Who are the 100 most famous athletes in the world?

May 31, 2017

This article is published in collaboration with Business Insider.

Mar 18, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Roger Federer (SUI) pumps his fists after defeating Jack Sock (not pictured) 6-1, 7-6 in his semi-final match in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports - RTX31NYF

Federer at Number 4. Image: USA Today Sports

Cork Gaines

Sports Editor, Business Insider

ESPN has released their "World Fame 100" list, naming the 100 most famous athletes in the world, and Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James top the list.

The list was compiled using a formula created by ESPN's director of sports analytics and "weighs athletes' endorsements, their following on the social media Big Three (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and Google search popularity." The list consists of just active, professional athletes, which excludes some popular athletes, such as Michael Phelps, Lonzo Ball, and Katie Ledecky.

Here is the top 10. Notable tidbits from the rest of the list can be found below:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

2. LeBron James

3. Lionel Messi

4. Roger Federer

5. Phil Mickelson

6. Neymar

7. Usain Bolt

8. Kevin Durant

9. Rafael Nadal

10. Tiger Woods

Here are some other interesting details from the list:

Soccer is by far the most popular sport with 38 players on the list, followed by basketball (13), golf (11), tennis (10), and American football (8).
The United States is the most represented country with 35 athletes. Brazil is a distant second with 9, followed by Germany (7), and England (5).
8 of the athletes are women. Ronda Rousey is the most popular female athlete at No. 16, just ahead of Serena Williams at No. 19.
Tom Brady is the most popular NFL player at No. 21.
There are no baseball or hockey players on the list.

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