How well-known are these all-time great sports figures?

[darwinbulldog]

Is your definition of "the general population" closer to 300 million people or 7.5 billion people?

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Is your definition of "the general population" closer to 300 million people or 7.5 billion people?

I was thinking United States, so 300 million.

[JollyElm]

As the saying goes, never underestimate the stupidity of the American people.
When you are out and about, try casually asking random people (at the checkout counter, in McDonald's, etc.) about some of the people on your list, especially (aside from the names that would obviously be lesser known) players like Roberto Clemente, Rocky Marciano, Pele and others. I'm thinking familiarity with many of those guys will be significantly lower than you imagine. Older people, of course, will look at you like you're stupid, but the relatively younger ones?? I'm sure you'll get a lot of blank stares (but the moment you say 'Rocky,' most people will immediately say, "He's a boxer, right?").

[ls7plus]

I don't know about the percentages, but I was familiar with all of them, which I don't think is any great feat. Probably most sports fans who also collect sports cards can say the same.

Best wishes,

Larry

[bnorth]

My guess would be Ali and Ruth would be around 90% and all others wouldn't be half of your estimate.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by bnorth

My guess would be Ali and Ruth would be around 90% and all others wouldn't be half of your estimate.

I agree....if that, in fact. I would bet that less than 25% of current Americans know who Lou Gehrig was....and many of those would reply something like "you mean the disease?"

[h2oya311]

I’m embarrassed to say that i don’t even know who George Mikan is. I do know Vezina only because of our fellow Net54 member with his card as an avatar. I’m too lazy to even look him up right now. Haha!

Aside from Ruth and Cobb (and maybe Wagner / Cy Young), I doubt my wife could name one other pre-war baseball player. She’d maybe know five names on your entire list. I’ll ask her tonight to verify/refute my intuition. Might quickly get the percentages significantly lower if she’s representative of the general female population. She would know Mantle and a few others just because her dad liked them growing up (she’s 36). Yogi Berra (not listed) would probably also be higher than the prototypical HOfer because of his yogi-isms.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

I’m embarrassed to say that i don’t even know who George Mikan is. I do know Vezina only because of our fellow Net54 member with his card as an avatar. I’m too lazy to even look him up right now. Haha!

Aside from Ruth and Cobb (and maybe Wagner / Cy Young), I doubt my wife could name one other pre-war baseball player. She’d maybe know five names on your entire list. I’ll ask her tonight to verify/refute my intuition. Might quickly get the percentages significantly lower if she’s representative of the general female population. She would know Mantle and a few others just because her dad liked them growing up (she’s 36). Yogi Berra (not listed) would probably also be higher than the prototypical HOfer because of his yogi-isms.

George Mikan's card from the 1948 Bowman set is one of the iconic basketball cards in the hobby. A PSA 10 sold for $403,000 a few years ago.

Bill Russell has often said that Mikan was his hero growing up.

https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/ba...mikan-69/3629/

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

George Mikan's card from the 1948 Bowman set is one of the iconic basketball cards in the hobby. A PSA 10 sold for $403,000 a few years ago.

Bill Russell has often said that Mikan was his hero growing up.

https://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/ba...mikan-69/3629/

He surpassed him, and then some, pretty quickly.

[Rookiemonster]

GRETZKY!

Cal Ripken

I don’t think most people even know current stars.

[PowderedH2O]

I am a high school teacher. Kids will ask me to listen to their music. I NEVER recognize the artists. They always ask me the same question: "How can you not know who this is?"

So, I am never surprised when people don't recognize the athletes that I know so well, because I don't know the young stars that are so important to them.

[Bill77]

Just thought this would be fun to answer as honestly as I can as to who I knew of when I was 20 and who I know now that I am 40.

Babe Ruth 99% Y/Y
Muhammad Ali 99% Y/Y
Jackie Robinson 99% Y/Y
Pele 99% N/Y
Lou Gehrig 95% Y/Y
Mickey Mantle 95% Y/Y
Joe Frazier 80% Y/Y
Roberto Clemente 80% Y/Y
Joe DiMaggio 75% Y/Y
Ty Cobb 75% Y/Y
Shoeless Joe Jackson 60% Y/Y
Wilt Chamberlain 50% Y/Y (I remember him more from Conan the Destroyer)
Bill Russell 50% N/Y
Jack Dempsey 30% N/Y
Joe Louis 30% Y/Y (Again a movie reference Coming to America)
Rocky Marciano 30% Y/Y (See above)
Jim Thorpe 30% N/Y
Jack Johnson 25% N/Y
A.J. Foyt 25% Y/Y
Richard Petty 25% Y/Y
Honus Wagner 15% Y/Y
Satchel Paige 15% Y/Y
George Mikan 10% N/N
Rogers Hornsby 3% N/Y
Christy Mathewson 3% N/Y
Walter Johnson 3% N/Y
Bobby Jones 2% N/N
Bronko Nagurski 2% N/Y
Josh Gibson 2% N/Y
Georges Vezina 1% N/N

