David Beckham and Simon Cowell

[slipnslide]

Just a random thought that I had recently...

Who do you consider to be more successful, Becks or the Sultan of Insult? Beckham is the most famous man in Britain, and probably Asia also. But the one place that leaves him wanting more is America, where he is relatively unknown.

Cowell has enjoyed enormous success in England, and also has achieved great success in America.

[rgrayson]

I beg to differ- Beckham is very widely know in America. Well at least in the area where i live- NY, NJ, CT. Come to think of it I'd say 90% of people I know well, know who beckham is. Id say maybe 70 know who simon is. (You are talking about the american idol guy right?)

[kevruth]

I would think it would be obvious what the answer would be. American Idol is watched by far more people than all of the viewers who have seen any form of soccer on television here in the States. In my office alone 90% of the people know who Simon Cowell is and I've got TalkSport and Five Live blaring out of my office all day long.

In fact a couple of weeks ago at lunch we were watching Millionaire when one of the questions was about David Beckham. They all shrugged their shoulders as to who he was.

I also get a lot of questions from people who this Beckham is in the movie "Bend It Like Beckham."

Trust me few people over here know who he is unless you bring up Posh Spice.

[astabooty]

cowell has the USA, beckham has the rest of the world.

[skipshady]

Cowell is obviously bigger, but around here, you can't go anywhere without seeing the "Impossible is Nothing" adidas ads with Beckham.

[MetroAndAGuinessPlz]

Very few non-soccer fans know who Beckham is, at least in my experience.

[Achtung]

Yeah I think in general Cowell is way more popular. If you've heard of American Idol, you've probably heard of Cowell. But you pretty much have to either care about soccer or have seen Bend It Like Beckham to know who Becks is.

[galaxybg]

give it a year or two - adidas is spending a ton of $$$ promoting becks in the US. there has been a 80 foot tall billboard of him on the side of a hyatt hotel on sunset blvd in Hollywood...simon cowell will NEVER get that kind of hype.

american idol will be gone in a few years, beckham and his legend will still be growing in popularity in the US

[nyrmetros]

Everyone in my college knows that David beckham is a soccer player in Europe either in England or Spain. Even the soccer haters know who he is. Even the sports haters know who he is.

[Justin O]

Very few non-soccer fans know who Beckham is, at least in my experience.

Wow, your experiences are far different from mine. Everyone I know who is a sports fan knows very well who David Beckham is. His transfer saga and first days at Real seemed to receive almost daily coverage on Sportscenter. And rest assured, any goal he scores at Euro 2004, apart from a penalty, will be one of the "Plays of the Day" on Sportscenter simply because of who he is. Moreover, I'd say nearly every recreational soccer player in America (most of whom don't fit the Bigsoccer definition of "soccer people") has heard of him, even if they have never watched him play. In that sense, his fame inside the US is much like Michael Jordan's fame outside the US in the 90s - famous name/celebrity, though many have neither seen him play nor can they tell you anything terribly meaningful about his career.

As for the post about people knowing about him because of Posh Spice, that's crazy. Does anyone in the US even remember Posh Spice?

[Greddy]

Am I the only one who doesn't want Beckham to be a star in the US? Fu** him. We have freddy Adu:)

[Fevernova99]

Am I the only one who doesn't want Beckham to be a star in the US? Fu** him. We have freddy Adu:)

Who the F*** is Freddy Adu...please list his accomplishments here...

Anyways like most people here, in the US most will know Simon, even if you dont watch the show you prob saw or have heard about the insults he dishes out at hopeless contestants. Becks rules the rest of the world.

I dont know if Beckham is the most widely know player...Ronaldo is very popular and has been more famous longer.

[SABuffalo786]

Who the F*** is Freddy Adu...please list his accomplishments here...




Youngest sports professional in modern American history, Recipient of MLS' highest salary plus a million dollar contract from Nike. Sponsorship deals with Sierra Mist and Campbells Soup. Graduating High School at age 15. Having Europe's elite clubs falling over each other to try and get you. Currently one of the top goal scorers on DC United.

[vabeacher]

Went to a party this week at a Brit family's house. They started with a party game, in which they slap a name of a celebrity on everyone's back and you have to guess who you are by mingling and asking yes or no questions of other party goers. I happened to be David Beckam. Most Americans had no idea of who I was, while all Europeans knew me. I had Americans tell me that they thought I was a film star. Once I had a pretty good idea of who I was I was asking people if I was married to someone famous and again got plenty of blank stares from Americans.

Simon Cowell also came up, when one of the moms wanted to show off her daughters singing ability. After her two songs, there were plenty of Simon Cowell jokes and comments.

Based on this small sample of 30-40 people, I would say that Simon has more name recognition, at least in America.