Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux- A Comparison in Parallels

[cybok0]

If I ran into either one, I would turn into a giddy 10 year old. But having grown up in an area of the country where hockey isn't that popular, I'd say this is a pretty fair statement.

Jordan is by far the bigger and more recognizable of the two. I love hockey, but I wouldn't recognize Lemieux if he hit me with a hockey stick. Jordan's "brand" is one of the biggest across the world, along with Tiger Woods.

You've got a point, Jordan is and always will be more popular, but that has a lot to do with the way they were each marketed.
When Jordan was in the NBA (and it's still this way) the marketed the PLAYERS, the NHL markets the TEAMS.

Out of the Three, Tiger is the most recognizable ....
If all three walked into a bar or wherever, I would recognize all three.

Jimbo

I always recognize Mario when I see him on TV.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHJs3VqUpuU"]YouTube - MARIO LEMIEUX top 10[/ame]

 

[Paul Wozniak]

I always recognize Mario when I see him on TV.


YouTube - MARIO LEMIEUX top 10

He'll be the guy not holding the cup when this series is done.

 

[AntAltMike]

Jordan walked by me a couple of times in the Washington, DC, Ritz Carlton, but I didn't recognize him right away because he had a stocking cap pulled down over as much of his head as he could without it blocking his vision.

A few months later, when I was called out at midnight to get his TV reception restored (some numbnuts from Comcast had accidentally disconnected his DirecTV wire while he was out of town) he was most recognizable as the guy puffing on the Havana cigar. I have wealthier customers - and even a more famous one - so I was more interested in just getting in and out. I had a few Sam Bowie zingers formulated just in case anything he said led to a conversation, but they didn't get used.

I think the most recognizable athlete is O.J., since he has the O.J. giant head and the O.J. voice.