11 Real Athlete Facts That Will Absolutely Shock You

Athletes are celebrities of a whole different caliber than the actors we see in movies and on TV. They represent the pinnacle of physicality and performance that so many of us may strive for and never achieve.

They train tirelessly, play hard, and take home massive paychecks as a result. We idolize them when they succeed, boo them when they fail, and suffer with them when fame takes its toll on them.

Many professional athletes are giants that tower over the rest of us, but before you go putting your favorite player on a pedestal keep the following surprising facts in mind.

11. Kurt Warner is a nice guy

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner anonymously pays for another table’s dinner when he dines out. Imagine it, you go to get the check and the waiter tells you “It’s taken care of” but he won’t tell you who did it.

That’s got to drive you crazy, especially now that you know it could have been Kurt Warner paying for your meal if that has happened to you.

10. Kevin Garnett: two decades of no Christmas

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Garnett didn’t celebrate Christmas or Halloween until he was 19 years old, though it wasn’t by choice. His mother was a Jehovah’s Witness so there were no frivolous holidays to spoil her son.

He didn’t have a Christmas until he was in the NBA.

9. Lightning Never Strikes Twice

Or at least that’s how the old wives’ tale goes. But quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been struck by lightning—twice. The chances of being struck by lightning are astronomical, and the improbability of being struck twice is like the chances of winning the lottery without entering a ticket.

8. Med School Drop Out

Pau Gasol of the L.A. Lakers attended med school before becoming a forward for the team. While his career as a doctor may have been lucrative, he certainly isn’t in the poorhouse now.

I wonder if he’s still considering ‘falling back on becoming a doctor if this whole NBA thing doesn’t work out.

7. Cocaine is the name of the game

People talk about steroid use today but thirty years ago there were other regulated substances on sports fields. Seven-time MLB All-Star and three-time World Series champ Tim Raines admitted to sliding into bases head first to avoid breaking coke vials.

I guess baseball in the eighties was a different time and place.

6. Isn’t that a girl’s name?

Do you know what NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning’s first name is? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not just Eli. The name on his birth certificate reads “Elisha” which by all counts is more commonly a woman’s name.

If that were me, I would go with Eli too. Or maybe even just ‘E’.

5. Tough as nails

Paul Pierce, the Brooklyn Nets forward is a tough guy, and not in the ironic sense. In the 2000-01 NBA season he was stabbed 11 times in the neck and face and didn’t miss a single game. The stabbing was the result of a fight in a nightclub that happed just before the season began.

Instead of sitting one out, he didn’t miss a single game the entire season.

4. Snake Charmer

Josh Freeman, quarterback for the Bucs has been collecting snakes since he was a child. He currently owns four snakes of the python and boa variety.

Those aren’t the kind of animals it’s easy to dress up in a jersey and bring to a game.

3. A tale of two Mannings

And not Peyton and Eli. In the Denver area a little boy who shares the quarterback’s name is blocked from creating a Facebook page due to the success of Peyton Manning (the quarterback).

The much younger and not so famous Peyton’s mother claims there is no connection to her son’s name and the professional football player but I have my doubts.

2. Tuba tales

Justin Blalock, an offensive lineman for the Falcons, has a musical streak. Though a streak might be the wrong term—he is an impassioned tuba player when not on the field.

Though, I would like to see him bring the tuba to practice…

1. Super obsession

Robert Griffin III (Redskins) is a superhero fanatic. You may have seen his super hero caped socks at a press conference.

It’s common knowledge that his locker is plastered with superhero images and slogans but what isn’t so common is the fact that he owns over 1,000 super hero action figures, dolls, and figurines (though don’t ask me what the difference is between those three).

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1725780-weird-facts-you-dont-know-about-todays-athletes/page/9

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2005522-20-facts-about-athletes-you-literally-will-not-believe