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.
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