ESPN Ranks World’s Most Famous Athletes, LeBron James Is No. 2

by Jacob KayeMay 31, 2017, 1:55 pmNews, Uncategorized >

Using a formula that factors in endorsements, social media followings, and internet search popularity, ESPN‘s analytics team has created a list for the one hundred most famous athletes in the world. The Cleveland Cavalier’s LeBron James comes in at number two while Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo took the number one spot.

The list, released on Tuesday, is populated most by soccer stars. With 38 soccer players on the list, no other sport even comes close. Major American sports are represented fairly heavily on the list, with 8 football players and 13 basketball players. Not a single baseball player made the list.

Four of the top 10 most famous athletes in the world come from the US – James is second, golfer Phil Mickelson is fifth, Kevin Durant is eighth, and Tiger Woods ranks tenth. In all, 35 of the 100 athletes are from the US.

Gender seems to be an issue on the list, as only eight of the 100 athletes are women. Of those eight, though, five are from the US – Ronda Rousey (16), Serena Williams (19), Simone Biles (48), Hope Solo (75), and Aly Raisman (99).

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ESPN’s director of analytics Ben Alamar, was the creator of the formula. The true workings of the formula are currently unknown – Mickelson, who ranks fifth, has no social media following but does have many large endorsement deals, while Cam Newton has both, but ranks significantly lower, at number 47. It is also unknown if the formula has any way to delineate the difference between fame and infamy – a distinction that may not ultimately matter.

Here is a list of the top twenty athletes on ESPN’s list.