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The Surprising Hobbies of Professional Athletes and How They Relate to Their Performance

by Joey House - 6/26/2023

Hobbies of professional athletes Lionel Messi Soccer

Professional sports stars evoke a spectrum of emotions, from admiration to disdain, owing to their exceptional athletic attributes and accomplishments. The rigorous mental preparation and physical demands they endure on the field can be so all-consuming that, at times, athletes develop unconventional or even extreme hobbies off the playing field. Fueled by their financial stability, many athletes channel significant resources and unwavering dedication into these extraneous pursuits, attaining exceptional levels of commitment and dedication.

From Mike Tyson's raising of pigeons to Madison Bumgarner's rodeo riding, professional athletes have a wide and varying range of interesting and surprising hobbies. Here are 20 examples of athletes' recreational pursuits.

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Novak Djokovic- Tennis Player

Meditation

Novak Djokovic, the acclaimed Serbian tennis phenom, yearns for a less taxing pursuit following the relentless pressures frequently imposed on the court. He became an avid mediation practitioner early in his career to help control his stress levels and maintain focus and clarity during stress-filled matches. By focusing his attention and training his mind to be calm and centered, Djokovic can maintain an extraordinary level of concentration during high-pressure situations.

The results speak for themselves, as Djokovic has rallied from two sets down for a victory five times in his career. He became the 6th person to accomplish that feat in a Grand Slam championship when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the 2021 French Open.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every hobby improved not only your occupation but your quality of life as well?

Lionel Messi- Soccer Player

Chess

Soccer is often called "The Beautiful Game" because of the fluidity, skill, creativity, strategy, and tactics that go into it. It only seems logical then that Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, turns to chess to unwind from the rigors of the pitch. "The Game of War," as chess is sometimes referred to, is the perfect hobby for a player looking to hone his mental edge while giving his body a much-needed rest. The strategic planning and creative tactical maneuvering of chess mirror those same components on the soccer field.

Chess involves pattern recognition of openings and board setups, forcing players to anticipate and adapt to their opponent's next move. Messi utilized these skills throughout his whole career. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he led all players with three assists and was in the top-5 of Expected Assists (xA) per match with 0.43.

In today's modern age of technology, it's interesting that a game over 500 years old is still one of the best master mental builders.

Evander Holyfield- Boxer

Ballet

Hand-to-hand combat evokes images of muscles, masculinity, and dominance. Before the spread of MMA, boxing was the epitome of these hand-to-hand sports. So, it might surprise some that a former world champion Evander Holyfield incorporated ballet for training known more for its grace than brawn.

Ballet requires balance and coordination, both critical attributes for boxers to have. It also helps in improving an athlete's flexibility and range of motion, which helps Holyfield with his movement in the ring and increase the fluidity and power of his punches.

Ballet may not be considered as "manly" as some other hobbies. However, who's going to tell Evander Holyfield that?

Ronda Rousey- MMA & Professional wrestler

Skydiving

Not every athlete chooses such calm, peaceful, or sedentary pursuits in their downtime. Ronda Rousey, the renowned MMA fighter turned pro wrestler, turns to skydiving to decompress from the pressures that she encounters in her athletic career. Nothing like jumping out of a perfectly good airplane to put things in perspective for you.

Mike Tyson famously was quoted "... they [his opponents] lost the fight before they ever got hit." Watching many of Rousey's earlier fights, you could almost see the fear in the eyes of her opponents. Ronda was able to develop her sense of fearlessness with her skydives. The sheer act of jumping from a plane requires an amazing level of confidence and control over your emotions. Both of these attributes are mandatory for successful combat athletes.

Not surprisingly, not every hobby that athletes take up prepares them for the field of combat. Often it's simply to decompress from the pressure-filled arena and allow them to mentally rejuvenate themselves. And boy do they have some weird hobbies.

