# Who would you say are the top 5 most famous sports teams in the world. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 5, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804 "2011-05-05T03:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/61 "2011-05-05T15:11:56Z")
Dude, walk into any sporting goods store outside the US and you will see jerseys for Man U, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. American teams? Not so much. To be honest, it’s the Barcelona jerseys I notice the most, but maybe that’s because they have such a distinctive color scheme. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/62 "2011-05-05T15:14:06Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > And seeing that that is the question being asked would you like to reconsider? Not really. I’m vaguely aware of some team called the “All Blacks”, but I do not know what sport they play, nor could I name any players on the team. I think Real Madrid is a soccer team. Beyond that, I know almost nothing about European/Asian/Australian/Other teams. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/63 "2011-05-05T15:15:31Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > Hmm, never though of the Globe Trotters, but you might be on to something. Basketball is the most watched sport in the world and as the name indicates, the Globetrotters are famous all over the world because they travel and play exhibitions everywhere. I would still put them below the Yankees, Cowboys and Lakers (all household names globally and multibillion dollar enterprises), but definitely above Manchester United. > > I don’t mean to be obtuse, but no way is Manchester United more famous outside of Europe than the Lakers or Cowboys are more famous outside the USA. > > Who do you think your avarage Chinese or Indian person has heard of: Manchester United (I assume its fans are mostly English) or the Lakers (whose star Kobe is one of the most famous athletes in China). Manchester United is a “household name” and a “multi-billion dollar” enterprise - no less than two people in this thread, including myself, have linked to a Forbes Magazine ranking of the most valuable sports franchises, a ranking which has Man. U. as #1. I guaran-damn-tee you that more Indians have heard of Man. U. than the Lakers or Cowboys. Have you never seen the Indian film [Bend it Like Beckham](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/)? ---
**Author:** ![Rondembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@Rondembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rondembo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/64 "2011-05-05T15:17:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Dude, walk into any sporting goods store outside the US and you will see jerseys for Man U, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. American teams? Not so much. > > To be honest, it’s the Barcelona jerseys I notice the most, but maybe that’s because they have such a distinctive color scheme. I don’t think that’s true at all, I went into a sporting goods store in Canada and Mexico and saw no soccer teams other than national team jerseys (mostly Brazil and Italy), but there were plenty of NFL, MLB and NBA jerseys. The Lakers and Yankees jerseys were prominently displayed, but no soccer jerseys except those at the back mostly in small sizes. I don’t think any soccer team sells as much merchandise and jerseys as the Yankees, most people can instantly tell you what the Yankees logo or the Lakers logo looks like while very few can tell you a single soccer team logo other than the world cup logo. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/65 "2011-05-05T15:19:19Z")
Well, with that level of research (clothing stores in _two_ countries? Both that border the US? The mind boggles… ) I have no choice but withdraw, beaten, from this discussion. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/66 "2011-05-05T15:19:47Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Dude, walk into any sporting goods store outside the US and you will see jerseys for Man U, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. American teams? Not so much. > > To be honest, it’s the Barcelona jerseys I notice the most, but maybe that’s because they have such a distinctive color scheme. I think I see more kids wearing Lionel Messi 19 Barca tops than all US sports shirts combined. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/67 "2011-05-05T15:21:02Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > I don’t think that’s true at all, I went into a sporting goods store in Canada and Mexico and saw no soccer teams other than national team jerseys (mostly Brazil and Italy), but there were plenty of NFL, MLB and NBA jerseys. The Lakers and Yankees jerseys were prominently displayed, but no soccer jerseys except those at the back mostly in small sizes. I don’t think any soccer team sells as much merchandise and jerseys as the Yankees, most people can instantly tell you what the Yankees logo or the Lakers logo looks like while very few can tell you a single soccer team logo other than the world cup logo. Canada and Mexico likely aren’t good examples, as both of them are neighbors to the U.S., and are more strongly influenced by American media than, say, South America or Europe. At any rate, you clearly have your belief, and despite posters from both the U.S. and abroad telling you that you’re mistaken (in some cases with numbers), you don’t care. Enjoy; I’m out of here. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/68 "2011-05-05T15:21:27Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I think I see more kids wearing Lionel Messi 19 Barca tops than all US sports shirts combined. Well, maybe. But I bet you didn’t see these kids in Toronto sportswear stores, did ya? Huh? HUH?!?!? I thought not! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/69 "2011-05-05T15:22:27Z")