[TanksAndSpartans]

The football fans I know don't have much sense of history. I have a photo of Halas and Nagurski and none have recognized either, but have at least heard of Halas once I explain the photo. Forget the general population, I would say only about 1% of football fans have any sense of anything that happened before the 1st Super Bowl.

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by TanksAndSpartans

The football fans I know don't have much sense of history. I have a photo of Halas and Nagurski and none have recognized either, but have at least heard of Halas once I explain the photo. Forget the general population, I would say only about 1% of football fans have any sense of anything that happened before the 1st Super Bowl.

John, I'd have to disagree with the bolded portion of your quote. All my guy friends, save for one, are football fans, and I think most all of them at least know some of the more famous names of the pre-Super Bowl era.

I pulled up a list of the greatest players of the pre-Super Bowl era I found on Bleacher Report, listed by decade, and I know a majority of them. The ones I've bolded, I've at least heard of.

The 1920s

1. Red Grange
2. Jim Thorpe
3. Ernie Nevers
4. Paddy Driscoll
5. George Trafton
6. Mike Michalske
7. Cal Hubbard
8. Pete Henry
9. Joe Guyon
10. Link Lyman

The 1930s

1. Don Hutson
2. Bronko Nagurski
3. Mel Hein
4. Dutch Clark
5. Clarke Hinkle
6. Arnie Herber
7. Johnny "Blood" McNally
8. Dan Fortmann
9. Joe Stydahar
10. Cliff Battles

The 1940s

1. Sammy Baugh
2. Steve Van Buren
3. Sid Luckman
4. Bulldog Turner
5. Bill Dudley
6. George McAfee
7. Tony Canadeo
8. Charley Trippi
9. Marion Motley
10. Bob Waterfield

The 1950s
4 OF 10
1. Otto Graham
2. Dick "Night Train" Lane
3. Chuck Bednarik
4. Gino Marchetti
5. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch
6. Johnny Unitas
7. Jim Brown
8. Emlen Tunnell
9. Sam Huff
10. Norm Van Brocklin


The 1960s

1. Jim Brown
2. Johnny Unitas
3. Dick Butkus
4. David "Deacon" Jones
5. Gale Sayers
6. Bart Starr
7. Forrest Gregg
8. Ray Nitschke
9. Bob Lilly
10. Merlin Olsen

[JustinD]

Have to admit I am one of those who only knows Vezina from an avatar also.

I knew everyone else fairly well, but I am also leaning toward the majority of folks having no idea. I would think many have heard of Babe Ruth, however if I just showed a photo and asked who it was, I would think the correct answer may be less than half of respondents on a really good day.

I think the Mikan thing may just be not as much interest in early NBA, much like my Vezina knowledge. My 17 year-old son has a 52' Mikan Wheaties card and a framed auto in his card display and can bet he could list off at least 5 minutes of facts and stats for him to anyone who asked.

It's just what folks deem important to themselves. I would assume my vintage sports knowledge is fairly down the list of importance to most people. I can't identify a soul if I pick up checkout magazine of rumors, however my wife can tell you every last one and their dating history.

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

John, I'd have to disagree with the bolded portion of your quote. All my guy friends, save for one, are football fans, and I think most all of them at least know some of the more famous names of the pre-Super Bowl era.

I pulled up a list of the greatest players of the pre-Super Bowl era I found on Bleacher Report, listed by decade, and I know a majority of them. The ones I've bolded, I've at least heard of.

The 1920s

1. Red Grange
2. Jim Thorpe
3. Ernie Nevers
4. Paddy Driscoll
5. George Trafton
6. Mike Michalske
7. Cal Hubbard
8. Pete Henry
....

Ironically, Cal Hubbard is in the baseball HOF as an umpire.

[PowderedH2O]

My 43 year old wife knew every name until Jack Johnson. Then missed only the last five. She even knew Pele, Richard Petty, and Jack Dempsey. She's a keeper.