Beckham bigger than Tiger or MJ?

[MajorMike]

In an SI article about the Brits badmouthing US sports (saying Beckham is going into semi-retirement joing the MLS) the owner of the LA MLS team says:

Despite criticizing the Premier League for sloganeering and over-marketing, Lalas claimed that, when he arrives, Beckham will have a higher profile in the United States than Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan.

"The U.S. will never have dealt with an athlete who has had this kind of international impact," Lalas told the Mirror. "Tiger Woods has that international appeal but, with due respect to Woods and Michael Jordan, David Beckham is at an entirely different level."

[degenerate_gambler]

we have soccer to thank for 'flopping'.

tells me all i need to know regarding that so-called sport.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

In an SI article about the Brits badmouthing US sports (saying Beckham is going into semi-retirement joing the MLS) the owner of the LA MLS team says:

Despite criticizing the Premier League for sloganeering and over-marketing, Lalas claimed that, when he arrives, Beckham will have a higher profile in the United States than Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan.

"The U.S. will never have dealt with an athlete who has had this kind of international impact," Lalas told the Mirror. "Tiger Woods has that international appeal but, with due respect to Woods and Michael Jordan, David Beckham is at an entirely different level."I wouldn't go as far as to say that. I mean, yes, football is more popular than either golf, or basketball, but Beckham isn't even its most influential player. Christ, he isn't even THAT good! not compared to the ones he competes with. The only thing he's got going for him is he is English, which immediately opens up the European AND American markets more so than the rest of the Euro players. That and he's good looking and therefore marketable, as opposed to say... Ronaldinho who is light years better than Beckham ever was but doesn't have Beckhams face. Beckham is the prime example of a player who owes more of his fame to his good looks than his talent.

Having said that, football is the most popular sport in the world, so... I wouldn't say its out of the question.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

we have soccer to thank for 'flopping'.

tells me all i need to know regarding that so-called sport.so-called sport? yeah... this post tells me all I need to know about your sorry ass.

[Evan]

Tiger is mainly famous in the UK and USA, the same with MJ.

Beckham is famous everywhere. Euro football is an entirely different sport than we deal with here.

In the US we have so many sports to chose from...across the world they pretty much have "Football" and thats it. Imagine taking everything... PGA, all NCAA, MLB, NFL, NASCAR and everything else and roll it into the NBA and think how much more famous MJ would have been. Now take that and make him global.

Thats how famous Beckham was at his height. Also consider his fame was somewhat dampened by moving from Manchester United in the UK and going to Real Madrid, in Spain.

And by the way, Euro football is great if you give them a shot.

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

Beckham is the best case to show where fame and celebrity status is vastly superior to his talent and on-the-pitch influence.

He is one of the best free kick, corner kick takers and crossers of the world, but that's about it. He is decent in his work rate, his stamina and vision. But he has no dribbling, heading, pace, he rarely arrives into the opposition's box....and he is on the decline.

If the MLS want to make their league more comptetitive, they should start scouting for young talents in Latin America and Africa. They have the money to lure them to the MLS.

To make a loose analogy for those who don't know anything about soccer: This is like paying a lot of money for one of the best punters/kickers of the world who is on the downside of his career and has 2, maybe 3 professional years left. And certainly not at the peak of his career.

[TDMVPDPOY]

For all those clowns who are calling him out

the good old days during the manutd treble of 99 and upto to the korea/japan worldcup, he was at his best imo, he was deadly accurate on passing etc and during that worldcup he showed he can dribble and stuff untill he bolted to realmadrid. His name, image sells. He gets more money from endorsements and selling his shirts.

his downfall in spain? media, his lack of fitness, motivation, and his wife. << i can see this happening in the future for SAS....
Manutds reply about the transfer = no player is bigger than the club

[MajorMike]

Tiger is mainly famous in the UK and USA, the same with MJ.

Beckham is famous everywhere. Euro football is an entirely different sport than we deal with here.


That's funny. When I was in Germany, France, Hungary, Austria, Italy, China and Japan from 95-97, you can't imagine how suprised I was to see a Bulls jacket or Jordan jersey around every corner.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it is all the world has. UK has cricket. Aussies have ARF. Hell in Afghanistan the 2nd most popular sport is Buzkashi, played on horseback with a goat head. Europe as a whole has F1, but still there is no leagues in the world that can compare to the popularity of the NFL, and the NBA is catching up. The world doesn't have college football; no March Madness; no Daytona or Indy 500's. Soccer may be the world's #1 sport, but someone in Ghana doesn't give a rat's ass about the EPL. Football is the NFL. Even in Europe, the farm league is NFL Europe.

That being said, this guy is coming to America. Americans as a whole don't care about soccer unless their kids are playing it. The MLS will fold within a couple years, as every major attempt at a soccer league has.

Americans dont like soccer as a professional game. We are all about the last second shot/drive/pass; in soccer, not a damn individual in the stadium knows how much time is left but the refs. People say its boring. we all know that in reality it isn't a boring game, but why do people say that so much? Soccer is much less boring than golf, yet Americans love golf. One of the main reasons is having enduring personalities. Arnie. Jack. Tiger. Those guys are golfers that everyone loves to love, or at the very least love to watch fail. People will tune in to see that. Soccer doesn't have that.

Another huge reason American don't identify with soccer can be summed up in 3 words: Racism, Violence and Corruption. Americans as a society loathe all 3 of them, yet all 3 are completely rampant in euro soccer leagues. Throwing bananas and making monkey calls at an African team in 2006? If that happened in America, there would be law suits and Congressional action. People dying in stadium riots? Heck if you are a visiting fan and you say too many bad words you can get thrown out in America. In the US, taking your amily to a game is sort of a middle-class America reward. I have had my kids at Skins/Cowboys, Spurs/Mavs, OSU/uo, but I would NEVER take them to a rivalry game in the UK. When the violence associated with your sport is so bad and so rampant that you have an entire word, hooliganism, created just for it, then something is wrong. And the corruption in the front office, my gosh. The way Americans hate white collar corporate crime and corruption, we would never stand for all that stuff.

