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The life of a professional athlete is relatively short. They might have a twenty-year career at the very top, if they are incredibly lucky. For most, ten to fifteen is about average, which means that by the time they are in their mid to late 30s, they will need to start to think about what they are going to do with the rest of their life.
Some of course will go into management and go on to have great success in that area as well. A few of the best examples would be Johan Cruyff in soccer, Doc Rivers in Basketball, or Tom Flores in American football. Another popular career path is to become a pundit, appearing on television, radio, or in print media, commenting on the game & giving their expertise to help fans at home understand what has just happened in the game.
Another avenue many of the top sports players take is to try to become actors, taking their skills from the sports they made their names in, into movie theatres, to try and keep their famous profile going for a few more years. There have been many examples where the player or athlete really hasn’t got what it takes and quickly shown they don’t have the acting gene. However, surprisingly there have been a number of successful examples as well. Let’s look at some of the most well-known instances, where sports stars have successfully made the move into acting.
Basketball leading the way
Michael Jordan is probably the most recognisable basketball player of all time. He helped the Chicago Bulls to many Championships, and is their leading all time points scorer. Fans would certainly have used some of the top sports betting apps such as Heritage sports to bet on Bulls games if he was still playing for them today. Not only that, but he also became a household name due his input into the Air Jordans, a Nike shoe that started off as just a basketball boot for Jordan to wear, but quickly became a phenomenon, and one of the best selling shoes of all time.
Not content with playing and designing sneakers, Jordan has also tried to succeed in the acting world too. His most famous role is in the 1996 film Space Jam, which is set between his initial retirement from the N** in 1993, before his 1995 return. Here, Jordan is enlisted by the Looney Tunes gang (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn etc) to help them out in a basketball match against some visiting aliens, who had stolen the powers from other N** stars such as Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley and Larry Johnson. It is a fun film, even if you aren’t a fan of basketball.
25 years later, another famous basketball player starred in the sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy. This time, it was LeBron James who played the lead role, and like Jordan before him, he had to assist the Looney Tunes characters in a basketball game, this time against some artificial intelligence. This film wasn’t quite as well-reviewed as its predecessor.
This isn’t the first time LeBron has appeared in the movies, as he also played a key role in the Judd Apatow comedy Trainwreck, alongside Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. LeBron played a fictionalised version of himself, who is very tight with money, despite having earned tens of millions of dollars in his career. LeBron is one of the standout performers in what is a very funny movie.
Soccer players who have also made the move into acting
During his career in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vinnie Jones was known as a hard man on the soccer pitch, often throwing himself into big tackles that could well have injured himself or his fellow players. He gave off the persona that he wasn’t afraid of anyone, and could really handle himself in a fight. So it makes sense he has appeared as a tough guy in a number of films, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Another player who has tried his hand is David Beckham. Of course, he is hugely famous around the world, not only as a player, but also as a model and brand ambassador. While he has had great successes in those areas, it is safe to say he wasn’t a natural actor. His biggest role was in the Guy Ritchie film King Arthur, where his performance was not well received by fans or critics.
Other notable examples
Mike Tyson made his name in the boxing ring, but has also appeared in a number of movies, such as the Hangover films, where he plays a fictionalised version of himself in both the first and second parts of the trilogy. Another boxer who has acted is Tony Bellew, who showed up in Creed, where he fought (and won) against Michael B. Jordan’s character.
It is likely that we’ll see plenty more examples of sports stars in big films in the next few years.
