Fuck baseball. Seriously, who will remember any of the baseball players in 50 years like they do Ruth, Mantle, Robinson and Gehrig. I may be wrong, it's just a feeling. I feel like that game has lost whatever majesty it once had on the American psyche.
There are a few players who will remain popular because they are throwbacks to that classic era. Cal Ripken Jr. really comes to mind.
We should try and figure out what characteristics all the people on the list have in common. For instance athletic dominance is not one of them - Beckham's the most famous face in soccer, but he was never the best player in the sport.
In some cases it's down to the team or situation: Jeter wouldn't be on this list if he'd played for the Florida Marlins, for instance. The Williams sisters probably wouldn't be so famous if there were only one of them.
Like I said earlier it is enmeshment with popular culture OR a narrative that is heroic or infamous. Usually both.
Tiger Woods is an amazing golfer, a million product placement, likeable and black. The last part is unique. Then he had a scandal.
Michael Jordan was among the best players ever, so was Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but he did more products AND a fucking cartoon movie!
Tyson combined extreme talent and winning with a downward personal trajectory.
I don't follow pro football. How do I know who Johnny Unitas is? How did this name get planted in my brain when I don't even know what he accomplished as a quarterback? His career was over before I was born.
Do you watch the Simpsons? I know people who know the name "Johnny Unitas" just because of that one Simpsons joke.
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
Michael Phelps and OJ Simpson should be on my list.
It's funny how some sports are still generating what I consider "legends" and some aren't. Fuck baseball. Seriously, who will remember any of the baseball players in 50 years like they do Ruth, Mantle, Robinson and Gehrig. I may be wrong, it's just a feeling. I feel like that game has lost whatever majesty it once had on the American psyche.
There are a few players who will remain popular because they are throwbacks to that classic era. Cal Ripken Jr. really comes to mind.
Cal Ripken Jr. is kind of all by himself.
He's seriously one of the last truly great players of the game from a bygone era. Like... I'm not saying he's better than Jeter... I'm saying you can't even really compare them... and he only retired, what? 15 years ago?
Allegedly a voice of reason.
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
But Michael Phelps will be replaced by whatever next great Olympic athlete we have. It happens so infrequently that they can't stay mythic forever.
I don't follow pro football. How do I know who Johnny Unitas is? How did this name get planted in my brain when I don't even know what he accomplished as a quarterback? His career was over before I was born.
It is a cool name. I know the name too but not what he played.
This is what I mean. I just picked this name up without knowing anything about him. The same goes with Jeff Gordon, Anna Kournikova, and Sean White. I don't know these people other than the sports they play! Why are they in my brain!?
Might be worth establishing a time limit - like, who was the last athlete to achieve that universal recognition? Ali is bigger than Tyson, but Tyson was the last boxer to capture the public's attention in a way comparable to Ali. Same with the Beckham vs. Pele comparison.
How about Michael Phelps (swimming) and Apolo Ohno (speed skating)?
Edit: Arch, see also: Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan has always been one of my favorite players, but I think he, like Ripkin, probably belong more to fans of baseball than to everybody like Ruth/Gehrig/Robinson etc. My guess is that the early players maintain their cultural dominance in our collective psyches because they came about during a time with little competition (i.e., from other sports or distractions) and were subsequently held up as symbols of a different time and place.
Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
0
Options
OnTheLastCastlelet's keep it haimish for the peripateticRegistered Userregular
edited September 2011
My list of the most "recognized" sports figures:
1. Michael Jordan
2. Tiger Woods
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Wayne Gretsky
5. Babe Ruth (still want Jackie Robinson but whatever)
6. OJ Simpson
7. Lance Armstrong
8. Mike Tyson
9. Billie Fuckin' Jean King except everyone will think I mean the song
10. Mickey Mantle
Might be worth establishing a time limit - like, who was the last athlete to achieve that universal recognition? Ali is bigger than Tyson, but Tyson was the last boxer to capture the public's attention in a way comparable to Ali. Same with the Beckham vs. Pele comparison.
It's harder now because athletes personal lives are so much more in the public eye too. I mean, even just 20 years ago, nobody knew what Joe Montana ate for breakfast. It's become a blend of being famous because they're an athlete, and famous because they're famous.
My list of the most "recognized" sports figures:
1. Michael Jordan
2. Tiger Woods
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Wayne Gretsky
5. Babe Ruth (still want Jackie Robinson but whatever)
6. OJ Simpson
7. Lance Armstrong
8. Mike Tyson
9. Billie Fuckin' Jean King except everyone will think I mean the song
10. Mickey Mantle
Haha... i was going to say earlier, "When I think tennis, I think Jimmy Connors and Billie Jean King!" :P
Allegedly a voice of reason.
