Muhammad Ali Ranked Most Familiar Athlete in New 'Q' Ratings

For the 4th straight year, "The Greatest of All Time" is the most famous of all sports celebrities NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the fourth year in a row, Muhammad Ali has been ranked #1 in Marketing Evaluations' annual Sports Q ratings, Muhammad Ali Enterprises, LLC (MAE) announced today. In the survey's most significant category, "Familiarity," Ali was ranked #1 among the 487 athletes in the poll, ahead of such notables as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Lance Armstrong, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning. The "Familiarity" category covers all age groups, ranging from 12 to 64 years old. According to the survey: Ali was #1 in the overall category, among the age group of 12 to 64 years old. Ali was ranked first in the 18- to 34-year-old group, considered the top consumer group by Marketing Evaluations. Ali finished first in the highest income level, households earning more than $75,000 annually. Ali ranked #2 among teens, ages 12 to 17, trailing only Tiger Woods. This is particularly remarkable, considering that this age group was born two decades after Ali's last fight. For the survey, more than 2,000 people, ages 12 through 64, were interviewed during the spring of 2010. MAE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. Michael G. Ferrel, the CEO of CKX, noted that this latest ranking comes amidst the 50th anniversary of Ali's gold-medal winning performance at the 1960 Rome Olympics. "It's amazing that a half-century after he burst upon the scene, Muhammad Ali remains one of the world's most recognized figures, known and loved around the globe," Ferrel said. Ali has been heralded as the "Athlete of the Century" by numerous publications and organizations, and has been the recipient of countless awards for his humanitarian efforts.