A few other quick reasons it is not embraced in America - faking injuries, yellow and red cards at a refs discretion (you saw what happened when Tim got ejected on a refs bad discretion), offsides (good golly it happens on 3 out of every 4 or 5 plays), Bonus Time (what the hell is that??).

Soccer can be a great sport. I have been to matches in St Petersburg against Moscow and in Germany to a GFL game. Even so, there were parts I was bored at. The point here being - Americans as a whole know nothing about soccer, the EPL or David Beckham, other than the fact he's that winey over pampered sooccer dude who married one of the Spice Girls. That's it. He isn't going to mean anything more to America than that. He may be more global... but he isn't anywhere near popular here as Dale Earnhardt or Peyton Manning or Lebron James or Derek Jeter. Just another guy.

[degenerate_gambler]

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it is all the world has.


That's because most of the world is poor as shit and can barely afford to buy that role of masking tape they wad up and kick around on their dirt lot.

[MajorMike]

That's because most of the world is poor as shit and can barely afford to buy that role of masking tape they wad up and kick around on their dirt lot.


Well... damn.

[CubanMustGo]

Becks will disappear into obscurity after the move to LA. He'll prolly be popular there but only b/c of wifey. The rest of the US will ignore him. Lalas is an idiot trying to hype his irrelevant team, currently in fifth place of six teams in its division.

I actually enjoy futbol (as a casual fan) and the number of futbol-only stadia being built in the US shows that MLS is having at least some impact/success here.

[MajorMike]

They build stadiums just for Arena Football and Rodeos, too.

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

For Beckham to be compared with MJ or Tiger, he would have to be one of the best in football's history, and he doesn't even make the Top 100 in my opinion.

A different case would be Maradona and Pelé. Those two are by FAR more known than MJ, Tiger, Schumacher or Federer.

[tlongII]

Lalas is a blowhard. Tiger and MJ are the biggest sports icons in the world and nobody else is even close.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Lalas is a blowhard. Tiger and MJ are the biggest sports icons in the world and nobody else is even close.pfff... thats because to Americans, the world has a population of 300 million :lol Outside your little world, football superstars are bigger than anything the US has produced, EVER!

[Evan]

That's funny. When I was in Germany, France, Hungary, Austria, Italy, China and Japan from 95-97, you can't imagine how suprised I was to see a Bulls jacket or Jordan jersey around every corner.

Notice I said "mainly"

[MaNuMaNiAc]

pfff... thats because to Americans, the world has a population of 300 million :lol Outside your little world, football superstars are bigger than anything the US has produced, EVER!Having said that, MJ is definately out there with the most popular stars of our time. Although basketball is only just really catching on in South America, and Europe, MJ is pretty well known almost everywhere in the world. I'd say MJ is the biggest American sports star to ever live.

[dg7md]

Ahh, Americans badmouthing soccer and claiming "their" sports are the best and most popular, I never would have guessed.

[Evan]

Ahh, Americans badmouthing soccer and claiming "their" sports are the best and most popular, I never would have guessed.

I love soccer and I go to soccer forums and they bash American sports just the same.

It all matters what you grew up watching...

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Those who bash on a sport they do not understand are morons. I don't really like playing American Football, but I can understand why people might like it. Same thing goes for baseball and Hockey.

[Wonder Pigeon]

we have soccer to thank for 'flopping'.

tells me all i need to know regarding that so-called sport.

:lol Like baseball much?

[MajorMike]

This is one of those reverse-discrimination arguements. US thinks its sports are better and doesn't like soccer. The World thinks soccer is better just because more people play it. Do you really think it is a better sport just because most people play it? Maybe most people play it because kicking a ball around has been around a little longer than throwing a ball thru a hoop 10 feet away and off the ground. Or maybe it is because any dirty poor nation in the world can do it, because it requires virtually no equipment. Or maybe it is because there is not a ton of skill involved to have to play it. That is not to say there are not extremely skilled soccer players, but if you are 10 years old, it takes much much less skill to run around kicking a ball than it does to hit a baseball someone is throwing at you at 80 mph or dribble a basketball and accurately launch it to score thru a tiny hoop.

To say US sports are better just because the Super Bowl (NFL) is the most watched single event in the history of the world is ignorant.

But to say soccer is a better game just because more people around the world play it is equally as ignorant.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

This is one of those reverse-discrimination arguements. US thinks its sports are better and doesn't like soccer. The World thinks soccer is better just because more people play it. Do you really think it is a better sport just because most people play it? Maybe most people play it because kicking a ball around has been around a little longer than throwing a ball thru a hoop 10 feet away and off the ground. Or maybe it is because any dirty poor nation in the world can do it, because it requires virtually no equipment. Or maybe it is because there is not a ton of skill involved to have to play it. That is not to say there are not extremely skilled soccer players, but if you are 10 years old, it takes much much less skill to run around kicking a ball than it does to hit a baseball someone is throwing at you at 80 mph or dribble a basketball and accurately launch it to score thru a tiny hoop.

To say US sports are better just because the Super Bowl (NFL) is the most watched single event in the history of the world is ignorant.

But to say soccer is a better game just because more people around the world play it is equally as ignorant.
Dude seriously, stop spewing ignorance. The Super Bowl the most watched single event in the history of the world?? Sorry to inform you son, but the FIFA World Cup final is the most watched single event in the history of the world! The Super Bowl's record tv audience is around 90 million if I'm not mistaken. Last World Cup final had around 250 million. That's almost 3 times as much.

and to say it requires less skill to play "soccer" than it does to play basketball, baseball or American football is ridiculously ignorant.

