Ok, I know this kind of sound dumb but i personally want the opinion of quite a lot of people. I was out with couple of my friends sometimes ago, and we were talking about the greatest sportsmen in history. I then made a declaration that "Tiger woods is one of the most popular sports me". I further went on to say "Tiger woods is more popular than David Beckham" and two of my friends rose against me. We argued this statement for more than two hours. I gave some pointers as to why i think he is more popular than David Beckham, but they wont bulge. being the person i am, i let the case rested until i was watching the E! channel on Satellite TV when a programme tagged "100 most popular celebrities" and tiger woods was ranked No 2 below Oprah Winfrey while Beckham was left on the 15th position. We revisited the argument again and we rambled on and on,

So we all decided to post this question on Nairaland and decide who we( a forum of more than 100,000 people) think is more popular

Is it David Beckham or Tiger Woods?

All comments will be appreciated

D. Beckham is a brand name. . . . He's no longer a sportsman, he's a celebrity!
4 a man who's studied as a course in a higher institution of learning. . . . "Popular" is an understatement!

its a closer call than most wil tink,but i tink its beckam.

Who is beckham ? someone who is not even d most popular @ what he does ? Pls compare Woods with Fedex !

Becks is overated,woods is the best at what he does. simple and short!

jejelolatu:

Becks is overated

Maybe. But he has become a brand. A phenomenum. But
I still think Tiger is more popular.

Akin Alabi

David Beckham is definitely more popular.

Golf is still very much a niche sport, so his Woods' penetration is hampered by his sport's relative unpopularity
compared to Football.

Golf relatively unpopular ? Come off it ! is Becks as popular as any of this 3- Dinho, Ronaldo and Zidane ? Forget the becks' hype and celeb-matrimony with d spice chic, Woods is a phenomenon on and off d turf, especially with the colour and age thingy which he used effectively in storming d Golf world !

Ramble on y'all, I am listening.[/color][color=#990000][/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color]

Erm. . . this is kind of close. 

Comparing Becks and Woods in terms of popularity, Becks takes an edge.  He's more of a celebrity than a sportsman.

But in terms of dominance, Woods takes it.

next some people will say beckam's more popular than shaq and kobe !

wormedup:

next some people will say beckam's more popular than shaq and kobe !

Go to the UK & ask who these guys are and see the responses. . . . . . but where will u go on this earth that D.Beckham is not known!

Mc Omo:

Golf relatively unpopular ? Come off it ! is Becks as popular as any of this 3- Dinho, Ronaldo and Zidane ? Forget the becks' hype and celeb-matrimony with d spice chic, Woods is a phenomenon on and off d turf, especially with the colour and age thingy which he used effectively in storming d Golf world !

if you're talking how much spotlight and recognition an athlete has brought to a particular sport, maybe we should be comparing T. Woods to Fedex, the Williams', Valentino Rossi, M. Schumi, Lance Armstrong and the likes. . . . but not popularity and not with Becks of all people. . . . . . his is one of the the most recognized faces on the planet at the moment. . . . i can bet u that there are places u'll go to and they won't have heard of T. Woods - even in naija here, but Becky. . . . . . . . i never see!

ermm,beckham is more popular than shaq and kobe.were talkin of WORLDWIDE popularity,not US popularity.hes probably more popular dan d both of em put together.Why? Cos whoever knows shaq wil probably no kobe,so its almost like talkin of the same person.

david beckham is a world brand.
he is the most famous sportsman in the world.
u will find beckham's man utd jersey(7) in any part of the world.
beckham's man utd shirt was found on a kid jumping on saddam's statue in iraq in 2003.
beckham is worshipped by millions as a god/deity in some parts of asia(thailand, japan, phi-phi islands).
he is more popular than woods, kobe and shaq put together.
american athletes are only known in america . . . david beckham is known worldwide.
compare america's 250 million viewers to the whole of europe/asia/and half of africa and figure it out.
no one is saying he is more skilful than ronaldinho, ronaldo or zidane, we are talking of his fame.
the paparazzi that surrounded his arrival at the lax airport in california is the largest since the creation of man.

david beckham is awesome.

I think I will go with beckham.



However, the question is how did he become so popular

Your question is as good as asking: "Which is more popular, Football or Golf?

