All-Sports Outdoorsman Team

Oftentimes we perceive athletes as people with affluent lifestyles who engage in hobbies that would be cost prohibitive for us normals. Like Floyd Mayweather, for example, who spends most of his downtime buying diamonds and luxury cars. 

Of course, there’s only one Floyd Mayweather, which is good, because one is enough. 

The truth is, with the exception of top earners in every sport, the majority of athletes are pretty much like the rest of us. They have a vast array of outside interests and hobbies, including fishing, hunting and the recreational use of firearms. 

Here is the all-sports outdoorsman team, as found in my Instagram feed. 

Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns

Instagram ID: @jmanziel2

Caption: Fishy fish with @joechek79

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was descended from Texas outlaws. Of course he’s gonna enjoy an afternoon of fishing. Not that I’m an expert here, but hunting and fishing just seem like outlaw hobbies. 

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Instagram ID: @jtuck9

Caption: [No caption]

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker likes to mix it up, alternating shooting with pretty extreme rooftop yoga. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

Instagram ID: @cristiano 

Caption: Love to fish. Have you ever tried it?

First of all, I can’t be the only one surprised that Cristiano Ronaldo likes fishing. Shopping, yes definitely, that makes sense. Fishing, no, not so much.

Also, I love that he asks his followers if they’ve ever tried it, like it’s some crazy new trend he just discovered. Cristiano Ronaldo: He’s not just like us. 

Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles

Instagram ID: @jkelce

Caption: Up here in Montana ice fishing with the boys. @rileycooper_14 @coltanderson30

If you’re thinking Eagles center Jason Kelce is exactly the kind of guy you picture ice fishing in Montana, you’re not alone. A man that looks like this is not likely to be a golf guy. 

Randall Telfer, USC

Instagram ID: @randalltelfer

Caption: Double time..!

USC tight end Randall Telfer is a very good shot—he must have logged some serious practice hours. Skeet shooting isn’t easy, and he absolutely nails that disc. 

Glen 'Big Baby' Davis, Los Angeles Clippers

Instagram ID: @ayobaby11

Caption: Big dog fishing!!!!

From the looks of his Instagram page, Clippers forward Glen Davis usually prefers to be an observer of nature, rather than an active participant. But clearly he could hang with some of these other guys, if absolutely necessary. 

James Harrison, NFL Free Agent

Instagram ID: @jharrison9292

Caption: Small black tip 

Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison doesn’t just hunt on the football field. Harrison is an avid hunter and fisherman, who spent (at least part of) his offseason shark fishing. Clearly he had some success. 

Graeme McDowell, PGA

Instagram ID: @graeme_mcdowell

Caption: Caught this beauty a few days ago in the Bahamas. Made for some beautiful sashimi! #tunameup

PGA pro Graeme McDowell keeps it cool on the golf course, as all golfers not named John Daly tend to do, but occasionally he cranks it up with an exciting activity like deep sea fishing—it sounds far more relaxing than it actually is. 

Kenny Britt, St. Louis Rams

Instagram ID: @kennybritt18

Caption: Who gonna shoot wen ur shot….bang

Honestly, it’s probably not fair to call Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt an “outdoorsman” based on this photo. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Either way, I strongly advise against trying to burgle his home. 

Keenan Robinson, Washington Redskins

Instagram ID: @keenanrobinson

Caption: I’m more of an outdoors type

Although this photo doesn’t offer much context—I mean, he could’ve found that fish on the beach for all we know—Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson is definitely an outdoors type. And judging by his sweet new fishing boat, a pretty serious angler. 

Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals

Instagram ID: @giogonzalez47

Caption: Wahoo tonight taking it to eat at benihanas lol

Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez seems to prefer spending time with his adorably tiny dog more than most outdoor activities, but he takes bro fishing trips on the regular. Hopefully none of which actually end at Benihana with a dead fish. That would be bad.

Connor Barwin, Philadelphia Eagles

Instagram ID: @connorbarwin98

Caption: Fish and Dews #tennessee 

Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin would probably be very disappointed that I chose this photo with the tiny fish and bottle of Mountain Dew, instead of this photo with the massive bench press-worthy fish. What can I say besides size isn’t all that matters. 

Ty Dillon, NASCAR

Instagram ID: @ty_dillon

Caption: Me and my hunting buddy Wyatt practicing 

NASCAR driver Ty Dillon has the type of hobbies that are stereotypically associated with the NASCAR sect—hunting, fishing, shooting firearms and, of course, the rodeo. Not that stereotype, at least in this case, is necessarily a bad thing. 

Sam Barrington, Green Bay Packers

Instagram ID: @sambarrington

Caption: Today at the NFL Alumni Sporting Clays event with some of my teammates. I did better than I thought. 

Packers linebacker Sam Barrington is definitely an outdoorsman, which is good because there’s not much else to do in Green Bay. It must run in the family because, judging by this photo, his dad is quite the fisherman. 

DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos

Instagram ID: @demarcusware

Caption: [No caption]

When Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware goes fishing, it’s obviously not an excuse to sit on a boat and drink beer. That’s a very serious haul for a single day of fishing. 

Miesha Tate, MMA

Instagram ID: @mieshatate

Caption: Never realized how fun shooting guns can be!!

MMA fighter Miesha Tate is melting male hearts in red states with this photo. Not to generalize, but guys in red states just seem to appreciate shooting automatic weapons in the woods more than guys in blue states. 

Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Instagram ID: @rtannehill17

Caption: Awesome day of fishing for the @miamidolphins w the guys of Weez in the Keys. Good ppl and great time! #finsweekend 

Um wow. So that is a fish. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is obviously a sportsman, but he is once again overshadowed by his beautiful wife in this department. 

In fact, Lauren Tannehill has so many firearms that she once casually forgot an AR-15 rifle in the back seat of a rental car. I can’t think of any other reason to forget an assault rifle in a rental car other than having enough at home that you wouldn’t really miss it.

Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

Instagram ID: @dwighthoward

Caption: I had to repost this. Drake is in aspen. 

NBA players seem to favor an urban setting—they all want to play in New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago—but that doesn’t mean they can’t shake things up. Rockets big man Dwight Howard hiked and biked the Rio Grande Trail in Colorado last offseason and even found some time to do some fishing. 

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Instagram ID: @juliojones_11

Caption: A lil horseback riding with the fellas @jonnyg78 @petaguns @dreamz4you2

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was born and raised in Foley, Alabama, which is a town fairly close to the Gulf with a population just over 15,000. 

So it should come as no surprise that during the offseason this country boy enjoys fishing, horseback riding and fishing some more. Seriously though, check out Jones in his head-to-toe camouflage. 

Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles

Instagram ID: @rileycooper_14

Caption: Bow fishing #CooperFarm

Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper is the all-star of the all-sports outdoorsman team: 1. He fishes with a cross bow. 2. This is his baby cousin. 3. These are things he’s successfully hunted. 4. He can even catch fish without a deadly weapon. 

Cooper’s Instagram account is the final resting place of an awful lot of animals. RIP. :(