[THE ONE AND ONLY]

Those who bash on a sport they do not understand are morons. I don't really like playing American Football, but I can understand why people might like it. Same thing goes for baseball and Hockey.

How can you not like hockey?
I always thought it was like soccer on ice.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

How can you not like hockey?
I always thought it was like soccer on ice.It's similar in some ways, from what I gather. I don't really understand it that well. Haven't played it, and I've rarely ever watched it so.

[johnsmith]

Dude seriously, stop spewing ignorance. The Super Bowl the most watched single event in the history of the world?? Sorry to inform you son, but the FIFA World Cup final is the most watched single event in the history of the world! The Super Bowl's record tv audience is around 90 million if I'm not mistaken. Last World Cup final had around 250 million. That's almost 3 times as much.

and to say it requires less skill to play "soccer" than it does to play basketball, baseball or American football is ridiculously ignorant.


Dude, you're an idiot. Why would you come to a website dedicated to the NBA, filled with red-blooded Americans, and argue why soccer is the "greatest sport in the world"?

There are many reasons why Americans don't care for soccer, the least of which is that it's boring. However, it's you, yes you, "soccer guy", that turns me off from the sport so much........"soccer is the most popular in the world", "more people watch soccer then any other sport", "The world cup is......blah blah blah blah".

Shut the fuck up already and enjoy soccer and quit bothering us about how great it is. If we felt that it was really that great, we'd watch a game or two, but we don't, so fuck off.

[johnsmith]

It's similar in some ways, from what I gather. I don't really understand it that well. Haven't played it, and I've rarely ever watched it so.


By the way, most all Americans have played soccer at some point in their lives, and guess what, we still don't like it.

[Evan]

By the way, most all Americans have played soccer at some point in their lives, and guess what, we still don't like it.

One thing to consider...no pro teams worth mentioning until now.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Dude, you're an idiot. Why would you come to a website dedicated to the NBA, filled with red-blooded Americans, and argue why soccer is the "greatest sport in the world"?

There are many reasons why Americans don't care for soccer, the least of which is that it's boring. However, it's you, yes you, "soccer guy", that turns me off from the sport so much........"soccer is the most popular in the world", "more people watch soccer then any other sport", "The world cup is......blah blah blah blah".

Shut the fuck up already and enjoy soccer and quit bothering us about how great it is. If we felt that it was really that great, we'd watch a game or two, but we don't, so fuck off.Why don't you go get bent, you little prick! I have NEVER said soccer is the greatest sport in the world you fucking moron! I was answering Mike's claim that the Superbowl is the most watched sporting event in history, WHICH IS NOT TRUE!

Why don't you read a bit before going off and insulting, you piece of shit!

I addition to this, you're telling me to stop talking about soccer IN THE "OTHER SPORTS" section, in a thread ABOUT FUCKING SOCCER!?? You have to be fucking retarded.

You don't like soccer? Then stay the fuck away from threads like this

[Marcus Bryant]

Obviously Beckham's popularity is based on reasons other than solely his play. That said, I do hope he is able to lift the MLS to another level.

Yes, a lot of Americans have played the sport, but typically those tend to be either the sons and daughters of the upper middle class or those of the nation's burgeoning Hispanic community. Football and baseball are the staples of middle class white bread America. Basketball remains the penultimate sport for African-Americans and Indiana as well as whatever cities currently host a successful NBA franchise, such as San Antonio.

[BeerIsGood!]

Although I like a good Euro match or Premier League game I rarely ever watch them because they're just not shown or pumped up over here. I didn't even know the damn Champion's League final was on ESPN2 until the game was almost over and I happened to see it on the guide. When I'm in Spain visiting family I like to catch a match or two if possible due to the excitement.

[MajorMike]

Why don't you go get bent, you little prick! I have NEVER said soccer is the greatest sport in the world you fucking moron! I was answering Mike's claim that the Superbowl is the most watched sporting event in history, WHICH IS NOT TRUE!

Why don't you read a bit before going off and insulting, you piece of shit!

I addition to this, you're telling me to stop talking about soccer IN THE "OTHER SPORTS" section, in a thread ABOUT FUCKING SOCCER!?? You have to be fucking retarded.

You don't like soccer? Then stay the fuck away from threads like this

Single event buddy. Every year. One game. No one TV show, program, event even comes close. Sure if you want to take a total of all cup games once every 4 years you are going to get more numbers, just like you will every four years for the Olympics. But once a year, every year, more people around the world are tuned into one program more than any other... ever. Hell 50% of US households annually watch the Super Bowl. Can you show where where it says 50% of the world's households as a whole sit down and watch the world cup? Hell, I'm not sure 50% of the world's households HAVE tv to watch it. Super Bowl worldwide estimates are 800 mil-1 bil, every year. Esitmates for the world cup are around 1 - 1.3 bil, once every four years. Supposedly around 3.9 bil tuned into the Olympics in Athens. I guess if you take Super Bowl's 1 bil a year you would have Olympics-like numbers, too. Dwarfing that of soccer.

The US has the #1 watched single sporting event yearly in the Super Bowl.
The US also has the #1 attended spectator event. The Indianapolis 500 is the single largest one-day sporting event in the world, drawing almost one-half million spectators.

The largest crown in soccer history was just under 200k at a game in Rio, I believe. Hell, NASCAR has 10 or so races a year that draw over 200k to it, to include the races at Texas Motor Speedway. Hell, in college football, some teams (Tennessee, Michigan) get over 100k every weekend for college football games.

So, I guess Americans are either xenophopic or have longer attention spans or are able to mentally digest more sports; or some or all.Why is it a put down of America just because the world hasn't figured out how to make their own sports... that don't involve goat heads.

[Jelly]

By the way, most all Americans have played soccer at some point in their lives, and guess what, we still don't like it.

