Carl Lewis: A multiple gold medal winner for Track & Field, Carl Lewis has shown his enjoyment for the limelight on numerous occasions. With infamous rendition of “The Star Spangled” and his many television appearances, it would be nice to see him behind a desk talking about the sport he dominated on.
Yao Ming: The NBA’s ambassador to China. With his recently announced retirement, Yao could parlay his status into a easily recognizable sideline reporter. Although English is Yao’s second language every interview would be a classic sound byte from the gentle giant.
(AP Photo/File)
The Rock: We can argue if Pro Wrestling is considered a real sport, but we can’t deny that one of the most charismatic performers for the WWE was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. His mic skills were second to none and he could entertain and captivate his audience by merely appearing on the screen.
Dennis Rodman: Ok…bare with us. The always-controversial Dennis Rodman was a great player; a 5-time NBA champion and a 7 time rebounding champion and will be in the 2011 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. But lets be real. Rodman in any capacity is must see TV. Colorful hair and tattoos potentially next to Charles Barkley is comedy.
Hank Aaron: Like MJ, Hammerin’ Hank’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Bad Henry is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He was the one time reigning career homerun king passing Babe Ruth in 1974. His journey to pass Ruth is baseball history and fans have no choice to but to respect him and what he says.
Rickey Henderson: To be major league baseball’s all-time leader in stolen bases, you have to be confident. Borderline cocky. Knowledgeable of the game. Baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter, Rickey Henderson is that plus more.
(Photo by Dave Martin/Getty Images)
Ken Griffey Jr.: A member of the exclusive 600 HR club, Ken Griffey Jr in his prime was like no other. He is a former MVP and is a second-generation baseball player whose knowledge of the game comes directly from his father Ken Griffey SR.
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Michael Jordan: Its goes without saying that His Airness would be respected behind the commentator’s table. His 6 NBA titles, and 6 Finals MVPs are all the fans and viewers need to know when he gives his critique of today’s players and the game itself.
Barry Sanders: The Detroits Lions last great player. Barry Sanders dominated the game while playing on one of the worst teams in the 1990s. 3rd all time in career rushing yards, Sanders left the game in 1999. Maybe its time for him to get back on the field to conduct interviews.
John Randle: Randle is considered to be one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the history of the NFL. As a member of the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, John Randle was a member of the 100 sack club and the 1990’s All- Decade Team. Randle would mix his knowledge of the game with his humor would be great on the NFL Network.
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
With rumors of Shaquille O’Neal joining TNT’s NBA analyst, pre and post game segments just got a lot more entertaining. The staff at theGrio began to wonder about former athletes who would be transition to behind the desk or the sidelines with mic in hand. Fans respect the opinions of Hall of Famers, but they also want to see personality. It’s a fine line that few can walk successfully.
Some of theGrio’s picks for the athletes we would like to see on air are Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Yao Ming, and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson — click through to see why.
