Craziest Sports-Related Tattoos on Instagram

We all know that when it comes to sports, people can get pretty irrational. In some cases, even borderline crazy. In other cases, there’s no borderline about it. 

There may be no crazier way to show your fan allegiance than with a very ridiculous, very large tattoo. Instagram is awash with various fan tattoos, some of which are small and tasteful, but the vast majority of which are the exact opposite. 

Instagram hashtags aren’t always the easiest to navigate, but in this case the legwork has been done for you. However, these aren't your typical tattoo fails—more like very bad ideas executed pretty well. 

Let’s take a look at some of the craziest sports tattoos it has to offer. 

Denver Broncos

Although the Broncos' costumed mascot isn’t the least bit intimidating, tattoo artists certainly have a way of butching up that horse. Whoever did this particular tattoo also found a way to make the mascot look like the Thundercats logo. 

Los Angeles Lakers

You wouldn’t think that there would be much overlap in age between Lakers super fans and Despicable Me super fans, but apparently there’s at least one person occupying both spheres. 

Pittsburgh Sports

And there you were thinking that calling someone from Pittsburgh a “Yinzer” was an insult! My people have taken the power back from the word and now wear it as a badge of honor. So that explains one thing, but can anyone tell me why that Penguin is riding on a paper airplane?

Tommy Lasorda

Wow. This guy really loves famed former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. The tattoo itself is crazy—seriously, who gets an old man tattoo?—but at least the portrait itself is really good. 

Manchester United

The above is actually one of the more tasteful and reserved Manchester United tattoos that I’ve ever seen. Or at least it would be, if it were located pretty much anywhere else on that man’s body. The forehead just isn’t an ideal locale for permanent ink. 

Floyd Mayweather

That Floyd Mayweather tattoo is creepily lifelike. That’s in addition to being just plain creepy. The water dripping down Floyd Money’s face adds a lot of dimension to the piece, but not nearly as much as the blood dripping from his nose and mouth. 

Chicago Bears (Boars?) & Green Bay Packers

This looks like your standard heated-rivalry tattoo at first glance, but a closer inspection of what you’d think would be a bear in a football uniform, looks more like a boar. I’m pretty sure the tattoo artist actually got the two animals confused because those fangs are very distinctive and indicative of a boar’s trademark smile. 

Al Davis

It should come as no surprise that a “#RaidersTattoo” Instagram search brings back hundreds of tattoos, each more ridiculous than the last. Although it doesn’t get much more ridiculous than the Al Davis tributes. 

San Francisco Giants

This guy’s tattoo professional “breathed some life into” his “old sad chest piece” with this Giants logo, at least according to him. Overall, though, the whole thing is pretty nuts; the Giants logo gets completely lost among all the wings, roses, and bandaged nipples. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

As a lifelong Steelers fan, I can personally attest to the general level of disdain that exists within the city of Pittsburgh for creepshow mascot Steely McBeam. Most people don’t want this guy anywhere near them on game day (unless they’re drunk and feeling menacing), let alone as a permanent fixture on their bodies. This guy must be nuts. 

Boston Red Sox

This Red Sox fan is breaking two pretty big rules with this masterpiece:

1. The logo of the team you love should always be bigger than that of the team you hate.

2. Never get a puddle of urine tattooed on your body. 

New York Giants & Dallas Cowboys

Remember what I just said about that puddle of urine? Well, you also don’t want a cartoon character urinating either. 

Philadelphia Flyers

Not for nothing, but if Jesus is a Flyers fan, I’m officially an atheist. 

New York Mets

This Mets tattoo isn’t just crazy—it’s crazy awesome. For your average person, tattoos are hard to do right. You don’t want something too big or too cliched or located too close to something that will eventually start to sag. This Mr. Met ankle tattoo is perfection. 

Seattle Seahawks

Give this guy props for holding back and not getting a face tattoo or something. That being said, that Seahawks logo is a little sad looking and the hip is generally and area favored by women for tattoos. It probably goes nicely with his Mariners tramp stamp.