0
Options
ChanusHarbinger of the Spicy Rooster ApocalypseThe Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered Userregular
Posts
I can't get drunk on a Tiger Woods!
Jordan is still this generations Jordan, IMO.
Arnold Palmer if you're over 60, maybe. :P
When you're "this generation's version of someone more famous" you haven't made it high enough yet. In 15 years if people are calling some player "this generation's LaBron James", then you know Bron Bron has staying power.
I already have Madden. My Friends have Madden. I can play Madden with my friends online. Why would I want to play All Star Pro Football?
Going off your list, I would definitely keep Tiger Woods where he is now, but I think he probably replaced Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus.
Michael Jordan belongs there, so does Gretzky. Favre isn't a bad example of football at all, but Joe Namath may be up there. Baseball has a long-ass history with luminaries like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, and that's just a start. It is hard to limit baseball down to one legend because it has had so many legendary players. Beckham is probably a good pick for the US due to the limited exposure of soccer, and while I am unsure about tennis, but the Williams sisters are probably a good pick.
“If the quaterback throws the ball in the endzone and the Wide Receiver catches it……. It’s a touchdown.”
I sit awake with that knowledge every night.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
While I agree, I don't know how many of this generation would call Kobe Bryant "my generation's Michael Jordan".
Like... how it's relevant to the current generation is part of the equation... which is why someone like Joe Montana probably doesn't apply, even though he was arguably the best quarterback of a generation that fielded most of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game. That guy in the underwear ads?
It is a cool name. I know the name too but not what he played.
In some cases it's down to the team or situation: Jeter wouldn't be on this list if he'd played for the Florida Marlins, for instance. The Williams sisters probably wouldn't be so famous if there were only one of them.
I think Andre Agassi will probably have more staying power than the Williams Sisters. Beckham is more well known in the US for marrying one of the spice girls and for commercials than soccer though. If you're going purely on "why" someone is known, I'd say Pele would have more soccer-based name recognition here than Beckham.
He was like the Peyton Manning of the 1950s.
There are a few players who will remain popular because they are throwbacks to that classic era. Cal Ripken Jr. really comes to mind.
Edit: Arch, see also: Nolan Ryan
Like I said earlier it is enmeshment with popular culture OR a narrative that is heroic or infamous. Usually both.
Tiger Woods is an amazing golfer, a million product placement, likeable and black. The last part is unique. Then he had a scandal.
Michael Jordan was among the best players ever, so was Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but he did more products AND a fucking cartoon movie!
Tyson combined extreme talent and winning with a downward personal trajectory.
Do you watch the Simpsons? I know people who know the name "Johnny Unitas" just because of that one Simpsons joke.
Cal Ripken Jr. is kind of all by himself.
He's seriously one of the last truly great players of the game from a bygone era. Like... I'm not saying he's better than Jeter... I'm saying you can't even really compare them... and he only retired, what? 15 years ago?
This is what I mean. I just picked this name up without knowing anything about him. The same goes with Jeff Gordon, Anna Kournikova, and Sean White. I don't know these people other than the sports they play! Why are they in my brain!?
Nolan Ryan has always been one of my favorite players, but I think he, like Ripkin, probably belong more to fans of baseball than to everybody like Ruth/Gehrig/Robinson etc. My guess is that the early players maintain their cultural dominance in our collective psyches because they came about during a time with little competition (i.e., from other sports or distractions) and were subsequently held up as symbols of a different time and place.
1. Michael Jordan
2. Tiger Woods
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Wayne Gretsky
5. Babe Ruth (still want Jackie Robinson but whatever)
6. OJ Simpson
7. Lance Armstrong
8. Mike Tyson
9. Billie Fuckin' Jean King except everyone will think I mean the song
10. Mickey Mantle
It's harder now because athletes personal lives are so much more in the public eye too. I mean, even just 20 years ago, nobody knew what Joe Montana ate for breakfast. It's become a blend of being famous because they're an athlete, and famous because they're famous.
But that raises the question of Olympic legends. We certainly have some, regardless of whether or not their records have been broken.
Haha... i was going to say earlier, "When I think tennis, I think Jimmy Connors and Billie Jean King!" :P
Dan and Dave!
Carl Lewis.
Yes, but I was joking :P
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_&_Dave
Hilarious tale of marketing being foiled by reality.
Only if he has a lisp.
/slowclap