No matter where we live, we often have a distorted idea of how famous or popular our favorite celebrities, sports teams, musicians, actors, etc. are outside our own social circles (never mind outside our home countries). How do you determine the “most famous” ANYTHING? Is it a matter of “how many people in the world have ever heard of this, even if it sounds only vaguely familiar”? Or do we require that people actually know and care a great deal about it? On one hand, there are FAR more people in both India and China than in the United States. So, a national icon in either of those countries is known and recognized by far more people than even a major American celebrity. But if that person is known ONLY in India or China, can we really say that person is “the most famous person in the world”? Now, there is no doubt that, internationally, soccer is far more popular than baseball, basketball or American football. There are FAR more people in the world who could name the starters for Manchester United than there are who could name the starters for the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys. On the other hand, many American athletes and teams are so associated with American pop culture, that billions of people have at LEAST a passing acquaintance with them, even if those people aren’t exactly sure who they are or what they do or how their sport works. To THAT extent, some American sports teams are “famous,” perhaps more “famous” than soccer teams that have a far greater number of serious fans. Even a kid in Mumbai who doesn’t know or care a bit about baseball may wear a New York Yankees cap, just because he thinks it looks cool. I’ve SEEN kids in Ireland wearing Dallas Cowboys jerseys, even though none of them could name a single player for that team. So, hypothetically, lets say 2 billion people in this world are avid soccer fans and only 500 million are baseball fans (I’m making up these numbers, obviously). That would mean there are far more people who follow Manchester United and Real Madrid internationally than there are who follow the New York Yankees or Dallas Cowboys. But even people who coudn’t care less about American sports sort of know who the Yankees and Cowboys are. Hence, the Yankees or Cowboys Might be “more famous.” There are different types and different levels of fame here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/70 "2011-05-05T15:22:34Z")
I’ll base mine on what sports tops I’ve seen sold in multiple European countries, Mexico and the US, in street kiosks as well as in proper sporting goods stores In no particular order: 1. Manchester United 2. Inter Milan 3. NY Yankees 4. Barcelona (those Lionel Messi shirts are sure popular) 5. Real Madrid ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/71 "2011-05-05T15:23:17Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > A much more reasonable list. For all the Europeans posting soccer teams like “Real” Madrid and Barcelona, I bet most of the world has heard of the Cowboys and Lakers way way more than those little soccer teams. Seriously, when did ESPN ever feature a segment on “Real” Madrid? Europe has quite a large population and a very high percentage of people would have heard of Real Madrid. Then you can think of the percentage of people in South America, Africa and Asia where soccer is very popular. I really don’t think you understand how popular soccer is outside the US. It is without question the most popular sport in the world. The big Euro clubs would have name recognition waybeyond the US ones with the possible exception of the Yankees due to tv, movies etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rondembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@Rondembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rondembo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/72 "2011-05-05T15:23:27Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Manchester United is a “household name” and a “multi-billion dollar” enterprise - no less than two people in this thread, including myself, have linked to a Forbes Magazine ranking of the most valuable sports franchises, a ranking which has Man. U. as #1. > > I guaran-damn-tee you that more Indians have heard of Man. U. than the Lakers or Cowboys. Have you never seen the Indian film [Bend it Like Beckham](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/)? Those rankings are dominated by NFL teams like Redskins, so by your logic the Redskins should be more famous worldwide than the Yankees. Its just not true, valuation is not what its about, its about global media exposure and cultural penetration. America dominates the global media, our culture is exported worldwide and our movies, tv shows and sports shows sold to a global audience. You will see plenty of Hollywood characters or TV show characters wear NFL or NBA, which get broadcast around the world. For example, Tom Cruise may wear a Yankees hat in the War of the Worlds movie which will be seen by millions around the world, but he’d never wear a soccer jersey. It’s not that baseball or football is more popular worldwide than soccer, soccer is more popular because its cheaper, but our globally dominant media ensures that mainstream American sports get more exposure worldwide through films and tv shows and music videos than soccer. