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Some athletes simply love the limelight. Many players have tried to develop their excellence on the field into greatness on the big screen. For some it has failed; for others it has succeeded. Some have made us laugh with their humor and others have made us laugh (and almost cry) at their woeful acting.
"Hey you guyyyyyyys."
Any child growing up in the 80's and 90's remembers that call from the loveable hero Sloth in Richard Donner's hit, "The Goonies." What some people might not know is that Sloth was former Super Bowl champion defensive lineman John Matuszak.
In 1979 and 1981, Matuszak won Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders and after retiring, explored the acting world. He had 28 acting roles before dying of heart failure in 1989.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a superstar on the basketball court, winning six Most Valuable Player awards and leading the NBA in all-time points scored. His acting career includes many milestones as well.
Kung Fu fans may remember Abdul-Jabbar from "Game of Death" in 1978. This Bruce Lee film showcased Abdul-Jabbar's Kung Fu talents even more than his acting. In his big scene, Abdul-Jabbar leaves a footprint on Bruce Lee's chest.
The other Abdul-Jabbar acting moment I will never forget is his role in "Airplane." He goofily plays co-pilot Roger Murdock only to be exposed as actually being Abdul-Jabbar by a young child on the airplane in this hilarious cameo.
The next field-to-film convert was the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season, the first pick in the 1969 NFL draft and rushed for more than 11,000 yards and 61 career touchdowns. This is not how most people remember him. Most remember him as the running back who was accused of killing his wife. "If the glove don't fit, you must aquit."
The way I like to remember O.J. Simpson is as the lovable Detective Nordberg in the "Naked Gun" movies. Nordberg is one of Leslie Nielsen's cop buddies who gets into wacky shenanigans with his partner. He does a successful job playing the dumb cop. The officers who were investigating Simpson may have taken notes from their suspect's portrayal of Nordberg.
Michael Jordan is perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time. He is also perhaps the greatest actor of all time - OK, not really. He was almost as good as the cartoons he acted with in "Space Jam."
Some might remember the TV show, "I Dream of Jeannie," but the only genie I dream of is "Kazaam!"
Shaquille O'Neal makes one intimidating lamp-dweller. If he asked me to make a wish, I would have begged him not to eat me. The fact remains that "Kazaam!" and "Steel" came out in 1996 and 1997, respectively, and are two of the worst movies ever made. O'Neal is a great basketball player and a funny guy, but he should leave movies to the professionals.
The worst-ever athlete turned actor of all time, however, is coincidentally the one who has made the biggest name for himself as an actor, rather than an athlete - Arnold Schwarzenegger.
People sometimes forget that Schwarzenegger was an athlete. Bodybuilding certainly is a sport and at the age of 23, he won his first of seven Mr. Olympia bodybuilding titles in 1970.
In 1977, he made his big screen debut in the documentary "Pumping Iron," which chronicled his rise to over-muscled stardom.
Schwarzenegger went on to become an A-list actor, making millions, all the while being completely inept onscreen. Never has a lack of talent been so openly embraced in Hollywood. It is a good thing he became governor, because for now we will not have to put up with his disgraceful acting.
The most impressive job of serious acting by an athlete over the past few years was basketball star Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth in the Spike Lee flick, "He Got Game."
Allen is one of few athletes who could jump to the movie screen and play a serious role. He was very believable as a young basketball superstar trying to decide whether to go to college or go to the NBA. His on screen acting with Denzel Washington was impressive.
Athletes want to showcase their talents in the movie industry. Most of them fail miserably, but even when they do it is usually good for a laugh. These athletes should realize that their talents are best utilized in sports, but as long as athletes try their luck as actors I will always go to watch them. At least to make fun of how terrible they were and get myself a few chuckles along the way.
Greg Arent is a sports editor for The Review. His viewpoints do not necessarily represent those of the Review staff. Send questions, comments and an autographed DVD of "Kazaam!" to garent@udel.edu.
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