Robert Griffin III- Football player

Collecting Socks

What do you do when you're a Heisman Trophy-winning QB in college and Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL? If you're Robert Griffin III, you collect socks.

Professional athletes have long been associated with massive collections of shoes, but RG III might be the first player to ever care what was inside of those kicks. When he attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony that he ultimately won, he did so adorned in Superman socks. For one media day, he even wore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle socks. He enjoys sharing his passion with others as well. For the 2012 Halloween season, Griffin handed out socks instead of candy.

Tiger Woods- Golfer

Spearfishing

Quite often, professional athletes of the four major sports use golf as their choice of hobby for relaxation. However, what does a professional golfer do for a break from their job? One of the biggest golfers in the past 30 years, Tiger Woods, is known for destroying his competition in the PGA. When he's not on the course, he destroys fish by spearfishing.

Spearfishers dive underwater and use a spear gun or pole spear to "spear" their prey. This form of fishing requires the spearfisher to be in outstanding shape, as they swim to their prey, usually underwater for long periods. Quite a contrast from a boat on a tranquil lake at sunrise.

Rajon Rondo- Basketball player

Roller Skating

In his 15-year NBA career that spanned nine different teams, Rajon Rondo was renowned for his ball-handling skills as a point guard and his sticky defense. What many people don't know is that he made himself into an accomplished roller skater after his rookie year in the NBA.

Skating requires balance and coordination. These skills on the roller rink translate directly into improved footwork, agility, and overall body control. Rondo attributes skating to his improved play. And with four All-Star appearances, three assist titles, and four All-Defensive awards, who's to argue with him?

David Beckham- Soccer player

Fencing

When you're a professional athlete, you sometimes get to rub elbows with celebrities. When you're arguably the most famous soccer player and married to a Spice Girl, as David Beckham was, that happens even more frequently. After his playing days were through, Beckham was introduced to the world of fencing by actor Tom Cruise and quickly became quite good at it. The two fencers often spar together or add actor Will Smith into the melee. For Beckham, it's an outlet for his competitive juices that still flow.

Mike Tyson- Boxer

Raising Pigeons

Mike Tyson's pigeon-raising is widely known. He started the hobby in his childhood and continued to pursue it during his world championship boxing career. For a man with a menacing stare and vicious uppercuts, the sight of him tenderly looking after his flock of pigeons can be slightly shocking.

Tim Duncan- Basketball player

Playing D&D

Tim Duncan, the Hall of Fame power forward/center for the San Antonio Spurs, was known for his cerebral style of play. He was so geeky that he was a member of the "Biggest Geeks in Sports." There is no better example of his geekiness than his participation in the board game Dungeons and Dragons. I wonder what class his character is?

Rob Gronkowski- Football player

Jigsaw Puzzles

You just knew that Gronk had to be on the list. One of the more colorful players in the NFL during his career, Gronk was always very active in the off-season and led quite an active social life. On the gridiron, however, he was a fierce competitor and while playing the position of tight end, Gronk suffered his fair share of concussions. After his retirement, he began a program to improve his cognitive functions. Through this, he started putting together jigsaw puzzles. It must have worked pretty well because he came out of retirement to reunite with his QB Tom Brady down in Tampa Bay to win a Super Bowl.

Matt Oakley- Soccer Player

Collecting Piranha

Matt Oakley, a retired Premier League midfielder, wanted a unique hobby to take his mind off of the daily rigors of the high-intensity training the EPL demands. His decision was definitely unique: collecting South American red-bellied piranha.

Oakley is quoted saying, " I wanted something unusual, and piranhas certainly make feeding time interesting". Interesting, indeed.

Anthony Davis- Basketball Player

Drawing

This hobby isn't as widely publicized as some, because it could be a cause of embarrassment. Anthony Davis, the NBA All-Star Los Angeles Laker Power Forward, draws for his relaxation, but he's not very good at it.

