Pop Culture: The Top 10 Television Commercials Featuring Professional Athletes

Everyone loves a hilarious, witty television commercial, and the only thing better than a funny advertisement is one with your favorite athlete in it.

Commercials have always been a part of the sports world. Good ones make events like the Super Bowl enjoyable for people who don't care about sports. So, without any more hesitation, let's rank the top 10 commercials featuring professional athletes.

Honorable Mention

Nike "Frozen Moment", Michael Jordan

This is a classic commercial. Airing at the peak of Michael Jordan's career, this ad blew up Nike's sales and MJ's fame.

10. Gatorade "Be Like Mike," Michael Jordan

This commercial contains the cheesiest song I have ever heard, but it got people to buy Gatorade.

Or maybe they just wanted to be like Mike.

9. Sprint "NFL Mobile," Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning has a rich history of funny commercials, and this is one of his funnier ones.

Don't skip this slide if you "like 6'5", 230-pound quarterbacks."

8. Reebok "Shaq vs. Shaq," Shaquille O'Neal

When you hear the name Shaq, you probably either think "basketball player," or you think "funny."

Well, this commercial is both. Besides, when was the last time you saw Shaq in a Reebok advertisement?

7. Nike "Unstoppable Game Tape," Kobe Bryant and LeBron James

Nike has put together a whole series of commercials with puppets resembling Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. This is probably the funniest one.

To tell the truth, I don't get how these are supposed to advertise Nike. But they're funny, so it doesn't really matter to me.

6. Master Card "Priceless," Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning should have considered a career as an actor.

Just look up "Peyton Manning commercials" on Google, and you will find enough videos to last a lifetime. This is already the second time we have seen him on this list.

Can't you see Peyton in Hollywood?

5. State Farm "State of Imitation," Aaron Rodgers, BJ Raji, and Clay Matthews

"Discount Double-Check!"

These three commercials are the funniest advertisements I have seen in a long time. Just combining Aaron Rodgers, B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews is the recipe for success.

Enjoy!

4. Nike "Lil' Penny," Penny Hardaway

Penny Hardaway was once called the next Michael Jordan, so you can tell why this commercial was so popular when it came out.

It's too bad that many people today have never heard of Hardaway.

Well, here's a commercial to bring back the memories (if you remember who he is).

3. Coca-Cola "Mean Joe Greene," Joe Greene

This ad is perhaps the most famed commercial in Super Bowl history. Man, Joe Greene even got a CLIO award for it.

It's a great commercial, but how did that little boy get down there?

2. Converse "Magic vs. Bird," Magic Johnson and Larry Bird

This commercial is what really heated up the Magic-Bird rivalry. Back in the day, the competition between the two was more fierce than today's Kobe-LeBron rivalry.

Today, you would probably be laughed at for wearing a pair of bright yellow Converse shoes.

1. Nike "What Should I Do?" LeBron James

"What should I do?"

This commercial heated up LeBron's already-controversial move to South Beach, and made people hate him (and love him) even more.

Maybe he will someday get that ring.