Very true. Most of us played it in gym class as kids...even way back in the 70s. Since the 80s, kids across America have joined (read: are forced into by yuppie, overprotective parents) organized soccer leagues. Today, every kid in America plays soccer, but they still DON'T watch it. They watch American sports. My uncle coaches soccer. He says by the time kids reach high school, almost all of them drop soccer for football (or basketball, baseball or lacross).

They have been trying to force soccer down our throats for decades, but it's pointless. We have our own great sports which we love. Soccer is great exercise and fun to play (I play in a female league), but to watch?? Most boring sport in the world.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Very true. Most of us played it in gym class as kids...even way back in the 70s. Since the 80s, kids across America have joined (read: are forced into by yuppie, overprotective parents) organized soccer leagues. Today, every kid in America plays soccer, but they still DON'T watch it. They watch American sports. My uncle coaches soccer. He says by the time kids reach high school, almost all of them drop soccer for football (or basketball, baseball or lacross).

They have been trying to force soccer down our throats for decades, but it's pointless. We have our own great sports which we love. Soccer is great exercise and fun to play (I play in a female league), but to watch?? Most boring sport in the world.no offense Jelly, but what world? yours? the US? because last I checked everywhere else "soccer" is the most watched, so I'd think twice about claiming "in the world".

[Phenomanul]

My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century.... (some of the people on the list would be ranked higher had the marketing media giant we know today - as aided by the internet - existed in their day)....

1) Michael Jordan
2) Pelé
3) Tiger Woods
4) Maradona
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Ronaldo
7) Michael Shumacher
8) Magic Johnson
9) Larry Bird
10) Joe Montana
11) Lance Armstrong
12) Pete Sampras
13) Mickey Mantle
14) Ronaldinho
15) Zinedine Zidane
16) Roger Federer
17) Cal Ripken Jr.
18) Oscar de la Hoya
19) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
20) O.J. Simpson
21) Andre Agassi
22) Yao Ming
23) Dale Earnhart
24) Jerry Rice
25) Wilt Chamberlain
26) Johann Cruyff
27) Bjorn Borg
28) Jack Nicklaus
29) Michel Platini
30) David Beckam
31) Emmitt Smith
32) Franz Beckenbauer
33) Brett Favre
34) Jackie Robinson
35) Sugar Ray Leonard
36) Lou Gehrig
37) Hugo Sánchez
38) Lothar Matthäus
39) Gabriel Batistuta
40) Paolo Maldini

My opinion of course...

[ALVAREZ6]

When LT retires, he'll be up there.


BTW, where's Peyton?

[Marcus Bryant]

Very true. Most of us played it in gym class as kids...even way back in the 70s. Since the 80s, kids across America have joined (read: are forced into by yuppie, overprotective parents) organized soccer leagues. Today, every kid in America plays soccer, but they still DON'T watch it. They watch American sports. My uncle coaches soccer. He says by the time kids reach high school, almost all of them drop soccer for football (or basketball, baseball or lacross).

They have been trying to force soccer down our throats for decades, but it's pointless. We have our own great sports which we love. Soccer is great exercise and fun to play (I play in a female league), but to watch?? Most boring sport in the world.

That's due to the fact that in the states basketball, baseball, and football are force fed to the TV viewer, more than anything else. Before I forget, I cannot think of a more boring televised sport than baseball. At least soccer offers two 45 minute halves of continuous action. Now that there is an established and well-run professional soccer league in the US and there is an opportunity for those American kids who are good enough to make it to get paid, I have a feeling you will see more and more sticking with soccer past their prepubescent years.

That is where the impact of Beckham will be greatest, in elevating the MLS enough globally to raise league revenues enough to raise the average player's salary to rather attractive levels for American talents.

[Jelly]

no offense Jelly, but what world? yours? the US? because last I checked everywhere else "soccer" is the most watched, so I'd think twice about claiming "in the world".

No doubt it is the most watched sport in the world. That is an objective statement and has nothing to do with how exciting it is to watch. If "most watched" is an indication of quality, then moronic reality shows would reign supreme throughout the western world (and for years Baywatch was THE #1 most popular show in the entire world, so that must have been the absolute best, most high quality, exciting program television had to offer).

Like I said, that soccer is the most watched sport is a fact that can't be argued. My statement that soccer is the most boring sport in the world is clearly a subjective viewpoint. That's obvious and shouldn't need explaining.

[Jelly]

That's due to the fact that in the states basketball, baseball, and football are force fed to the TV viewer, more than anything else. Before I forget, I cannot think of a more boring televised sport than baseball. At least soccer offers two 45 minute halves of continuous action. Now that there is an established and well-run professional soccer league in the US and there is an opportunity for those American kids who are good enough to make it to get paid, I have a feeling you will see more and more sticking with soccer past their prepubescent years.

That is where the impact of Beckham will be greatest, in elevating the MLS enough globally to raise league revenues enough to raise the average player's salary to rather attractive levels for American talents.

They're hardly force fed, Marcus. Face it, Americans actually love their sports. I suppose the 60 thousand or so people who pack a football stadium on Saturdays and Sundays are forced there? If people didn't love the sports, they wouldn't watch. In my opinion, America is already blessed with the most exciting sports in the world and there is no chance of any other sport overtaking any of them. Our hosting the world cup 13 years ago didn't even get people into it. Beckham is here as the latest ploy to raise interest in the game, it may become slightly more popular for a short while, but then it will fizzle out pretty quickly as it always does.

[Phenomanul]

They're hardly force fed, Marcus. Face it, Americans actually love their sports. I suppose the 60 thousand or so people who pack a football stadium on Saturdays and Sundays are forced there? If people didn't love the sports, they wouldn't watch. In my opinion, America is already blessed with the most exciting sports in the world and there is no chance of any other sport overtaking any of them. Our hosting the world cup 13 years ago didn't even get people into it. Beckham is here as the latest ploy to raise interest in the game, it may become slightly more popular for a short while, but then it will fizzle out pretty quickly as it always does.


