20 Professional Athletes Who Would Fail at a Blue Collar Job
By Michael Terrill
@MichaelTerrill
20 Professional Athletes Who Would Fail at a Blue Collar Job
Blue collar workers and professional athletes have a very unique bond in which they are connected in several ways. With that being said, the average Joe is not going to be able to handle the grueling punishment on a gridiron or a long season on the road in which nine innings must be played every night. On the other hand, there are numerous professional athletes that could never do what blue collar workers accomplish on a daily basis.
The obvious connection is that the two are both physically demanding and experience dictates everything. Even more obvious is that blue collar workers are big-time supporters of professional athletes, especially in towns such as Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Not only are the blue collar workers essentially paying for salaries through ticket and merchandise sales, but also through general support by showing up on game day.
As far as athletes handling blue collar jobs, I have to imagine several would say they could. It was not long ago that players actually had blue collar jobs in the offseason to help pay the mortgage and put food on the table. Obviously, times have changed with several athletes paid $100 million for their service. With the recent development of the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin situation with the Miami Dolphins, it is easy to wonder what would happen if they were in an ordinary work place. Put aside the physical demands of the blue collar job, the question is if professional athletes could handle it emotionally and mentally.
Make sure to click through the slideshow to see the 20 professional athletes who would fail at a blue collar job.
20. Metta World Peace
I really struggled whether to put Metta World Peace on the list for the simple reason that he actually wanted to get a real job. During his rookie season, he allegedly applied for a job at Circuit City so that he could get in on the employee discount. Since World Peace is a huge consumer of home electronics, it just made sense to get an offseason job in which he could save on his purchases.
The issue with World Peace working a blue collar job is the fact that he is a little crazy and untrustworthy. I’m not saying all blue collar workers are sane because every job has people that are a few bricks shy of a house. However, a common theme on this slideshow is players that might have a hard time with people trusting them. It is hard to expect people to be successful around heavy machinery and cargo when they could go off at any second.
19. LeBron James
LeBron James has attempted to tame his massive ego in recent years but that does not mean it is non-existent. There is no getting around the fact that James, like several professional athletes, is a prima donna. I understand he is the best basketball player alive and it is easy to lose oneself with that impressive title. However, I have to imagine someone with a prima donna attitude would not survive for very long at a blue collar job.
18. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is a great guy and well-liked by many. However, Mickelson also reportedly has a darker side that has to deal with gambling. It is no secret that professional athletes like to gamble every now and then. However, it is expected that when someone loses a bet that person pay up.
There is a well-known story in which Mickelson lost a bet to three players while on the golf course. He was required to pay approximately $200,000 but refused to do it. Eventually, he coughed up the money after Billy Payne threatened to take away his ability to show his face at Augusta.
The point is Mickelson is not someone other workers would want around if they couldn’t trust him enough to pay a simple bet.
17. Andy Roddick
Tennis star Andy Roddick is known to freak out occasionally. Whether it is tennis judge, another player or the media, Roddick has a hard time restraining himself from showing his true colors. Obviously, someone who cannot keep his temper in check and frequently displays it would have a hard time fitting in the average work place. Not to mention, his demeanor suggests that working a blue collar job would be beneath him.
16. Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe is another professional athlete that is on this list for his inability to be trusted by fellow employees. During his rookie season, Bowe famously told ESPN The Magazine about how his Kansas City Chiefs teammates were “importing” a few “groupies” when on the road.
“’My rookie year, we were playing in San Diego,' Bowe said, according to Pro Football Talk. 'You hear stories about groupies hanging out in hotel lobbies, but some of my teammates had it set up so there was a girl in every room. The older guys get on MySpace and Facebook a week before we go to a city; when a pretty one writes back, they arrange to fly her in three of four days in advance. They call it importing.’”
Obviously, his teammates were not happy about Bowe telling the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports” about their extracurricular activities involving prostitutes, I mean “groupies.” The wide receiver supposedly tried to claim he was misquoted. Good thing ESPN had an audio recording to back up their story.
