Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group and the agent behind LeBron James, stepped into a debate most sports fans have been quietly having for years.
Speaking on “Game Over,” the Ringer podcast he co-hosts with sports media veteran Max Kellerman, Paul drew a clean line between two words people treat as the same: famous and popular.
His argument put Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge on one side of that line, and Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo on the other.
“Aaron Judge and Patrick Mahomes are popular, while Cristiano Ronaldo is famous,” Paul said. “There’s a difference. You can’t be famous unless you’re known globally.”
Mahomes has three Super Bowl titles with Kansas City and is one of the most visible athletes in the country right now. Judge holds the Yankees captaincy and multiple AL MVP awards. Both names hold a place in American sports culture that most athletes never get close to.