Big Papi is a popular guy.
ESPN director of sports analytics Ben Alamar came up with a formula to rank the world’s most popular athletes, and David Ortiz came in at No. 78. The Boston Red Sox slugger also is the third most popular Major League Baseball player behind Bryce Harper (No. 71) and Mike Trout (No. 73).
The formula combines salary, endorsements, social media following and Google search popularity to determine where each athlete falls on the list. Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lionel Messi round out the top three.
New England Patriots Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were the only other Boston athletes in the top 100, coming in at 52 and 72, respectively.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports Images
