Google Trends tracks searches made on—you guessed it—Google in order keep tabs on what’s most popular with users of the world’s most commonly used search engine. It can be fun to see where your favorite stars, TV shows, and more rank in terms of public interest. For instance, have you ever been curious about which athletes saw the most interest throughout a year? Well, we were. While some of the names are expected, others are a bit more surprising. The following is a countdown of the most searched athletes of 2015 according to Google Trends.
10. Shawn Oakman: Defensive end for the Baylor Bears of Baylor University, Shawn Oakman made this list because of a viral image from the very first day of the year, January 1. Why did the pic become big? Because he is: 6 feet, nine inches and a powerful build!
9. Greg Hardy: Another defensive end, this time for the Dallas Cowboys, Greg Hardy didn’t make headlines for his football abilities, but rather for his controversies. He was arrested in 2014 for domestic violence, but avoided jail time when the person claiming to be the victim, an ex-girlfriend, was a no-show at his appeal trial, leading to the charges being dropped. However, in April, Hardy received a 10-game suspension because of the assault case—the NFL claimed to have enough evidence showing that he was in violation of the league’s policies. The suspension was eventually reduced to just four games.
8. DeMarco Murray: Football again, this time a running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. Thankfully, Murray appears to be on the list solely because of his athletic talent, though he probably got at least a little extra attention when he announced his engagement to former Passions actress Heidi Mueller back in January.
7. Patrick Kane: Finally switching from football to hockey, Patrick Kane is a right winger for the Chicago Blackhawks. While you may think he’s on the list because his team is the 2014-2015 Stanley Cup Champions, it’s more likely because of rape allegations in August; the charges were thrown out after the accuser couldn’t keep her story straight.
6. Hope Solo: Continuing an unfortunate pattern, Hope Solo is on this list of Google’s most searched athletes because of a domestic violence charge; the only difference from the above cases is that this time, the accused is female. The Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. women’s soccer team notably put up quite a fight when arrested, though she was released when, once again, the alleged victims didn’t cooperate.
5. Alex Morgan: Another member of the U.S. women’s soccer team, Alex Morgan became one of the first female players to appear on the cover of the highly successful FIFA video games. And as teammate Abby Wambach has just announced her retirement, Morgan is expected to become the new public face for the team.
4. Manny Pacquiao: The always humble Manny Pacquiao faced Floyd Mayweather this year in what was pegged as one the biggest boxing matches ever. However, the fight was marred in controversy, as Mayweather won despite spending most of the fight moving backwards to avoid Pacquiao. Mayweather was also later revealed to have gotten away with illegal IV injections before the fight, while Pacquiao wasn’t allowed anything for his injured shoulder.
3. Stephen Curry: Point guard for Oakland’s Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry is said to be “revolutionizing the game of basketball.” His high search ranking this year might have also had something to do with his adorable daughter, Riley Curry, leaving quite the impression during some of her father’s post-game press conferences, plus the birth of his second daughter in July. However, with a level of skill on the court that nobody expected, don’t be surprised if Stephen Curry ranks this high on Google Trends in 2016 as well!
2. Holly Holm: Holly Holm’s ranking likely skyrocketed in November when she defeated the previously undefeated Ronda Rousey for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion. It was a highly publicized fight, especially after Holm surprisingly defeated Rousey with a brutal knockout. Expect Holm to trend again next year; talks about the rematch are already underway. Lorenzo Fertitta, co-owner of UFC, says he’s hoping to have the two women face off for UFC 200 next year.
1. Ronda Rousey: It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Rousey tops the list of Google’s most searched athletes of 2015. Even though the mystique of her undefeated streak might be gone, there’s still a good chance that Ronda Rousey will continue to be one of the highest trending athletes again next year. Following the potential rematch against Holly Holm, Rousey believes she may only have a few fights left in her, which would leave more time to move on to acting after wrapping up with UFC, especially since she’s already taking on roles. She has also expressed an interest in doing something with the WWE, having previously appeared at Wrestlemania 30 in 2014 as a friend of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