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/73 "2011-05-05T15:23:30Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I think I see more kids wearing Lionel Messi 19 Barca tops than all US sports shirts combined. Sounds believable, the kids and Messi are about the same size. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/74 "2011-05-05T15:26:29Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > Those rankings are dominated by NFL teams like Redskins, so by your logic the Redskins should be more famous worldwide than the Yankees. Its just not true, valuation is not what its about, its about global media exposure and cultural penetration. > > America dominates the global media, our culture is exported worldwide and our movies, tv shows and sports shows sold to a global audience. You will see plenty of Hollywood characters or TV show characters wear NFL or NBA, which get broadcast around the world. For example, Tom Cruise may wear a Yankees hat in the War of the Worlds movie which will be seen by millions around the world, but he’d never wear a soccer jersey. It’s not that baseball or football is more popular worldwide than soccer, soccer is more popular because its cheaper, but our globally dominant media ensures that mainstream American sports get more exposure worldwide through films and tv shows and music videos than soccer. And despite all that money poured in, the world, by large, has not taken on American football or baseball. While football, the “cheaper” variant, dominates every other sport. Seems like you dont know how to use your money. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/75 "2011-05-05T15:39:10Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Manchester United is a “household name” and a “multi-billion dollar” enterprise - no less than two people in this thread, including myself, have linked to a Forbes Magazine ranking of the most valuable sports franchises, a ranking which has Man. U. as #1. > > I guaran-damn-tee you that more Indians have heard of Man. U. than the Lakers or Cowboys. Have you never seen the Indian film [Bend it Like Beckham](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/)? _Indian_ film? It’s British, featuring British-Asian actors (and Keira Knightley). But yes, Man U are huge in India. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/76 "2011-05-05T15:39:33Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Not really. I’m vaguely aware of some team called the “All Blacks”, but I do not know what sport they play, nor could I name any players on the team. I think Real Madrid is a soccer team. Beyond that, I know almost nothing about European/Asian/Australian/Other teams. And therein lies the problem I think. The big US sports are only really big news in the US. Sports such as soccer have a larger geographical reach. Were you to go around all the countries of the world, grab a random hundred people and ask them to name 5 famous sporting teams you can put your house on the fact that soccer teams are going to be well represented at the top of that list. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/77 "2011-05-05T15:39:41Z")
It amuses me that people are responding to Rondembo. I am amused. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/78 "2011-05-05T15:43:23Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > _Indian_ film? It’s British, featuring British-Asian actors (and Keira Knightley). > > But yes, Man U are huge in India. It’s a British film? My wife told me it was Indian (during her Bollywood phase). I guess she was going by the directors name, and not the actual production information. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/79 "2011-05-05T15:43:30Z")
> [@Rondembo](#): > > Who do you think your avarage Chinese or Indian person has heard of: Manchester United (I assume its fans are mostly English) or the Lakers (whose star Kobe is one of the most famous athletes in China). Mate, Man U are so big in China, that they even have Chinese companies buying advertising space on their pitch side ad hoardings, advertising chinese products in chinese. Perhaps you’d care to peruse Man Utd’s official website in China: [http://www.manunited.com.cn/](http://www.manunited.com.cn/) Manchester United has an estimated a global fanbase of roughly 330million, 190 million fans alone from Asia. That’s actual fans, not just people who might’ve heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Rondembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@Rondembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rondembo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804/80 "2011-05-05T15:55:08Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Mate, Man U are so big in China, that they even have Chinese companies buying advertising space on their pitch side ad hoardings, advertising chinese products in chinese. Perhaps you’d care to peruse Man Utd’s official website in China: [http://www.manunited.com.cn/](http://www.manunited.com.cn/) > > Manchester United has an estimated a global fanbase of roughly 330million, 190 million fans alone from Asia. That’s actual fans, not just people who might’ve heard of them. Right, and they also say that the world cup has an “estimated” viewership of a billion viewers, when its been proven to actually be 250 million. If you seriously think 330 million watch soccer, let alone a single soccer team then you are delusional. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-you-say-are-the-top-5-most-famous-sports-teams-in-the-world/580804.md?page=5)