Household name: Ian Thorpe. Photo: Wayne Taylor
He hasn't played professionally for more than a decade and has spent most of his retirement gracing our TV screens in his underpants. Yet Pat Rafter remains Australia's favourite athlete.
In a sign we still connect more with the champions of yesteryear than today's generation of sports stars, six of our top 10 most popular athletes no longer play the sports that made them famous.
Tennis champion Rafter pipped cricketer Glenn McGrath, Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman, cricketer Ricky Ponting and swimmer Ian Thorpe on the rankings, according to the Sweeney Sports and Entertainment report.
Rafter's last ATP match was way back in 2001 but 53 per cent of the survey's respondents still chose him as their favourite athlete.
''Small surprise really that Pat tops the charts given his renowned gentlemanly behaviour on and off court,'' the general manager of Sweeney Sports and Entertainment Chris Styring said. ''Pat represents everything wholesome about Australia, love of sport, the beach and family all delivered with such humility.''
Cricketers and swimmers were the dominant athletes, taking out a combined 11 of the top 30 spots between them.
Still our favourite sports person: Pat Rafter. Photo: Getty Images
The quarterly survey of 7000 people was conducted before Australian swimming's ''weapons of mass destruction'' - the members of the men's 4x100m relay team - were named and shamed for misbehaviour before last year's Olympics.
Thorpe was the highest-ranked swimmer in fifth position, despite missing the London Games altogether, while Leisel Jones, Libby Trickett, Stephanie Rice and Michael Klim also made the cut.
''Given the research was conducted prior to the release of the independent inquiry into swimming and the press conference held by the men's relay team around 'Stilnox Gate, it will be interesting to see if fewer swimmers feature in the favourites' list next quarter,'' Styring said.
Cathy Freeman. Photo: Getty Images
''No doubt there has been some significant damage to the swimming brand and you could expect this to be reflected in people's attitudes to some of the sports stars.''
Motor sport also featured heavily on the list, with the successes of Casey Stoner and Mark Webber rocketing them into seventh and 11th positions respectively.
''There is no doubt that success in the large part breeds popularity and the two world championships of Casey Stoner along with Mark Webber's increasing number of victories in formula one have cemented both of these stars of the track as some of our most popular athletes in sports where we are often seen as underdogs,'' Styring said.
Twenty-one of the spots were taken up by males, with Cathy Freeman selected as Australia's most popular female athlete and third overall.
Jones, another retiree, was the next female on the list in equal eighth position alongside Test cricket captain Michael Clarke.
Sam Stosur, the 2011 US Open Tennis Champion, polled just outside the top 10.
Many Australians know that Mark Webber drinks Red Bull. That Ricky Ponting can't get enough Swisse supplements into him. And while you may know who Libby Trickett is, her sponsors probably could have spent their money better.
Sweeney Sports and Entertainment examined the relationship between athlete and brand awareness. Clearly, some companies do it better than others. For instance, 88 per cent of those surveyed couldn't name a single sponsor of Trickett.
But the Swisse company has effectively used sports ambassadors to leverage its name in the marketplace.
''Swisse, in a short space of time, have managed to build awareness of their brand and positive association with high-profile and importantly popular athletes such as Cadel Evans [5 per cent recognition], Mark Webber [5 per cent] and Ricky Ponting [14 per cent],'' Sweeney said. ''Unprompted awareness of the Swisse brand being linked to these athletes is among the strongest of any recalled.
''Alarmingly, of those aware of the athlete in question, 88 per cent couldn't name a sponsor for Libby Trickett compared with 65 per cent who couldn't name a sponsor for former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
''Despite the fact that an athlete may have high unprompted awareness and be very popular - in Libby's case 39 per cent of Australians know who she is and she is ranked 13th most popular - it does not always translate to success for a brand.''
Familiarity breeds contempt … unless you are a retired sporting champion.
Almost three-quarters of Australians know all about Ian Thorpe, ensuring the swimming star tops the familiarity index of the Sweeney Sports and Entertainment report.
Thorpe continues to compete, although he is a shadow of the man who conquered the pool before his initial retirement. The 30-year-old freestyler is a headline machine in and out of the water, returning to the public eye with his unsuccessful bid for last year's Olympics in London. He earned further notoriety with his autobiography, where he revealed he battled with alcohol abuse and depression during a colourful career.
Only 5 per cent of respondents hadn't heard of Thorpe, who remains Australia's most decorated swimmer with five Olympic gold medals, three silvers and a bronze. All up, six swimmers made the cut, more than any other sport.
''The high number of swimmers being recalled among the top 30 confirms Australians' love affair with water and the beach,'' Styring said. ''This, along with the fact that there are six cricketers appearing in the top 30, is evidence of the importance our nation places on the participation and enjoyment of sport over our long, hot summer.''
Ricky Ponting, who has scored more Test runs than any other Australian batsman, came in at second spot just ahead of Cathy Freeman on the familiarity index. ''Thirteen years after Cathy's inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, she remains at the forefront of Australians' minds,'' Styring said. ''Her starring role in the Coles London 2012 TV campaign no doubt boosted Australian households' awareness of her.''
Gary Ablett jnr, with a 38 per cent familiarity rating, was the only AFL player to make it. Darren Lockyer and Billy Slater were the only league players to get a start.
MOST POPULAR ATHLETES
1. Pat Rafter
2. Glenn McGrath
3. Cathy Freeman
4. Ricky Ponting
5. Ian Thorpe
6. Steve Waugh
7. Casey Stoner
8. Leisel Jones
9. Michael Clarke
10. Cadel Evans
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