Only because there are other sports owners bent on making sure that soccer doesn't cut into their revenue pie. The media follows suit and keeps soccer out of the limelight. Hence, generation after generation of Americans keep tuning soccer out.

[Phenomanul]

When LT retires, he'll be up there.


BTW, where's Peyton?


Below Troy Aikman and Dan Marino somewhere in my Top 100 list...

[Extra Stout]

Soccer will grow in popularity in the U.S. as its Latin population increases. It will never be one of the major sports, however. That is why the soccer stadiums being built have 20,000-25,000 seats as opposed to the palaces in Europe the size of our American football stadia. Cultures get set in their ways -- that is why a sport that is popular in one country is considered boring in another. Americans prefer sports that involve a lot of scoring. 115-110 basketball games are more popular than 80-75 ones. 38-34 football games are more popular than 14-10 ones.

Soccer will never be a high-scoring sport unless it gets bastardized beyond all recognition.

By the way, CaptMike, the NBA Finals gives the Super Bowl a run for its money year in and year out in terms of global viewership, though 90% of it is outside the United States, as opposed to the Super Bowl, where 95% of it is in the United States.

[DarkReign]

Just like we Americans forsake the metric system for no other reason than spite, we dont watch or like "futbol".

Its an American "superior by being different" complex. Doesnt make it right, but certainly makes it true.

[Marcus Bryant]

They're hardly force fed, Marcus. Face it, Americans actually love their sports. I suppose the 60 thousand or so people who pack a football stadium on Saturdays and Sundays are forced there? If people didn't love the sports, they wouldn't watch. In my opinion, America is already blessed with the most exciting sports in the world and there is no chance of any other sport overtaking any of them. Our hosting the world cup 13 years ago didn't even get people into it. Beckham is here as the latest ploy to raise interest in the game, it may become slightly more popular for a short while, but then it will fizzle out pretty quickly as it always does.

Americans love sports that have an established pro league and however many decades of their parents shoving the game down their throats (as a spectator sport) because their parents did the same. There is nothing exciting about watching a baseball game. Most such affairs are low scoring and dull as hell. Football is king but how many commercial breaks must be squeezed into a broadcast? Ditto for the NBA.

Anyways, look at the current state of the top 3 pro team sport leagues:

A 'roid abuser is about to break MLB's signature all-time record and it is clear that a large number of stars were roided up over the last couple of decades.

The NFL seems to have more of its players in trouble with the law than any other league, with Vick being the latest and greatest.

Now we have a ref shaving points in the NBA. And the NBA has its fair share of miscreants and idiots.

The primary reason soccer has taken a back seat historically has been that a competent pro league never came into existence. Now it has. Soccer matches offer much more continuous action than baseball could ever dream of. And it's uninterrupted. And it's over in 2 hours or less. You can't point to the past with Pele or the '94 World Cup because this situation is considerably different. Also, I'd say now that the MLS offers sports fans a league that doesn't have any of the baggage that the other pro teams sports leagues are dealing with right now.

[Marcus Bryant]

The one barrier to soccer in the states is that the average American sports fan is too lazy and too complacent to change their ways. Following soccer requires some mental effort to get up to speed on the rules of the game, the players, etc...."Low scoring" is a misnomer (see baseball).

[Phenomanul]

Single event buddy. Every year. One game. No one TV show, program, event even comes close. Sure if you want to take a total of all cup games once every 4 years you are going to get more numbers, just like you will every four years for the Olympics. But once a year, every year, more people around the world are tuned into one program more than any other... ever. Hell 50% of US households annually watch the Super Bowl. Can you show where where it says 50% of the world's households as a whole sit down and watch the world cup? Hell, I'm not sure 50% of the world's households HAVE tv to watch it. Super Bowl worldwide estimates are 800 mil-1 bil, every year. Esitmates for the world cup are around 1 - 1.3 bil, once every four years. Supposedly around 3.9 bil tuned into the Olympics in Athens. I guess if you take Super Bowl's 1 bil a year you would have Olympics-like numbers, too. Dwarfing that of soccer.

The US has the #1 watched single sporting event yearly in the Super Bowl.
The US also has the #1 attended spectator event. The Indianapolis 500 is the single largest one-day sporting event in the world, drawing almost one-half million spectators.

The largest crown in soccer history was just under 200k at a game in Rio, I believe. Hell, NASCAR has 10 or so races a year that draw over 200k to it, to include the races at Texas Motor Speedway. Hell, in college football, some teams (Tennessee, Michigan) get over 100k every weekend for college football games.

So, I guess Americans are either xenophopic or have longer attention spans or are able to mentally digest more sports; or some or all.Why is it a put down of America just because the world hasn't figured out how to make their own sports... that don't involve goat heads.

The World Cup Final Game and certain semi-final games draw more viewership than the Super Bowl.... I don't know where you've been getting your numbers....

[Jelly]

The one barrier to soccer in the states is that the average American sports fan is too lazy and too complacent to change their ways. Following soccer requires some mental effort to get up to speed on the rules of the game, the players, etc...."Low scoring" is a misnomer (see baseball).

Why should we change our ways? We're happy with our sports. We love our sports. Change our ways?? What an arrogant suggestion.
You are seriously deluding yourself with most of what you've said in your past few posts. it's fine if you think baseball is boring. I, and millions of others would disagree, but I'm not here to convert people. Besides, I maintain the exact same sentiments about soccer...nothing exciting in watching a ball bounce from man to man to man...often with with no scoring....for 90 minutes. And saying soccer is hard to understand??? Please. Two teams try to get a ball past the opponents goalie. I hardly think following such a game requires any "mental effort" compared to our sports, which are far more complicated and which is probably why some people find them boring. The fact that soccer is continuous only makes it more monotonous and boring to me. Soccer can't match the chess-like strategy behind football. And It takes FAR more viewer education to understand an American football game. Soccer is just too simple and basic for me. Sorry. (and by simple, I am not saying it's simple to play. I've no doubt they're all superb athletes. Doesn't make 'em fun to watch).

