SPORTS WRITING PROMPT
My Five Sports Man Crushes
Favorite athletes throughout the years in sports
Thanks to Mike Butler for coming up with such a cool and fun prompt. I’ve been a fan of a lot of athletes over the years. The five listed here are my favorite sports athletes from starting when I was younger up until today.
I admire all of the following athletes for their dedication to their respective sports, their talent and scoring, and also for the implication of the title of this prompt. The guys I’ve selected have talents on many levels, to say the very least. Ooh, la la.
John Stockton
I have been a fan of the Utah Jazz ever since I can remember. They were the lovable underdogs. They were a very good team throughout the 1980s and 1990s, even challenging the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the NBA Finals back in the 1990s.
The duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone was a fun one to watch for years. I especially loved the physical, gritty playing style of their point guard in particular. I would probably rank John Stockton right up there with Magic Johnson as my two favorite point guards of all time with Stockton barely edging out Magic because Magic also played other positions throughout his career.
Also, I wasn’t a huge Los Angeles Lakers fan at any point during my childhood. As a native Northern Californian, particularly a Sacramentan, you were raised to love the Sacramento Kings and despise the villainous Los Angeles Lakers.
Additionally, I know that the “man crush” part of this is only suggesting that we idolized these players growing up. I think, for me, as a gay sports fan, this works on multiple layers. I didn’t know it at the time, I’m sure, but John Stockton was cute and wore short shorts and had nice muscles and features. How could I not like him?
Barry Bonds
This pick is probably going to be a bit controversial for a few people considering that he was caught cheating. I’m going to say something to that before I continue.
Everyone in the “Steroid Era” was cheating and even though that isn’t a good enough excuse, you’ve got to admit that there was some great baseball to watch during that era. Among the top players even before he juiced and became a mega-star was lanky, speedy outfielder Barry Bonds, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, before joining the San Francisco Giants.
Again, the Northern California connection is a huge consideration here. He played for one of the teams I rooted for growing up. He holds the single-season record for home runs (73), and the all-time home run record (762). He also batted .298 for his career. He was a 14-time all-star and has many other records and accomplishments throughout his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
I don’t honestly care that he juiced in an era when every single player was juicing, to begin with. He’s still a legend in my book and one of my favorite baseball players that I ever got to watch play the game.
Plus, later in his career, he was really bulky from all of those steroids, and that only added to the other part of the sports “man crush” for me.
Cam Newton
I had to include a legendary player and quarterback from my favorite football team, the Carolina Panthers. He’s a man who was drafted first overall out of Auburn after showing scouts one single season in college in which he led the Tigers to the National Championship.
I was skeptical at first of this choice in the 2011 NFL Draft, but he squashed all of the doubt for me in his first few games and his entire rookie season. Sure, his career has been up and mostly down as of late but he’s still good enough to deserve a roster spot in the NFL for at least a couple more years given his résumé.
He’s also one fine quarterback in more ways than one again. I mean look at the build and just the entire package on that man. Like, what?! If I met him in person, I’d probably lose track of words and just melt in front of him like the Wicked Witch of the West with water. He is a fine man on many levels.
Carlos Delgado
The above picture shows him in a jersey that he spent his days after the Toronto Blue Jays in. I can’t fault him for following the money. He was a superstar power hitter and one of the best in my team’s nearly 50-year history.
He was a true power hitter and a run generator and it was always fun to watch the Toronto Blue Jays' offense during this era of baseball. Delgado finished higher on the home run list to finish his career too, hitting 473 career home runs. Delgado is a great hitter and he was fun to watch on the field.
Again, like the previous three guys, he isn’t bad to look at either. I swear, I’m not choosing the guys for this list just based on looks. I really admire their talent first and foremost. It’s just hard not to comment on a prompt that says man crushes and not admire how hot these athletes are.
Baseball has some of the nicest looking athletes of all of the sports too, right up there with basketball and football (soccer).
Lionel Messi
Speaking of football (soccer), Lionel aka “Leo” Messi is one of the best players of all time in the world. I’ve always admired his talent and skills and finding the goal. He is a world-class player and a mega-celebrity.
At age 35, he’s still one of my favorite players to watch even as his career is in its final stages. Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and was named to the Ballon d’Or Dream Team in 2020. His talent is undeniable. I enjoy watching him play on the Argentina national football (soccer) team and also for his current team, PSG (Paris St-Germain).
Do I even have to say the second part of this though? Yes, I do find him very attractive. He’s a man crush for me on all levels applicable in this case. I mean, look at that full beard and those come-get-me eyes. I mean, I’m not going to say that he’s the hottest one on this list but he certainly comes close to perfection.
Anyway, as I said before, it’s really his talent that I admire more than anything and he has that in droves as he’s shown throughout his legendary career.
I’ve shared the five athletes that have caught my attention on the field and the court throughout my life with their talent and their looks. Did you enjoy my list? Are there any players you would’ve added to your own list? If you want to participate in this prompt, drop a list of your five and tag me in it so I can read it.
Here’s Mike Butler’s story that started us off.
Here’s Kirby Workes’ list of his favorite athletes.
And Ginger Cook’s list here.