15. Chris Johnson
Raises are earned through consistent hard work over long periods of time. Chris Johnson decided to hold out for a new contract not only bigger than any other running back, but bigger than any other "playmaker" in the NFL. The only problem was he had just one good season under his belt. Dude clearly doesn't know how the real world works.
14. LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Blount has a little bit of an issue controlling his anger. Obviously, this poses a huge issue in a work place surrounded by heavy machinery. If something were to happen, the last thing a manager, or the owner of a company for that matter, needs is for one employee punching others in the face. Considering Blount has been known to do exactly that, there is a good chance he would fail miserably at a blue collar job.
13. Brandon Jennings
Brandon Jennings went from one blue collar town to another when he left Milwaukee for Detroit. However, that does not mean he fits in as one of the people. Jennings is the classic professional athlete who whines when he does not get his way. He believes he is owed certain things when he simply does not work hard enough to earn them. Jennings has been known to fight with coaches and pout when he is benched for bad play. I cannot imagine one blue collar job that would tolerate that type of attitude.
12. DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is widely known as a selfish person who simply does not possess the maturity level to handle certain situations. His rotten behavior in the past has given teammates more than enough reason not to be around him. In sports, someone who plays the game at a high-level can get away with having behavior issues. However, the average work place will not allow that to happen.
11. Michael Vick
Dog fighting scandal aside, Michael Vick is someone who would fail at a blue collar job for the simple fact that he is unable to stay healthy. Someone who gets hurt easily or puts themselves in a situation where they can get hurt frequently does not belong in a shop or factory. There are too many things that can go wrong, which puts the company in a very difficult position.
10. Adam “Pacman” Jones
Adam “Pacman” Jones constantly finds himself in trouble with the law no matter how hard he tries to stay away from it. This is a guy who hired a bodyguard to keep himself safe from his bad antics, which only resulted in a fight with the bodyguard when a disagreement came to the forefront. It that is not enough, Jones also has gone out of his way to avoid a real job. In fact, when he was suspended from football he decided it was best to try his luck at professional wrestling.
9. Josh Beckett
Josh Beckett is another athlete who is not very well-liked in his profession. However, the even bigger problem with him is that he is known to be lazy. Some athletes work hard in order to improve their game, while others simply ride on their raw talent. Beckett falls in the latter, somewhat. The fact that he has been known to drink beer, eat fried chicken and play video games while his team was in the middle of an epic collapse in 2011 just adds to his persona.
8. Richie Incognito
It does not matter that numerous players and coaches, former or not, have come to Incognito’s defense of his demeanor towards Martin. He is labeled as a bully, which is something that is absolutely not tolerated in the work place. Bullying in blue collar jobs is a huge problem, as workers will use intimidation to sway other works one way or the other on certain issues. Some sources claim Incognito has intimidated Martin to give him money and do other favors that have been labeled duties of a rookie. Regardless of the truth of the situation, Incognito’s behavior does not belong in a blue collar job. Ironically, the fact that the Dolphins will most likely not have Incognito back and he is a free agent at the end of the season means he may not be qualified for any job besides a blue collar one.
7. Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli has been known to spend money at a rapid pace. His inability to control his ridiculous spending would not bode well on a blue collar salary, especially after he got a taste of how much money professional athletes make. Not to mention, he marches to the beat of his own drum.
6. Ryan Lochte
I am convinced Ryan Lochte is not qualified to do anything besides swim in a pool. Good thing for him is that his ability to excel at his sport brings him all sorts of financial opportunities. Otherwise, he would be in very big trouble. His inability to walk and talk at the same time while acting or comprehend what is going on around him while a guest on College Game Day are just a few examples of why he would fail immensely at any blue collar job.
5. Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby is an example of an athlete who was labeled a prima donna before he showed up at the professional level. There seems to be something about him that makes fans, coaches, players and even the media struggle to be a huge fan of his. Like Jennings, he has been known to be a whiner, which simply does not fly in the blue collar work force.
4. Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard is allegedly the reason that Stan Van Gundy, who is an excellent basketball coach, lost his job a couple of years ago. Howard has created enemies in multiple cities due to his selfish ways and has an abundance of problems in his personal life. I am sure he is a very nice man, which would certainly help his cause at an average job. Nonetheless, his one-sided behavior would create all sorts of problems for him as a blue collar worker.
3. Dez Bryant
Temper tantrums do happen but they are not tolerated at the average job, which is the biggest reason Dez Bryant would fail as a blue collar worker. His incredibly selfish behavior and thought process that dictates him as being the only person capable of getting the job done would backfire anywhere else other than professional football. There is no way anyone with seniority in a machine shop would tolerate the youngster to berate them in front of other employees.
2. Jonathan Martin
Martin is the main reason the slideshow was created. His way of going about his problem with Incognito, a co-worker, is simply wrong. Once again, I have no idea what the truth is behind the intense situation the Dolphins are dealing with. On the other hand, I know enough that Martin should have tried to work out his problem with his friend and teammate after multiple sources confirmed the two were very close. Incognito does not deserve to be thrown under a bus for something that happens in almost every locker room around the league.
Martin would not be able to handle a blue collar job for the simple fact that most blue collar workers believe in handling a situation man-to-man. The extent of the bullying that he went through is unknown. With that being said, if reports that Martin took part in hazing rookies are true, then he has little room to be getting upset. Simply put, he would not have the mental stability to endure what occurs in a majority of blue collar jobs.
1. Alex Rodriguez
I have to imagine most people are not surprised to see Alex Rodriguez in the No. 1 spot. A-Rod is the biggest prima donna in sports, and someone who would definitely not be able to handle a blue collar job. He gets paid all of the money in the world and he still decides to cheat at his work. He gets distracted easily at a time when his job requires him to have the utmost attention. Not to mention, he is not very well-liked by others in his profession. The last one is not a requirement of a blue collar worker, but it just adds to the proof that he could not handle it what most average Joes go through.
Adult Film Stars Who Are Diehard Sports Fans
People all around the world are sports fan -- that includes women who do adult things for a living. Read More
20 Most Unathletic Looking Athletes in Sports
The collection of athletes in this list proves you don’t have to look like LeBron James to be one of the greatest athletes in the world. Read More
Top 25 Best Nicknames in Sports of All Time
A lot of star athletes are better remembered because of their cool nicknames. These 25 athletes had the coolest of all time. Read More
Steinberg on Kroenke's Plan for NFL in LA
In his official blog, Leigh Steinberg breaks down Stan Kroenke's plan to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles. Read More
The United States' Olympic Dilemma
Boston will try to host the 2024 Olympics. But the bigger issue is why would any American city want to? Read More
Bruna Lima: 20 Hot Photos of Fitness Model
Here's a look at 20 hot Instagram photos of the next big fitness model, Bruna Lima. Read More
15 Biggest Sports Brawls Of All Time
Athletes are often very aggressive individuals. Here are 15 of the biggest brawls in sports history. Read More
20 Easiest Athletes To Cheer For
Very few athletes are able to be great and endear themselves to fans on a regular basis. These 20 athletes possess that rare ability. Read More
Johnny Manziel and 20 Athletes You Love To Hate
Athletes like Johnny Manziel polarize themselves from the public, and these 20 are the most unlikable in all of sports. Read More
15 Fast-Rising Sports Franchises
There are several sports franchises that haven't been good in the past but are headed toward contention now. Expect these teams to win a title or two in the next few years. Read More
5 Records That Will Be Shattered in 2015
By the time the year 2015 has come to an end, these sports records will have fallen. Read More
The Most Surprising Celebrity Sports Fans
Chris Christie isn't the only celebrity that really, REALLY loves his favorite sports team. Read More