We love to watch our favorite athletes excel at the sports we love. But have you ever wondered if these athletes could excel, and not just excel, but dominate at other sports? We did the research. Read on to find out which athletes might have what it takes to be double sports stars!
Tim Duncan, a basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs may be great on the court, but ever since he was a child, it was his dream to swim in the Olympics. In fact, he was so good at swimming, that he was set to compete during the 1992 games. Considering the fact that one has to be one of the best to make it that far, that’s pretty impressive. Unfortunately, Duncan’s swimming career wasn’t meant to happen. Hurricane Hugo came along and destroyed the only Olympic sized pool that St. Croix, Virgin Islands, happened to have. Not only that, but Duncan’s intense fear of sharks prevented him from swimming in the ocean. Still, if he had continued with swimming, there is very little doubt that he would have been great.
Tony Romo, a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys has had an extremely impressive career during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. However, he has also played a number of other sports, such as baseball, tennis, golf, and basketball. In fact, in his high school days, he played basketball with friend Caron Butler. According to The Dallas Morning News, Romo averaged 24.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, while Butler averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds. Butler has described Romo as practically a genius when it came to basketball. Eventually, after their high school days, Butler went on to play basketball, and Romo went on to play football. Despite being a football player, he (Romo) still has a huge fondness for basketball, making him a passionate player when it came to the sport.
We’ve all heard of Michael Phelps, an Olympic champion swimmer, and proud owner of several gold medals. But Phelps has taken up a new passion. He has recently become accustomed to the world of gold, which he has worked very hard at. In 2012, Phelps participated in the Dunhill Links Championship, where he sank a put that measured 50 yard, and only took 17 seconds to drop. This amazing feat won Shot of the Day, on SkySports. It may not be a resounding indicator that Phelps could hang with Tiger Woods, but all great athletes find ways to win and dominate and if this champion swimmer wants to get great at golf, we’re sure he will.
It’s no surprise when we see our favorite athletes excelling highly at other sports. They’re winners and winners know how to play to win. In fact, many championship athletes are talented in various fields. So talented, in fact, that they would most likely end up dominating any sport they try. Who’s up for watching Michael Phelps play a round of golf?
–Julia Salem
