If Athletes Were Superheroes or Villains

“If Athletes were Superheroes”

Written and Media by Jonathan Barker
All around the world, kids and even adults look up to famous athletes. We treat our favorite sports players like heroes, watching both their rises and falls. We idolize and treat our favorite sports players like heroes, often imitating them and wearing their jerseys. I thought I would take this concept a bit more literally and come up with some fun comparisons based on their style of play and careers.

Tim Duncan is Superman
Superman is a selfless hero and true man of integrity. Tim Duncan’s humble attitude and genuine spirit reminds me of Clark Kent. Just like Superman, Duncan has been around forever, preparing for his 19^th season in San Antonio.

PS: Someone might say, “Well, everybody knows that Shaq is Superman!” I have to disagree for the purpose of this article because his personality reflects more of Bizarro, in my opinion.

LeBron James is Batman
LeBron is not the hero Cleveland needs; he is the hero they deserve.  This hero is never appreciated by spectators and is constantly criticized, even if he does average almost 40 PPG in a finals series.

Kobe Bryant is Bane
I can see a little bit of the Black Mamba when I watch Bane. Even in the twilight of his career, Kobe remains overconfident and has both an ego and pent-up aggression similar to Bane. However, one could argue that Kobe is Batman and LeBron is Bane, it just depends on your perspective.

Ronda Rousey is Catwoman
I would not mess with Catwoman and more importantly; I would never want to anger Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey is not afraid to tell you what’s on her mind. I think this comparison speaks for itself.

Usain Bolt is the Flash
I thought this comparison was perfect. They say Flash is as fast as a Bolt of lightening. Usain may be the fastest human on Earth, so it’s not hard to understand why I saw him as Barry Allen-esque.

Andrew Luck is Wolverine
Honestly, Luck just looks the part. I’m not sure if he has the same anger as Wolverine or the ability to heal himself. We will see if he can get recover from his injuries and find some consistency in his game.

Aaron Rodgers is Green Arrow
The Green Arrow has incredible accuracy and spent a great deal of dedication to his craft, just like his fellow green-wearing twin Aaron Rodgers. Oliver Queen also had a slick swagger similar to Aaron Rodger’s cool demeanor.

Odell Beckham Jr. is Spiderman
Everyone remembers Beckham’s unbelievable catch against the Cowboys last season. I’m convinced the Giants receiver has “Spidey senses.” He gives citizens in New York hope, just like Peter Parker’s alter ego.

Eddie Lacy is the Hulk
Even Lacy compares himself to the Hulk. If you’ve seen him run, you would know why. One could argue a case for “Beast Mode” Marshawn Lynch, but I chose Lacy based on the green colors he sports. He often wears a Hulk shirt underneath his jersey. You don’t want to see him angry…

Michael Phelps is Aqua Man
I think this is a pretty obvious one. Phelps can swim like no other person on Earth. I think he might actually be part fish. He’s won more Olympic medals than any other American athlete in history. I’m not sure if Aquaman was caught on camera smoking marijuana, but something tells me he knows his way around seaweed.

Floyd Mayweather is Venom
Venom is a horrendous and even disgusting villain. Although he is a frightening opponent, man sports fan dislike the undefeated boxer based on his past involvements in domestic disputes. Mayweather’s spiteful attitude makes him one of the most famous supervillains in our world of sports.

Joey Crawford is Lex Luther
I mean, just look at him.

Last but not least, I was trying to think of a superhero that would fit Michael Jordan’s historic persona. But after some further thinking I realized the truth is that Michael Jordan is already a superhero. He dominated every game with his animated performance and was one arguably the most entertaining athlete to ever play.

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Honorable Mentions:

For the sake of this article’s length, I wasn’t able to expand my point for every comparison I thought of but here are some more fun ones.

Rory McIlroy is Green Lantern

Nate Robinson is Ant-man

Brock Lesnar is The Thing

Alex Rodriguez is Dr. Doom

Chris Bosh is the Joker

Draymond Green is Deadpool

Carli Lloyd is Wonder Woman

Richard Sherman is Doomsday

Carmelo Anthony is Cyborg

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Do you have more comparisons? Let us know in the comment section!