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Wait...1 billion people watch the Super Bowl every year?

Are you serious?

It's more like 90-120 million, worldwide.

[cornbread]

Racism, Violence, and Corruption are not present in American sports?

Racism
We've been known to throw bananas at black people too. Our very own Baseline Bums would throw bananas at Daryl Dawkins and dance around in a gorilla suit during his games in SA. A more current example, the entire NASCAR fanbase.
Violence
The last Spurs game I went to concluded with one of the biggest fights I've ever seen going down in the parking lot. Drunk people fight in America too.
Corruption
Do I even have to address this? Boxing? Donaghy? Pete Rose? STERIODS!?

America, fuck yeah!

[tlongII]

pfff... thats because to Americans, the world has a population of 300 million :lol Outside your little world, football superstars are bigger than anything the US has produced, EVER!

Dude, go to China and they will tell you the same thing.

[tlongII]

And by the way, I've been all over the world, including China and that little country known as Argentina and I can say unequivically that MJ and Tiger are biggest sports stars the world has ever known. Everybody the world over knows who they are.

[Marcus Bryant]

Why should we change our ways? We're happy with our sports. We love our sports. Change our ways?? What an arrogant suggestion.
You are seriously deluding yourself with most of what you've said in your past few posts. it's fine if you think baseball is boring. I, and millions of others would disagree, but I'm not here to convert people. Besides, I maintain the exact same sentiments about soccer...nothing exciting in watching a ball bounce from man to man to man...often with with no scoring....for 90 minutes.


There's nothing exciting in watching someone try to hit a ball with a stick with very little scoring and 4 hour games with the action stopping after every f-ing pitch.



And saying soccer is hard to understand??? Please. Two teams try to get a ball past the opponents goalie.


Right, that's all the game is about.



I hardly think following such a game requires any "mental effort" compared to our sports, which are far more complicated and which is probably why some people find them boring.


How is basketball any more complicated using your standard? Put the rock in the hoop. Yay. With 20 different commercial breaks during a game.



The fact that soccer is continuous only makes it more monotonous and boring to me. Soccer can't match the chess-like strategy behind football. And It takes FAR more viewer education to understand an American football game. Soccer is just too simple and basic for me. Sorry. (and by simple, I am not saying it's simple to play. I've no doubt they're all superb athletes. Doesn't make 'em fun to watch).

Actually I said that it would require too much mental effort for the average American sports fan to learn the game. Apparently I was right.

[Phenomanul]

Why should we change our ways? We're happy with our sports. We love our sports. Change our ways?? What an arrogant suggestion.
You are seriously deluding yourself with most of what you've said in your past few posts. it's fine if you think baseball is boring. I, and millions of others would disagree, but I'm not here to convert people. Besides, I maintain the exact same sentiments about soccer...nothing exciting in watching a ball bounce from man to man to man...often with with no scoring....for 90 minutes. And saying soccer is hard to understand??? Please. Two teams try to get a ball past the opponents goalie. I hardly think following such a game requires any "mental effort" compared to our sports, which are far more complicated and which is probably why some people find them boring. The fact that soccer is continuous only makes it more monotonous and boring to me. Soccer can't match the chess-like strategy behind football. And It takes FAR more viewer education to understand an American football game. Soccer is just too simple and basic for me. Sorry. (and by simple, I am not saying it's simple to play. I've no doubt they're all superb athletes. Doesn't make 'em fun to watch).

There are 100's of different schools of thought on soccer strategies... but your average viewer wouldn't even notice them...

I don't see where American Football's million and 1 rules make the sport superior simply because it is more complicated....

Just for the record I enjoy watching both... but I adore and am enthralled to play soccer competitively every time I get that chance.

[Phenomanul]

And by the way, I've been all over the world, including China and that little country known as Argentina and I can say unequivically that MJ and Tiger are biggest sports stars the world has ever known. Everybody the world over knows who they are.


I'm pretty sure everyone knows who Ronaldinho is as well....

[Spurminator]

The merging of sports and tabloids continues.

[Extra Stout]

And saying soccer is hard to understand??? Please. Two teams try to get a ball past the opponents goalie. I hardly think following such a game requires any "mental effort" compared to our sports, which are far more complicated and which is probably why some people find them boring.


Soccer is just too simple and basic for me. Sorry. (and by simple, I am not saying it's simple to play. I've no doubt they're all superb athletes. Doesn't make 'em fun to watch).

Those statements seem quite wrong.

If soccer bores you, it's not because the game isn't complicated enough. Creating scoring opportunities, and defending against them, is very complex.

[Marcus Bryant]

There are 100's of different schools of thought on soccer strategies... but your average viewer wouldn't even notice them...

I don't see where American Football's million and 1 rules make the sport superior simply because it is more complicated....

Just for the record I enjoy watching both... but I adore and am enthralled to play soccer competitively every time I get that chance.


Football's become rather boring to watch. How many stoppages of play (other than on changes of possession and ends of quarters and halves) are there in a typical game due to commercial breaks, timeouts, and replays? Gotta give fans a chance to piss out all of the beer they've consumed, I guess.

[cornbread]

"The Soccer World Cup is still the biggest thing in the world of sports" - David Stern, as pointed out by Phenomanul in another thread.

