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Originally Posted by Writehooks
I live and work (as a sportswriter) in China, where the NBA reigns supreme and Jordan is still phenomenally popular. That said, MJ's appeal doesn't hold a candle to Ali's in the world's most populous nation. People here -- all age groups, from middle school kids to octagenarians -- recognize Jordan as a great athlete, but that's it. Ali, as he did in so many other corners of the globe, struck a chord with the Chinese as both a great athlete and as a great human being, whose imapact outside the ring was even more impressive than what he accomplished as a boxer. That's not likely to change -- here, or anywhere else on the planet. For my money, Ali will always be No 1 in global terms, with Pele, Jordan and Tiger Woods also in the conversation. Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky barely register on the scale, outside North America. BTW: As a Canadian, I feel confident in predicting that no hockey jersey -- not Gretzky's rookie, not Orr's, not Gordie Howe's -- will ever sell for more than the $1.3 million it took four years ago to acquire Paul Henderson's 1972 Team Canada jersey from the fabled "Summit Series" against the USSR.
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Thanks for the insight. These are great points, and I agree that Ali's fame is unmatched around the world. The only thing I question is whether or not this actually transfers over into the memorabilia market. While Ali's appeal is second to none worldwide, his memorabilia still doesn't hold a candle to Babe Ruth. Right after Ali's death, when his memorabilia was on fire and he was in the news every day, I believe the highest price paid for one of his items was $606,000 for his gloves worn in the "Fight of the Century" bout against Frazier at Madison Square Garden.
This is a far cry from the $717,000 paid for Babe Ruth's 1921 59th home run bat, the $996,000 for his Red Sox/Yankees trade agreement contract, the $1.2 million for his 1923 bat used to hit the first HR at Yankee Stadium, the $4.2 million paid for his 1920 Yankees jersey, etc. etc.