Sports are also about giving a show to people, and maybe that’s the reason why so many celebrities started their career in the sports world before participating in the entertainment industry. Many celebrities began their careers as sports stars before moving on to acting or music, and those experiences may have been key to success later in life. Some stars found their way after suffering injuries while playing sports, while others had it in mind all the time.
Some played professionally, some in college, others just in high school, but one thing they all have in common is that they were very good at whatever they played.
Dwayne La Roca Johnson
Before Johnson made his name as the hardest working man in Hollywood movies, he was crushing people on the grid because of the Miami hurricanes. Johnson played on the defensive line and was part of the 1991 squad that won the national title, a team that also included future Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.
While Johnson was not recruited in the NFL, an injury prevented that from happening, he spent some time with the Calgary Stampers in the Canadian Soccer League. Johnson took advantage of that experience in his HBO Ballers series, in which he plays a star NFL player in transition to a career in financial management.
Of course, soccer was not Johnson’s only sport. As “The Rock”, he became one of the best stars of the WWE, and took advantage of that charisma to launch the superstar and entertainment all people.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger became one of the best bodybuilders and fitness athletes of all time before concentrating (and his famous physique) on acting. The future “Governor” won numerous bodybuilding titles throughout his career, including a Mr. Universe title when he was only 20 years old. Schwarzenegger also won seven Mr. Olympia titles before starring in such films as Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, Predator, and Total Recall.
As if the conquest of Hollywood and the worlds of bodybuilding were not enough, Schwarzenegger became the governor of California, serving from 2003 to 2011.
Terry Crews
Before Crews became a scene stealing actor in projects like Friday After Next, the series The Expendables and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it looked like he would have a promising career in football. The Crews played defensive end at Western Michigan University, where he helped the Broncos win a conference title before being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.
Burt Reynolds
The Smokey and Bandit star was the First Statewide Team at Palm Beach High School and continued to play the runner in the State of Florida, where he was a roommate. Opens a new window. With the future university football presenter Lee Corso.
Reynolds was injured during his first year and later had a car accident that aggravated his injury, ending any chance of a future football. Reynolds finished his time with the Seminoles with only 146 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, but the success of his movie star earned him a place in the Florida State Hall of Fame. The mustache teacher later had the opportunity to mix his passions while starring in the original The Longest Yard.
Jason Statham
Statham has turned his bones into Hollywood as one of the harshest and toughest movie stars in history. But before the skulls broke, the star of the Transporter series competed as a member of Britain’s National Diving Squad.
Statham also competed in the 1990 Commonwealth Games for England before moving on to an acting career.
Conclusion
Fortunately, there has been a group of men who have made better transitions, saving themselves and the billions of people around the world from shame.