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Not since the days of Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson have we seen a two-sport athlete. Once they were both out of their respective sports, most thought the days of multi-sport professional athletes was over. Well, that might not be the case after all.
In a pretty telling interview on Thursday, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wouldn’t say he won’t play baseball. In fact, he said “it’ll be tough [to play both sports]”, which could mean he plans on trying his hand at both sports.
He keeps insisting this baseball talk isn’t a way for him to leverage a better contract with the Seahawks, and he said that he definitely won’t be giving up football even if he decides to try his hand in baseball. If that’s true, then he may simply be considering pursuing baseball because he loves the game.
After last season’s Spring Training stunt in which Wilson played an inning for the Texas Rangers, who own his rights, it seemed like Wilson’s baseball future was merely as a media prop. However, he is making his intentions to play baseball seem a lot more serious lately.
If anyone could do it, you’d have to think it’s Wilson, who is as motivated, determined and hardworking as any athlete in sports today. Now, that doesn’t mean he’d be successful, but that does mean he probably has a higher chance of trying two sports. Not all athletes would take such a leap of faith on themselves.
It’s not clear how much seasoning Wilson would need in the minor leagues in order to actually reach the show as an infielder in Texas, but one thing’s for sure: if he can produce at a high level eventually, the Rangers could really use his bat.
