Most beloved living legend?

[Snapolit1]

No offense but Ripkin couldn’t be picked out of a lineup by 99.999% of Americans. Baseball fans will remember his record. Most people won’t.

Would have been Ali before he died. He was on a separate realm. Today could be Shaq due to his size and uniqueness.

Think about all the publicity when Ali died. CNN broadcast his funeral for hours. Do you think Bobby Orr or Cal Ripken are even in the same celebrity universe as that. Nope. By that standard might well be Tiger Woods. He won some tournament last week I never heard of and it was massive news.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

No offense but Rivkin couldn’t be picked out of a lineup by 99.999% of Americans. Baseball fans will remember his record. Most people won’t.

Would have been Ali before he died. He was on a separate realm. Today could be Shaq due to his size and uniqueness.

Think about all the publicity when Ali died. CNN broadcast his funeral for hours. Do you think Bobby Orr or Cal Ripken are even in the same celebrity universe as that. Nope. By that standard might well be Tiger Woods. He won some tournament last week I never heard of and it was massive news.

Ali literally could not go anywhere without being instantly recognized and mobbed. To be sure, an interesting transformation from a man who at times behaved deplorably to a world icon, but he certainly had the intelligence and charisma and gift of connecting to people to pull it off.

I just don't see Woods in that role. He doesn't have the outsize personality or the human touch of an Ali.

[frankbmd]

I think everybody knows the legendary Pete Rose, but I guess the word legend is associated more frequently with positive connotations rather than negative ones.

Pete had both, so I guess they cancel out. Nevertheless I don’t consider it outrageous to at least mention him, before nominating Jack The Ripper or the Boston Strangler.

No Net54 thread would be complete without a Pete.

[Prof_Plum]

I think Barkley and Shaq are media driven goofballs. If I'm picking a living legend (as in somebody I'd like to meet) from the NBA it'd be somebody more akin to Bill Russell or Jerry West.

[Snapolit1]

It's an interesting question and interesting seeing how much local bias seeps into such a discussion. Brooks Robinson? Are you kidding me. C'mon. I'm a Met fan. I'd stop dead in my tracks if I saw Tom Seaver, but he's not some widely beloved figure. Sandy Koufax? A complete enigma with ZERO public presence (intentionally of course).

Maybe the bottom line is there isn't one today. Would prob be an Olympian, as they don't really have an "opposing" team so to speak. Michael Phelps is pretty well known, but not beloved.

[buymycards]

Being a Wisconsinite, I would have picked Bart Starr if he was still alive. Also, showing my bias, I would put Robin Yount right up there.

Serena and Venus Williams come to mind. Lance Armstrong could have been a contender. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.? Simone Biles?

I can't come up with anyone who really stands out from the crowd.

[JackW]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

No offense but Ripkin couldn’t be picked out of a lineup by 99.999% of Americans.

True. A lot of people can't even spell his last name correctly.

[Touch'EmAll]

Joe Montana, Nolan Ryan. Not necessarily beloved, but most respected - Hank Aaron.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by JackW

True. A lot of people can't even spell his last name correctly.

Interesting. Doesn't appear to be spelled wrong.

[jchcollins]

Nolan Ryan has to be pretty high on the list. The baseball message boards on Facebook are enamored with him; you risk getting into a very ugly discussion if you insinuate the least negative thing about our all-time K / no-no leader.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Interesting. Doesn't appear to be spelled wrong.

Steve- Ripkin is spelled Ripken , though Shaq is not spelled Shac .

is 50 a 'D' or a high 'F'?

.

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Michael Jordan

[commishbob]

Don’t know about the ‘most’ part but Vin Scully is one I’d consider a legend and I think he’s beloved.

[SAllen2556]

if you go by name recognition, reputation with the public, and overall excellence in his sport, I think it's got to be Jack Nicklaus. I would say Hank Aaron but Nicklaus has been, through the years, much more visible in public. Michael Jordan is more famous but I'm not sure the "beloved" title fits him as well.

Just watching Nicklaus win the Masters in '86 was enough for me.

In Detroit it would be Al Kaline. He's the very definition of "beloved" here.