Last year, ESPN set out to rank (which has to be about their favorite thing to do in Bristol these days) set out to rank the top athletes in the world based on how famous they are. While an athlete needs to be at or near the top of their sport -- with a few exceptions -- in order to make the ranking, ESPN uses the number and size of endorsements, social media following and "internet search popularity" to put together their World Fame 100. Given that criteria, the World Fame 100 is heavily influenced by the players of the world's most popular game, soccer, with two of the top three spots and 38 spots overall going to players of the "beautiful game.
Lillard Makes ESPN's 'World Fame 100' Ranking Once Again
