Settle bet - most famous US athlete, all time

[jp1216]

I went down this path with a 20 something year old 'sports guy' I worked with last month. His last name was Cobb - so naturally I asked him if he was related to Ty Cobb. Blank Stare. Ok maybe he didn't grow up in a sports family... I asked if ANYONE had ever asked him this question - 'yeah a few times but I don't know why'....

That led me to dig deeper. Babe Ruth - not a clue. I didn't strike gold until I mentioned Griffey and Jordan. So anything pre-1980 was dinosaurs and cavemen to this guy. He does know his sports though - just nothing more than 40 years ago. He did know every NFL, MLB, NBA champion, MVP, #1 pick etc from the past 15 years.

I didn't mention Ali - but I'd bet he didn't know.

He did also know Jackie - but only from the movie 42...

So to settle this kind of bet - I'd vote Jordan.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by jp1216

I went down this path with a 20 something year old 'sports guy'...

Anyone who has never heard of Cobb or Ruth does not meet my definition of a "sports guy."

But then, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for shiny, newly printed cardboard doesn't meet my definition of "investment."

[Republicaninmass]

Caitlyn Jenner. Over 15 million "followers"

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Caitlyn Jenner. Over 15 million "followers"

Michael Jordan does not do social media I believe but one of his sneakers has 28 million followers.

[G1911]

It was once Ali, but it is almost certainly Jordan now, more for the sneakers that are one of the most globally recognized symbols of American culture than his immense skill.

[edtiques]

I can't think of anyone close in football. Brady's probably the most well known but he's not at Jordan's level. Not even close.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

It was once Ali, but it is almost certainly Jordan now, more for the sneakers that are one of the most globally recognized symbols of American culture than his immense skill.

Jordan shoe revenue
When the 2023 Nike fiscal year ended in May, Jordan accumulated $6.6 billion in revenue.
This is its highest total revenue to date. It also signifies a staggering 29.4% increase from the $5.1 billion mark the recent year.
Compared to its revenue in the 2016 fiscal year, which tallied $2.8 billion, the Jordan brand has grown by over 135%.
Surprisingly, while most brands suffered losses during the pandemic in 2020, the Jordan footwear brand raked in $4.8 billion and enjoyed a 29.7% growth—the brand’s highest jump since 2016.
Even in 2021, Jordan’s revenue showed steady gains with a 6.3% increase, totaling $4.8 billion by the end of the fiscal year.
The only time the revenues plummeted for the past seven years was recorded in 2018 when the Jordan brand scored $2.9 billion, 6.5% lower than the $3.1 billion total sales in 2017.