Favorite television shows are always made a bit better when they include celebrities and athletes that aren’t a normal part of the programming. It’s a treat for many fans to see their favorite athletes testing out their acting skills on screen in an attempt to make people laugh or possibly find a new venue of success if things don’t work out in their sports career. In any case, the chance to see athletes on TV outside of their normal role is something that many people find highly entertaining.
Here are our picks for the top five athlete cameos in TV shows:
Joe Namath-Married with Children
To be fair this show featured a veritable host of former and current athletes during its tenure. Joe Namath was one of many, but he was undoubtedly one of the most famous to ever grace the set. In the episode he appeared other greats such as Ernie Banks and several others also make appearances before an unruly bar brawl breaks out over who starred in the first light beer commercial.
Tom Brady – The Family Guy
So technically it’s a cartoon, but Tom Brady still lent his voice to make it happen. When Peter is inexplicably drafted to the New England Patriots he has Tom Brady over to his house for dinner. The fight between Meg and Lois is comical and even a bit disturbing to think about as they vie for the G.O.A.T.’s attention.
Pete Rose – WWE
It doesn’t matter if people cheered him or booed him Pete Rose still managed to get himself entered into the WWE hall of fame. And more often than not he managed to run afoul of Kane and get himself choke slammed and then put into a tombstone piled river just for showing up. While he didn’t add much to show he was a pleasant distraction from some of the other drama that the show seems to drum up.
Kevin Mchale – Cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3ZsfdovGzw
It was easy to think Ted Danson was a tall man until Kevin Mchale came on the scene. The former Boston Celtic easily dwarfs everyone on the show and manages to rile up Woody which is something that seemed fairly impossible up until that point. Regardless of this he was a welcome addition for the time he spent on the show.
Peyton Manning – Saturday Night Live
Ever since stepping into the spotlight Manning has been on a roll. With his appearances in SNL he’s shown that he’s hardly ever boring and does in fact have a good sense of humor. While his style is still a bit hard to get used and his comedic side might need a little refinement, it might be seen that in his retirement he’s apt to be more loose and able to break into the rhythm a little more.
Conclusion
Some athletes try to become regulars on certain shows, but eventually that kind of wears on the viewers, unless of course the athletes in question are transitioning from their sport to the actual role of an actor. Even then it’s a switch that many find a little difficult to handle at first.
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