12 Signs You Are No Longer on the Sports A-List

How do you know if you’re no longer a sports A-lister? Well, if you’ve appeared on reality television or your own team turns against you, it might be time to start worrying.

First, who are A-list sports stars? These people are studs in their respective sports and, as such, have achieved a level of fame akin to what Hollywood celebrities enjoy. The following 12 circumstances, when applied to such athletes, could be indicators of decreased fame.

After all, when you go from the No. 2 draft pick to getting benched for Colt McCoy, you might not be A-list anymore.

Your Own Fans Troll You at the Ballpark

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Alex Rodriguez was once as A-list as they come. A phenomenal young baseball talent, the Mike Trout of the late 1990s later commanded baseball's richest contract.

Unfortunately, negative publicity, off-field rumors and on-field performance declination all contributed to A-Rod’s fall from grace. Perhaps the final nail in his coffin was a 2013 PED suspension that kept him out of baseball for an entire season.

His own team’s fans in New York were particularly unforgiving, booing him and bringing not-so-nice signs to the ballpark.

Your Significant Other Is More Famous Than You

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Sports fans once knew Eric Decker as an up-and-coming wide receiver on Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. Now, many more people know him for being the husband of singer/songwriter/reality TV star Jessie James Decker.

He may still be more famous to sports fans, but your mom has probably only heard of him in the context of the couple’s reality show.

Your Team (Kind of) Tries to Shop You

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Jay Cutler’s six seasons with the Chicago Bears have been tumultuous, to say the least. After another disappointing campaign in 2014, the team got itself a new head coach and general manager. For a time, neither would commit to Cutler as the 2015 starting quarterback.  

Trade rumors swirled, but in March, GM Ryan Pace confirmed Cutler would remain with the Bears in 2015. He also said the team never tried to shop Cutler. Still, it’s tough to imagine such a thing happening to, say, Aaron Rodgers up the road in Green Bay.

You’re Dating a Kardashian

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Kris Humphries was probably never going to be A-list material, but Lamar Odom was on his way up. He was a rising star with the Los Angeles Lakers, achieving success that culminated in winning the Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2011.

Odom married Khloe Kardashian in 2009, and incidentally, their reality series, Khloe and Lamar, debuted in 2011. His basketball career took a turn after that—he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and later to the Los Angeles Clippers. His minutes and points per game decreased, and now, Odom isn’t playing on an NBA team at all. 

Your Own Fans Don’t Recognize You

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Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones retired from MLB, to much fanfare, in 2012. 

To be fair, this is definitely more embarrassing for the fan than Jones, but a Braves fan recently failed to recognize one of his team’s most iconic players. In fact, apparently the guy even told Jones that “Chipper Jones” is his favorite player.  

You Hung on Too Long

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Mariano Rivera did it right—he retired when he could still play. He was as good at his particular position as anyone in the game when he retired.

Hanging on too long is one way to lose some status points. Just ask Brett Favre.

Your Daughter Gets More Press Than You

OK—Wayne Gretzky will never not be on the A-List, but his model/celebrity daughter sure gets a lot of press.

Retired slugger Jose Canseco has also had a daughter in the news recently. Eighteen-year-old model Josie Canseco was recently arrested for DUI and made a splash with her subsequent social media activity. 

You Can’t Find a Job

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Tim Tebow was definitely on college football's A-list. That was back when he was winning championships and awards as the University of Florida’s star quarterback.

His NFL career was lackluster in comparison. Tebow saw playing time with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, but his career came to a halt when the New England Patriots released him before the start of the 2013 season.

Tebow currently works as an analyst for ESPN, but he has been vocal about his dream of playing again in the NFL. He has a job in sports, just not the one he wants.

You Attempt an Unsuccessful Foray into Music

A minuscule fraction of people possess such extreme talent for entertaining that they can do it professionally. It’s a much, much smaller percentage that can actually do two things very well—playing sports and making music, for example.

Bernie Williams had a great athletic career and is now enjoying a great musical career. He is a diamond in the rough. More A-listers than I care to recall have damaged their reputation with ill-advised musical endeavors—Oscar De La Hoya, Deion Sanders, Clint Dempsey. Luckily for some, time does heal all wounds.

You Have a Supporting Role in the LeBron James Movie

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Kevin Love went from being the best player on a bad team to a sidekick on LeBron James’ team. And apparently, Love and King James aren't even friends. As Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal might tell you, it’s tough to have two superstars on one team.

You Lost Your Starting Job for Performance Reasons

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In 2012, Robert Griffin III could do no wrong. He was the second pick in the NFL draft and the Washington Redskins’ hope for a savior.

Three years later, Griffin has endured injury issues and struggled to get along with coaches. Rock bottom was perhaps in November 2014, when head coach Jay Gruden started Colt McCoy over a healthy RGIII. Now, Griffin’s long-term future is up in the air.

You’re on Reality TV

Can you imagine Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen making a reality TV show? For some reason, it just seems highly unlikely for A-listers like them to do such a thing (not that millions wouldn’t watch).

There was a time when athletes like Terrell Owens and Johnny Damon were big-time in their respective sports, but now they’re retired as athletes and making headlines for The Celebrity Apprentice instead. Other athletes to dip into the reality TV waters include Barry Bonds, Ryan Lochte and Chad Johnson.