Who is more famous today, Usain Bolt or Bob Marley?

BY Jeremain Brown

This debate has been popping up all over including in Jamaica.  Some say its non debatable, it’s the king of Reggae, Marley while some disagree and say it’s the sprint king, Bolt.
Well if I was to go by the expressions, questions, exclamations and responses of the people in Lyon France, bolt is winning that race albeit without the chest thumping.
One thing is for sure though they both represent brand Jamaica to the fullest and are the front running ambassadors at this point.

You have heard the stories but to see and experience it....is something much more grand and amazing. 
Everywhere my collegaues and I travel in Lyon whether it is on the train,  on the bus, or taxis once we are wearing our 'Ja colours', or mention Jamaica, the name 'Usain Bolt' is mentioned with great awe and admiration behind it, his trade mark 'to di worl' signature move has been well rehearsed and memorized.

One occasion we were seated having dinner and over comes a man with his physically challenged 5 year old son wanting to meet us, saying he is a big bolt fan and showing us his trade mark . We were a hit with other people waving and smiling.
Then there are those who know every Bob Marley song, one man told us he has a catalog of over 100 reggae albums.

There are also the young people who know the latest dancehall songs and artistes...new kid on the block Chronixx is a hot commodity. So maybe this is even bigger than Bolt and Marley and it’s really brand Jamaica that is the bigger picture.
Case in point, we went into a store with our Jamaican coloured and outfitted bags and placed them at the front of the store as soon as we entered ( we didn't need the unwanted scrutiny 'four black guys' in a sports aparell store in Europe).

Well much to our amazement one man entered the store shortly after us and began asking the store clerk about the cost for the bags, which by the way are brand new.
Guess what we did? .....nooo we didn't sell them, they are much too valuable as is brand Jamaica.
At the World Paralympic Championships, fellow journalists are asking to exchange their shirts for our Jamaican shirts or to exchange their country pins for ours. 
So bolt or Marley?.....

Ahh heck, the bigger picture is brand Jamaica let’s protect it.....  It big abroad.

Au revoir