The fact that Football is more appreciated than golf in most countries makes the popularity of David Beckham greater. . I'll go for Beckham

what makes a man popular. . . . . . Its not even about the sports. . . . how good u're on the turf!!! its about the personality, the charisma you exude and Beckie's been headed in the direction of spotlight even before he hooked Vicky spice!

Mc Omo:

Who is beckham ? someone who is not even d most popular @ what he does ?

Lol.  We're talking of David Beckham of England here, not the beckham at Alausa.

Mc Omo:

Please compare Woods with Fedex !

Did you smoke that stuff before making this post?  Beckham is far more popular than these two combined!

wat kind of charisma r u talking about?


Charisma cant make a man that popular?



Moreover, I dont think he will qualify as the most charismatic man on earth.

Uche2nna:

what kind of charisma r u talking about?

Charisma can't make a man that popular?

Moreover, I don't think he will qualify as the most charismatic man on earth.

What makes a C.Ronaldo more popular than a L.Messi
What makes a Jay-z more popular than a Nas
What makes a M.Ali more popular than G.Foreman
What makes JM more popular than Big Sam

it's that li'l something extra that don't even have a thing to do with how u perform!

That guy (beckham ) is more popular than all those dudes put together?


This guy is worshipped in some parts of Asia? Charisma??

Beckham and Woods
are we talking about who is best in what he does or who is known all over

My friend Becks is *50 of Woods. Go to Oshodi and ask who Tiger Woods is and they will stare at you.

for crying out loud !!!

how can Becks be more popular than Tiger Woods

only sports illiterates that believe FOOTBALL IS THE ONLY SPORT will argue in such manner

doesnt it just sound like saying right now Becks is the most popular person in Yankee

What do people see in david beckham? I just dont get it, wetin self,

Becks is most definitely more popular than Tiger Woods. He might not be the best in his sport but he definitely has that thing that draws people to him.

it's that li'l something extra that don't even have a thing to do with how u perform.

WORD.

Tiger Woods

He is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, Woods was the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements.

He is the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on Tour. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus's record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year four times, a record he shares with Lance Armstrong.

Woods is credited with prompting a major surge of interest in the game of golf. Woods doubled attendance and TV ratings, and generated interest among a multicultural audience in a game that used to be considered insular and elitist




David Becks
He was chosen runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year twice, and as recently as 2004 was the world's highest-paid footballer. He was Google's most searched of all sports topics in both 2003 and 2004.Such global recognition has made him an elite advertising brand and a top fashion icon.

In his final UEFA Champions League appearance, Real Madrid were knocked out of the competition (by the away goals rule) on 7 March 2007. Beckham had made a total of 103 appearances in the Champions League, the third highest number of any player at that time

A month after the conclusion of Beckham's Real career, Forbes magazine reported that he had been the party primarily responsible for the team's huge increase in merchandise sales, a total reported to top $600 million US during Beckham's four years at the club

He attended the MLS All-Star Game on 19 July in Denver, Colorado, and on 21 July, he made his Galaxy debut at the Home Depot Center, coming on in the 78th minute in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea F.C. in a match during the World Series of Football tournament. The match saw unprecedented TV coverage from ESPN, who used 19 cameras to cover it, including one trained only on Beckham, even when he was on the bench, and several used for interviewing and showing the many celebrities and dignitaries on hand, including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Beckham did not start the match, and spent just over 16 minutes on the field, at the end of the match. He exited with applause from the crowd and also shared a hug with the man who succeeded him as England captain and scored the winning goal that night, John Terry.

ESPN later announced that the TV audience for that match was five times the normal for an MLS match on their network, setting a network MLS record. In addition, Nielsen Media Research reported that it was the most watched TV program that night by young adult males across the US.


Named Officer in the O[/b]rder of the [b]B[/b]ritish [b]E[/b]mpire by [b]Queen Elizabeth II in 2003
Named United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) "Goodwill Ambassador" (2005–present)
Voted "Britain's Greatest Ambassador" at the Greatest Britons 2007 awards
Named as one of Time magazine's "Time 100 Heroes & Icons"
Listed by Forbes as number 15 on their 2007 list of most influential celebrities, "The Celebrity 100"

Golf isnt as popular as Soccer, Woods is not as popular as Becks. He's not best in soccer but he's a phenomenon in soccer. Ask cappello what he thinks about david and he will say, he has got influence.
He was awarded an OBE for services to football!!!. GERRIT!!