When Rachel Nichols was with Inside the NBA, she asked "The Brow" to draw a portrait of Charles Barkley. After seeing the picture that looked like the Man in the Moon with an arm to his face, Barkley replied "He better keep his day job". Here's the picture: Rachel Nichols on Twitter: "Check out the @NBAonTNT postgame show: I ask Anthony Davis to show off his sketchbook skills by drawing the Chuckster http://t.co/Hx93eW8kxl" / Twitter

Ryan Fitzpatrick-Football Player

Rubik's Cube

Many people are surprised when they find out that retired NFL QB Ryan Fitzpatrick graduated from Harvard. The Crimson are known for their "Titans of Industry", not the Titans of Tennessee. Both Fitzpatrick and center Matt Birk played for over a decade. Yet, you can take the guy out of Harvard, but not the Harvard out of the guy. One off-season, Fitzpatrick studied how to solve the Rubik's Cube, a popular puzzle game from the 80s. He became so proficient that he can solve it in under two minutes and races his son.

Cristiano Ronaldo- Soccer

Bingo

When Ronaldo moved to Old Trafford in 2003 to play for Manchester United, he was young and didn't know the area very well. For Christmas, he received a DVD version of the popular firehall game, BINGO. He became hooked on the game and it is now one of the downtime activities not associated with soccer that he regularly participates in.

Maybe he can use some of those winnings to pay his taxes.

Madison Bumgarner- Baseball

Rodeo Riding

Madison Bumgarner, a World Series-winning and All-Star pitcher, is infamous for his off-season activities. In 2017, when he was pitching for the San Francisco Giants, he missed three months of the season as a result of a shoulder injury he suffered while riding a dirt bike.

In 2020, when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was revealed that Madison had been participating in his childhood hobby of competitive rodeo riding for years. One year in spring training, he even competed two days before a scheduled start. He even created an alias for himself, riding under the name Mason Saunders. He claims he did that to avoid publicity, but it feels more like he did it because he knew it wouldn't be popular in the organization.

David Givens- Football

Art

David Givens, a wide receiver who won two Super Bowls while with the New England Patriots and also played for the Tennessee Titans, found solace in graphite art during his playing career. When injuries ended his football journey after five seasons, he turned to art as an escape and a means of addressing psychological challenges. Givens' artistic skills flourished, leading to the recognition of his work with some of his pieces being exhibited at the South Shore Gala Center in Massachusetts.

Curt Schilling- Baseball Player

Video Games

Sports and video games go hand-in-hand. Athletes often decide to unwind and relax by playing a wide variety of games, from being able to play as a digitized version of themselves in a sports game, to Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games like Fortnight or first-person shooters like Call of Duty.

Curt Schilling, a multiple World Series-winning pitcher, took his love of gaming to another level when, in 2006, he started a gaming company called 38 Studios, in homage to Schilling's number in the last half of his career.

The company created one game and was in the middle of creating a second when sadly it went bankrupt in 2012. The U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI investigated for potential wrongdoing, as 38 Studios had taken a $75 million dollar loan. No criminal charges were filed, but Schilling ultimately lost almost his entire fortune he had earned during his playing days.

Shaquille O'Neal- Basketball

Law Enforcement

Easily one of the most recognized sports figures in the past 25 years, Shaq was the most physically dominant player of his generation. Like many famous athletes, he's appeared in over 70 films and is going on tour in the summer of 2023 as a DJ.

But in 2005, he became a reserve police officer with Miami Beach. He wasn't doing this for just publicity, as the swearing-in ceremony was private and he had a yearly salary of $1.

Roy Halladay- Baseball

Flying

Sadly, not every hobby is safe. Roy Halladay, the HOF pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, had a love of flying from childhood as his father was a commercial pilot. Finally, in 2014, a year after he retired, "Doc" achieved one of his lifelong dreams of getting his pilot's license.

On November 7, 2017, Roy was flying a two-person, single-engine ICON A5 light sports aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico when he crashed and died.

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