We asked Ben Alamar, ESPN's director of sports analytics, to figure out the most famous athletes in the world. Using a formula that combines athlete paychecks - salary and endorsements - with social media fan base and Google search popularity, he ranked the world's 100 most famous athletes. Here is the ESPN World Fame 100.
IT'S GOOD TO BE: A player who went from being a career reclamation project to legend in his adopted city of New Orleans by leading the traditionally awful Saints to greatness at the same time the city was recovering from Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees, 37, will eventually retire as one of the most accurate and prolific passers in NFL history.