[Avitus1]

David Beckham is bigger then MJ and MJ is much bigger then Tiger. Every nation in the world has a national soccer team and every nation in the world competes or tries to compete in the World Cup. Everyone outside the US knows who he is, that says enough. While he is not the best player to ever hit the field after all Ronaldo is probably much better then he'll ever be. He's the most marketable for being English. To say he isn't as big as MJ or Tiger is just foolish, and your fooling yourselves. Still if the US wants to save MLS (and it should its laughable compared to other leagues) They really need to try to recruit from outside the US. I'm not saying the teams need to be made up of nothing but foreigners but if each team had 1 or 2 the Americans who play Soccer would learn to elevate there game. Soccer is highly enjoyable and when I do visit England (which is quite often) I always make sure to go see a soccer game, its unlike most sporting events in the US and its hard to understand the atmosphere until you go. Hopefully MLS will one day reach that kind of excitement.

[englishspursfan]

beckham was great for man u ,one of the only a few who has managed to score straight from kick off ,he got a bit lazy imo when he went to madrid but now hes here an friends with tom cruise ive nothing but respect for him an that skinny shit of a wife. :clap

[TDMVPDPOY]

beckham was great for man u ,one of the only a few who has managed to score straight from kick off ,he got a bit lazy imo when he went to madrid but now hes here an friends with tom cruise ive nothing but respect for him an that skinny shit of a wife. :clap

he went down hill when he got married man, then going to madrid his career has been going shit and madrid not winning any titles also helps his cause

[Soul_Patch]

Making 90 Brazillion dollars an hour will make a man fairly lazy i think.


Beckham stopped being a world class footballer when it became more about the money and fame than the sport...

[Otaku]

My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century.... (some of the people on the list would be ranked higher had the marketing media giant we know today - as aided by the internet - existed in their day)....

1) Michael Jordan
2) Pelé
3) Tiger Woods
4) Maradona
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Ronaldo
7) Michael Shumacher
8) Magic Johnson
9) Larry Bird
10) Joe Montana
11) Lance Armstrong
12) Pete Sampras
13) Mickey Mantle
14) Ronaldinho
15) Zinedine Zidane
16) Roger Federer
17) Cal Ripken Jr.
18) Oscar de la Hoya
19) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
20) O.J. Simpson
21) Andre Agassi
22) Yao Ming
23) Dale Earnhart
24) Jerry Rice
25) Wilt Chamberlain
26) Johann Cruyff
27) Bjorn Borg
28) Jack Nicklaus
29) Michel Platini
30) David Beckam
31) Emmitt Smith
32) Franz Beckenbauer
33) Brett Favre
34) Jackie Robinson
35) Sugar Ray Leonard
36) Lou Gehrig
37) Hugo Sánchez
38) Lothar Matthäus
39) Gabriel Batistuta
40) Paolo Maldini

My opinion of course...


How can you put Schumacher on that list and forget about Fangio or Senna??? :bang

[Phenomanul]

How can you put Schumacher on that list and forget about Fangio or Senna??? :bang

Let's just put it this way.... Schumacher has been a winner most of his career and has been in the top 20 highest grossing sportsmen list for the last 10 years or so.

I don't even know who those other two characters are....

[MajorMike]

Wow, that's actually a pretty damn good list.

[Phenomanul]

My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century.... (some of the people on the list would be ranked higher had the marketing media giant we know today - as aided by the internet - existed in their day)....

1) Michael Jordan
2) Pelé
3) Tiger Woods
4) Maradona
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Ronaldo
7) Michael Shumacher
8) Magic Johnson
9) Larry Bird
10) Joe Montana
11) Lance Armstrong
12) Pete Sampras
13) Mickey Mantle
14) Ronaldinho
15) Zinedine Zidane
16) Roger Federer
17) Cal Ripken Jr.
18) Oscar de la Hoya
19) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
20) O.J. Simpson
21) Andre Agassi
22) Yao Ming
23) Dale Earnhart
24) Jerry Rice
25) Wilt Chamberlain
26) Johann Cruyff
27) Bjorn Borg
28) Jack Nicklaus
29) Michel Platini
30) David Beckam
31) Emmitt Smith
32) Franz Beckenbauer
33) Brett Favre
34) Jackie Robinson
35) Sugar Ray Leonard
36) Lou Gehrig
37) Hugo Sánchez
38) Lothar Matthäus
39) Gabriel Batistuta
40) Paolo Maldini

My opinion of course...

And if I had to add names I would probably go with....

From Baseball: Babe Ruth, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nolan Ryan

From Football: Payton Manning, Barry Sanders, Tom Brady, John Elway, Joe Carter, Terry Bradshaw

From Basketball: Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, George Gervin, Charles Barkley, Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, Jason Kidd, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich, Scottie Pippen

From Soccer: Gerd Muller, Franco Baresi, Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel, Marco Van Basten, Romario, Jürgen Klingsmann, Rivelino, Tostao, Oscar Ruggeri, Roberto Baggio, Bobby Moore

From Tennis: Jim Courier

Golf: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer

Other: Michael Phelps

And my biggest blunder of all:
Having ommitted a Top 20 member in Wayne Gretzky

[Otaku]

Let's just put it this way.... Schumacher has been a winner most of his career and has been in the top 20 highest grossing sportsmen list for the last 10 years or so.

I don't even know who those other two characters are....

'nuff said... :pctoss

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Let's just put it this way.... Schumacher has been a winner most of his career and has been in the top 20 highest grossing sportsmen list for the last 10 years or so.

I don't even know who those other two characters are....You don't know who Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna are? Well Fangio is arguably the greatest F1 pilot ever along with Schumacher. Senna was amazing as well, not mention an incredible human being. I believe if he hadn't died in that horrible accident he probably would have been among the greatest ever as well.

[Otaku]

Senna was amazing as well, not mention an incredible human being. I believe if he hadn't died in that horrible accident he probably would have been among the greatest ever as well.

Senna is the greatest ever. Titles are not everything, even less in the way MS got them...

[Phenomanul]

Well considering I started the post with.... "My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century" coupled with the fact that I'd seriously have never heard of these other 'racing greats'; you could see why they were omitted from the list.