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina mascot is the Gamecock, also known as a chicken. It’s not the most fearsome of birds, but this SC fan was at least imaginative enough to toughen it up.

Ray Lewis

Wow. Ravens great Ray Lewis may be two years retired, but his big screaming face will live on forever on the back of this uncomfortably dedicated super fan. As insane as this tattoo is, I’m actually quite impressed the rough outline on the left became the finished product on the right. 

J.R. Smith

Before I saw this tattoo on Instagram, I assumed the only person on Earth that would get a J.R. Smith tattoo would be J.R. Smith—and maybe not even him. This weirdo has changed the game. 

Dallas Cowboys

AT&T Stadium, forever known to fans as Cowboys Stadium, covers a fair bit of space in Dallas. Which is why it requires a Cowboys fan with a fair bit of belly space to do it justice. This guy has a more than adequately sized canvas. 

Philadelphia Sports

Honestly, this calf sleeve in the works is a pretty good way to commemorate all things Philadelphia sports. Or at least it was, until he decided to get a cheesesteak sandwich added to it. What a terrible idea. 

Kobe Bryant

Lakers great Kobe Bryant has an odd habit of gnawing on his jersey during games. Odd but lovable. Or very lovable, in the case of one stalkerific fan in Los Angeles. 

Houston Texans

Good lord! Getting a Texans tattoo as a Texans fan is one thing. But sullying the franchise by putting it on a beer can and becoming a walking corporate shill for Budweiser? That’s something else entirely. For shame. 

Football

This tattoo is more weird than crazy. I tried to find some explanation or reason behind the design and/or the epically existential question it asks (Sup, bro?) but tragically came up empty.

University of Florida

If you imagined the douchiest possible alligator that could ever exist, you’d probably come up with something just like this. Mostly because of the backwards hat. That being said, I kinda love it. 

Detroit Lions & Baltimore Ravens

This tattoo is beyond ridiculous, but the guy who got it is a genius. Apparently he bet a friend that the Lions would beat the Ravens last season—the loser had to get the other team’s logo permanently etched on his body. The Ravens won that game, so he came through with the tattoo. 

Mike Tyson & Don King

Are you kidding me with this?!?! There is seriously some human being walking around with a mural dedicated to villainous boxing promoter Don King permanently etched on their body. The world is officially a worse place than it was before learning of this.

New York Yankees

Apparently the zombie craze that simply will not die now carries over to sports tattoos, which is why zombie Babe Ruth and zombie Don Mattingly are both things. Both things that are forever inked on the body of a person who makes terrible decisions. 

Pittsburgh Steelers & New York Yankees

There are a lot of odd team combo tattoos on Instagram—this Steelers-Yankees number is definitely one of the weirder. It’s mercifully understated, at least in terms of size, but the weird design makes it look like an accident. 

LeBron James

Let’s just hope the proud owner of this oversized LeBron James tat is a serious LeBron fan and not necessarily a serious Miami Heat fan. Otherwise, he’s probably pretty bummed right about now. Let’s be real, though—how many Heat fans are that serious? 

LeBron James

Here we go again. King James has a lot of fans who serve his majesty with very terrible tattoos. That eyesore says “Only God’s Love is Everlasting.” Yeah, that and your horrible tattoo, bro. 

Dallas Cowboys

The woman in this tattoo is a bit like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders—there to stand in front of the Cowboys to distract fans from how tragically mediocre they’ve been for over a decade. 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Sorry this one is in screen capture form. The format sucks, but this massive cranial monument to Dodgers Stadium is as crazy or crazier than any tattoo on this list. Maybe any tattoo ever. It’s a nice complement to the Raiders tattoo you can just about see on the top of his skull. 

NFL

Said the tattoo artist who posted this photo: “This dude f-----g LOVES football!” Uh...yeah. Either that or he lost a bet with a very drunk Roger Goodell. I like to think it was the latter.