Hilarious Ways Athletes Kill Time

The New York Yankees recently found a pretty hilarious way to kill time during spring training.

The life of an athlete is undoubtedly busy, but everybody has at least a little down time. Thanks in large part to social media, fans are lucky enough to get a glimpse of what athletes do in those free moments.

There are pranks, impersonations and in the case of the Yankees, even a film reenactment. Any way, it's all good for a laugh. 

Prank Unsuspecting Strangers

When done well, athlete pranks can be hilarious. A driving school recently enlisted the help of professional driver Leona Chin to prank some of their employees. These new instructors had no idea what they were in for.

Prank Each Other

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Cleveland Indians teammates put shortstop Jose Ramirez's car on the field.

Athletes also amuse themselves by pulling pranks on teammates, especially the new kids.

Jordan Bastian, Cleveland Indians writer for MLB.com, recently shared one such story.

Shortstop Jose Ramirez is just 22 years old and therefore, an ideal pranking target. His Tribe teammates apparently parked his car on the field one morning during spring training. They made sure to put it right where he could find it—at shortstop. 

Pull April Fools' Gags

It's the NFL offseason, so why not use a holiday built around practical jokes to kill a little time?

James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers did just that by posting a photo of himself with a Mike Tyson-style face tattoo. It was fake, if you can believe that.

Impersonate Each Other

Many athletes have signature characteristics or traits that make them easy targets for impersonation.

For instance, in 2013, Andrew McCutchen imitated Derek Jeter's batting stance and completely nailed it.

More recently, Blake Griffin was caught on camera mocking his Los Angeles Clippers teammate Austin Rivers, and it was hilarious.

Impersonate Each Other on Twitter

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ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - MARCH 31: Jozy Altidore of the USA reacts during the international friendly match between Switzerland and the United States at Stadium Letzigrund on March 31, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Philipp Schmidli/Getty Images)

Instead of impersonating his follow footballer in the flesh, Chicago Fire forward Mike Magee took his talents to cyberspace.

According to SB Nation, Magee updated his Twitter profile to look exactly like that of Toronto striker Jozy Altidore—save the handle, of course. Magee then tweeted an explanation for a red card Altidore received in a recent international friendly.

Lip-Sync Pop Hits

This one is an oldie but definitely a goodie. Around the time of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the U.S. swim team recorded an epic lip-sync video to Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe.”

The video got over 12 million views on YouTube, and Michael Phelps even said filming it helped the team bond.  

Join in the Latest Dance Craze

Athletes aren't generally ones to be left out when a new dance craze sweeps the nation. (Looking at you, John Wall.)

That said, sometimes, a whole team gets involved.

In 2013, the “Harlem Shake” was all the rage, and the Miami Heat seemed to put a lot of effort into their own version. There were costumes, props and some pretty questionable dance moves. Overall, it's worth a watch.

Sing to Each Other

Video contains NSFW language.

Apparently, free time exists in locker rooms, as well.

The Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler is coming off of an injury, but tough times can't keep him down—just ask teammate Joakim Noah. Noah recently enjoyed a special locker room performance as Butler showed off his musical talents.

Make Music Videos

Some people read a book to pass the time, some people watch television and some people make music videos.

Serena Williams recently debuted a video to Beyonce's “7/11,” but even more hilarious is this 2014 masterpiece from the Dallas Mavericks.

It's supposed to look like one of those old school advertisements for compilation CDs. Unfortunately, for the general population, Mavs Music Mix is not a real CD.

Really, who wouldn't want to listen to Dirk Nowitzki belt out “Wonderwall” anytime they want?

Dance on the Court

Roberto Serra/Iguana Press/Getty Images

TREVISO, ITALY - JUNE 08: Kobi Jordan-Simmons of team USA drives to the basket during adidas Eurocamp day two at La Ghirada sports center on June 8, 2014 in Treviso, Italy. (Photo by Roberto Serra/Iguana Press/Getty Images)

If you're not aware, high school basketball doesn't have a shot clock. This makes holding the ball a legitimate, albeit incredibly boring, strategy.

At a recent high school basketball game in Georgia, one team actually used this strategy.

It got kind of ridiculous, so the other team just started dancing on the court to break up the monotony. Check out touted recruit Kobi Simmons and his teammates from St. Francis High School gettin' down in the middle of a game.

Take Selfies, Obviously

Spring training is the time for MLB players to get serious, get fit and get ready for the upcoming season.

It also is a great time for some hilarious antics.

Last year down in Lakeland, Florida, the Detroit Tigers set up what they called a “Twitter Mirror” to help take selfies. This year, Justin Verlander snapped a shot of himself with a young, albeit unsuspecting, fan.

Recreate Epic Film Scenes

Several members of the Yankees recently took time out of their spring training schedule to reenact an epic scene from The Sandlot.

You know the one—that time Smalls brought a Babe Ruth-autographed baseball out to the field “and actually played with it.” CC Sabathia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius and Brian McCann all took part, but the casting of Gardner as Smalls and McCann as Ham was particularly brilliant.