|
Georges St. Pierre > Wayne Gretzky. Dana White..Really?
|
View this Thread in Original format
| ChemEnhanced |
| quote: | peaking to The Canadian Press in advance of Saturday's UFC 124 event, Dana White claimed that welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was a bigger star worldwide than hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
Tweet, tweet
Don't miss a moment of the latest MMA coverage from around the world. Follow us on Twitter and stay informed. Join »
"This dude [St. Pierre] is a billion times more famous than any other athlete that's ever come out of Canada, including Wayne Gretzky," White said. "I like Wayne Gretzky. I was just with him, his wife and his kids a month ago over at one of the casinos here in Las Vegas. Super nice guy. Got nothing against him. [But] fly him over to England, fly him over to Asia, fly him to anywhere in Europe, [while] St. Pierre gets mobbed, nobody knows who the hell Wayne Gretzky is."
Flammable comments like this one make good copy, which is devoured by beat writers. Controversy is sports currency, and White is Warren Buffett in that regard. But it's not a debatable issue -- not because GSP is or isn't a bigger star, but because their situations have very little in common.
Gretzky is 11 years removed from a competitive career; St. Pierre is operating in the prime of his. Gretzky's popularity was fed by cable television; St. Pierre's career has been chronicled and distributed online. Gretzky was arguably the best in a major-franchise sport with an immense following in Canada; St. Pierre might be the best in a sport new to its mainstream acceptance. Their cases don't seem worth comparing.
So what about their respective eras? Beginning in the 1980s and through today, "Gretzky" is a popular catch-all reference for hockey skills, ironically or not -- much in the same way the idiot who can't find his car keys is a "Sherlock." He had his own cartoon show. Even my word processor's spell-check knew his name. Countries that do not host hockey still have a notion of his celebrity.
St. Pierre gets mobbed in Europe, but that might be some selective sampling: If he's traveling, it's probably to make a personal appearance, where the entire goal of his presence is to attract UFC fans. Does that necessarily mean his name means more to Europeans than Gretzky's? |
I think on a World Stage George St. Pierre is probably more recognizable then Gretzky. |
|
|
| evil_cookie |
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
I think on a World Stage George St. Pierre is probably more recognizable then Gretzky. |
I disagree.
In terms of recognition by the general population, I'm confident that Gretzky is more recognized than GSP. |
|
|
| geroin |
| i knew who gretzky was when i lived in russia. |
|
|
| ChemEnhanced |
| But think of all the countries where there is little to no hockey exposure plus gretzky hasn't played hockey in 11 years. |
|
|
| slingshot |
| quote: | Originally posted by geroin
i knew who gretzky was when i lived in russia. |
that's cause he whopped your ass in hockey! lol :p |
|
|
| LiveTime |
At least Wayne Gretzky can actually acknowledge people when they shout his name. GSP in 20 years will be so neurologically numb that he won't even realize he was famous at one point.
Gretzky is the face of our country, the guy carried the torch at the olympics, even tho he looked like he should have been in "the olympics after the olympics" when he carried it. No one would care if GSP carried the torch. |
|
|
| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
But think of all the countries where there is little to no hockey exposure plus gretzky hasn't played hockey in 11 years. |
I would argue that there is a far greater world-wide population that has little to no exposure to MMA then there is to hockey... cricket probably pulls better world-wide numbers then MMA (maybe even then hockey). |
|
|
| StereoPrincess |
who the is georges st. pierre?
is that like two people named george? |
|
|
| evil_cookie |
| quote: | Originally posted by ChemEnhanced
But think of all the countries where there is little to no hockey exposure plus gretzky hasn't played hockey in 11 years. |
Again, I disagree.
I think there are dozens of other athletes that come to mind who are/have been much more recognized by the general public than GSP.
Lennox Lewis and Donovan Bailey are two names that come to mind. Hell, I think Steve Nash is more recognized than GSP. |
|
|
| StereoPrincess |
| lol, and dana white? |
|
|
| Moral Hazard |
| quote: | Originally posted by evil_cookie
Again, I disagree.
I think there are dozens of other athletes that come to mind who are/have been much more recognized by the general public than GSP.
Lennox Lewis and Donovan Bailey are two names that come to mind. Hell, I think Steve Nash is more recognized than GSP. |
Mike Weir, Kurt Browning |
|
|
| VDub |
| quote: | Originally posted by StereoPrincess
who the is georges st. pierre?
is that like two people named george? |
This is big boy talk...
Run along little girl... |
|
|
|
|