Michael Schumacher has built an empire behind him..... one that is visible even to non-racing fans.

Nothing personal...

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

My ranking... as most influential, well-known, famous male athletes of the last half century.... (some of the people on the list would be ranked higher had the marketing media giant we know today - as aided by the internet - existed in their day)....

1) Michael Jordan
2) Pelé
3) Tiger Woods
4) Maradona
5) Muhammad Ali
6) Ronaldo
7) Michael Shumacher
8) Magic Johnson
9) Larry Bird
10) Joe Montana
11) Lance Armstrong
12) Pete Sampras
13) Mickey Mantle
14) Ronaldinho
15) Zinedine Zidane
16) Roger Federer
17) Cal Ripken Jr.
18) Oscar de la Hoya
19) Kareem Abdul Jabbar
20) O.J. Simpson
21) Andre Agassi
22) Yao Ming
23) Dale Earnhart
24) Jerry Rice
25) Wilt Chamberlain
26) Johann Cruyff
27) Bjorn Borg
28) Jack Nicklaus
29) Michel Platini
30) David Beckam
31) Emmitt Smith
32) Franz Beckenbauer
33) Brett Favre
34) Jackie Robinson
35) Sugar Ray Leonard
36) Lou Gehrig
37) Hugo Sánchez
38) Lothar Matthäus
39) Gabriel Batistuta
40) Paolo Maldini

My opinion of course...

Different sporting cultures I guess, but I have absolutely no clue who those in bold are. I could do a Google and look smart, but I won't.

I think some names are missing, like Jonah Lomu, Serge Blanco, Frik Du Preez (rugby union), Valentino Rossi, Michael Doohan (Moto GP), Sebastian Loeb, Tommi Mäkinen (Rallying), Michael Johnson (sprint), etc.

I also think that Hugo Sanchez, Batistuta and Maldini shouldn't be there, they were amazing footballers, but there are some more important missing.

[Phenomanul]

Different sporting cultures I guess, but I have absolutely no clue who those in bold are. I could do a Google and look smart, but I won't.

I think some names are missing, like Jonah Lomu, Serge Blanco, Frik Du Preez (rugby union), Valentino Rossi, Michael Doohan (Moto GP), Sebastian Loeb, Tommi Mäkinen (Rallying), Michael Johnson (sprint), etc.

I also think that Hugo Sanchez, Batistuta and Maldini shouldn't be there, they were amazing footballers, but there are some more important missing.


Like I said, it was a personal list.... but you're right, it stems from a difference in sporting cultures.

As far as Sánchez is concerned... he was a huge icon in Europe, and naturally of the 2nd most populous nation in Latin America - México.

To Hugo Sánchez's detriment he never had the benefit of the massive media hype machine that exists today, including the internet - specifically Youtube.

And unfortunately, Sánchez didn't have the benefit of playing for an elite National Squad - a stage where most footballers have made a name for themselves and where their legacy can be cemented in the pages of history. Nevertheless, Hugo led México to their best World-Cup finish ever (better than the 1970 accomplishment once one considers the number of participating nations in both tourneys).

Now imagine if Hugo Sánchez had played on the Argentinean National team alongside Maradona!!!! Argentina would have likely repeated as World Champions in 1990 and perhaps even taken the cup in 1982. Truth be told, Hugo's biggest detriment was not having been born in Brazil, Argentina, England, Italy, Germany, France or Holland. For had he been born in any of those nations, Hugol would probably be considered one of the best strikers in the history of the game.

Short excerpt from Wikipedia:

After five successful seasons in Mexico, with 99 goals to his name, Sánchez drew the attention of several Spanish sides, and signed with Atlético Madrid in 1981. He turned down an offer to play for Arsenal FC, a prominent English soccer team. It took him a while to find his feet in La Liga, but by the 1984-85 season he was scoring regularly with a team that won the Copa del Rey, finished in second place in the Spanish League and won the Spanish Super Copa. That year Hugo also won his first Pichichi trophy for being the most prolific scorer in the league.

At the high-point of his career, he signed for Real Madrid in 1985 and played with players such as Camacho, Butragueño, Gordillo, Valdano and Míchel. This team won five consecutive league titles (from 1985-86 to 1989-90), the Copa del Rey in 1989, and the UEFA Cup in 1986. During those five years, Sánchez garnered four consecutive Pichichi trophies, scoring 207 goals in 212 games. He scored 27 or more goals in four consecutive seasons between 1986 and 1990, including 38 goals in the 1989-90 season, tying the single-season record set in 1951 by Telmo Zarra and earning the European Golden Boot award to the best scorer in Europe. Overall, he scored 23 goals in 45 European Cup games.


See for yourself.... as many don't remember his game much. His striking ability has yet to be matched on the pitch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYMWTAkJDoE&mode=related&search=

On a sidenote: Goals number 6 and number 2 on that countdown are the reason why Antonio LaVolpe hated Sánchez - as Hugo had guaranteed a score both times. Goal number 2 being the 2nd Bicycle Kick Hugo scored on LaVolpe after LaVolpe had already vowed never to concede another "Chilena" to Hugo.

Think of it this way.... if Beckham had been a 5 time scoring champion in La Liga... some people would consider him a soccer GOD. Scratch that... Nike or Adidas would throw millions of dollars at him... possibly making him their number 1 endorsee. His picture would be everywhere, his contract would be 200 Million dollars plus.... wait a second..... That already is the case for Beckham... and Beckham never won a Pichichi or led any his teams to 5 consecutive championships.... Yeah... that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Just goes to show that some players will always be underrated... even in their legacy. Frankly, I think his place on that list should have been above Beckham's. Then again, as mentioned above, he was never promoted by the propaganda machine and media sensationalism that exists today 'ala Becks and Ronaldinho.

[Phenomanul]

Here's a vid that shows Hugo's route to his record tying 38-goal season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NSWhQ3INiw