Athletes with Snakes
You've heard the old saying: "Get photographed with a snake; it's like holding a smile."
As you very well know, nobody says that. Yet there is no shortage of photos out there of athletes with a serpent—because it works somehow. Snakes and people make for a compelling scene.
When it comes to athletes, sometimes the snake is an accessory, like a sunset or top hat. But sometimes they supply the snake, because the creature that terrifies much of the world is, in fact, their pet.
One thing is for sure, no photo op featuring an athlete and a snake will ever be described as boring—whether it's because the person taking part in the act looks absolutely horrified or the athlete and their snake are a true odd couple.
Here's a very weird sampling of athletes with snakes.
Joel Anthony
1 of 24
Date: March 2009
Event: Miami Heat Family Festival
Former Miami Heat center Joel Anthony, now with the Detroit Pistons, is snapped lugging around a very impressively sized snake at a family event for fans in Miami back in 2009. He looks so calm and at ease, like he’d been carrying around that dang snake for years.
Tony Hawk
2 of 24Instagram ID: tonyhawk
Caption: Thanks to @boardworld for showing me around Sydney & documenting my python incident: https://vimeo.com/87206499
Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has been traveling the world skating for nearly three decades now. The “python incident” in Thailand was probably the least adventurous thing he did that week.
Jarmila Groth and Juan Ignacio Chela
3 of 24
Date: March 2011
Event: Sony Ericsson Open
Here’s something you probably didn’t know about international tennis competitions: a disconcerting number of them include athlete photo ops with very large snakes. Here are Australian tennis player Jarmila Groth and Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela double-fisting a Burmese python at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open.
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Marion Jones
4 of 24
Date: August 2001
Event: Goodwill Games promotion
American track and field athlete Marion Jones visits with the late Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter, at the zoo in Brisbane, Australia, ahead of the 2001 Goodwill Games.
Maurice Brantley
6 of 24
Date: September 2002
Event: Flores vs. Brantley weigh-in
Boxer Maurice Brantley took a lesson from pop singer Britney Spears’ 2001 MTV Video Music Awards performance, showing up to a 2002 weigh-in with a snake around his neck.
Kostya Tszyu
7 of 24
Date: May 2005
Event: Kostya Tszyu press conference
Russian-Australian boxer Kostya Tszyu did the snake-at-a-press-conference thing, too, but it was completely tired by 2005. No offense.
Doug Martin
8 of 24Instagram ID: dougmartin22
Caption: Don't ask..
You probably should decline a dinner invitation at the home of Buccaneers running back Doug Martin if exotic animals aren’t your thing. In addition to the snake, Martin has a Savannah cat that is anything but your average house cat.
Omar Vizquel
9 of 24
Date: March 2009
Event: Spring baseball
Retired MLB infielder Omar Vizquel, then with the Texas Rangers, shows of a photo of himself with an 11-foot, 90-pound anaconda snake he caught during the offseason.
Muhammad Ali
10 of 24
Date: May 1977
Event: Pre-fight press conference
Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali mugs for the camera with a snake in a media event prior to defending his world heavyweight title against Alfredo Evangelista.
Bryanne Stewart
12 of 24
Date: March 2005
Event: NASDAQ 100 Open
Australian tennis player Bryanne Stewart looks far more at ease covered in a massive snake than any tennis player we’ve ever seen. Something about those Australian ladies.
Tony Stallings
13 of 24
Date: October 2001
Event: Photo shoot
For some reason, former University of Louisville running back Tony Stallings poses for an official portrait with a snake and an alligator. Maybe he’s a reptile enthusiast. Or maybe he just knows how to create a buzz.
McKayla Maroney
14 of 24Instagram ID: mckaylamaroney
Caption: Soooo, I like snakes now..
Cuddling up to that snake (and maybe even kissing it?), you really believe American gymnast McKayla Maroney actually does like snakes now. Although, considering how close they seem to be, it’s hard to believe she ever didn’t like them.
Tamira Paszek
15 of 24
Date: June 2013
Event: AEGON International
Austrian tennis player Tamira Paszek was given the snake-handling duties at the AEGON International in 2013—something that apparently has to be delegated to someone at every international tennis competition.
Pierre Thomas
16 of 24Instagram ID: pierre_thomas
Caption: Real talk though I was nervous.
Saints running back Pierre Thomas probably isn’t going to be building a reptile house out back his New Orleans home any time soon, but at least he’s not irrationally afraid of making contact with one.
Kaia Kanepi
17 of 24
Date: March 2012
Event: Sony Ericsson Open
Estonian tennis player Kaia Kanepi looks so at ease with that albino Burmese python that you’d think she was from Australia! Seriously, I’m pretty sure they put snakes in cribs to babysit babies down in Oz, just to toughen them up.
Dwight Howard
18 of 24Instagram ID: dwighthoward
Caption: Can't live in Texas and not own one of these.
Rockets superstar Dwight Howard has obviously embraced his new home in the Lone Star State, warming to the little-known Texas law that requires all residents own snakes.
Ti Chen
19 of 24
Date: January 2013
Event: Australian Open player party
Taiwanese tennis player Ti Chen poses with a massive snake during the official player party to kick off the 2013 Australian Open. No party is official without a whole bunch of snakes, right?
Tsvetana Pironkova
20 of 24
Date: March 2011
Event: Sony Ericsson Open
Bulgarian tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova looks small enough to be considered a hearty meal for that albino Burmese python. She’s obviously a braver soul than many of us.
Lee Trevino
22 of 24
Date: June 1971
Event: U.S. Open
PGA great Lee Trevino looks mildly panicked in the brush at the 1971 U.S. Open, wielding a hatchet and a rubber snake during a practice round. The guy sure knows how to sell it.
Nicole Vaidisova
23 of 24
Date: January 2006
Event: Australian Open
Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova got far more than she bargained for posing with a snake for a photo op during the 2006 Australian Open. Not content to sit docilely around her neck, the snake got ornery and decided to mix it up.
Danny Green
24 of 24Instagram ID: greenranger14
Caption: Me n the lady of the house #jade
Spurs shooting guard Danny Green isn’t just posing with a snake, like many of the athletes in this slideshow; he’s cohabitating with at least one. And right now, Jade is the lady of the house.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
