21 American (and Canadian) Sports Stars Who Have Embraced the Beautiful Game

It's the question that will forever nag discourse about the American game: what if the best athletes from the U.S. of A all played soccer instead of baseball, football or basketball? Would America be more likely to be receptive to the Beautiful Game? World football has certainly embraced American players—Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Fabian Johnson, Brad Friedel and DaMarcus Beasley, to name a few.

We could probably debate that forever, but soccer—both the MLS and international leagues—has become more popular in the U.S. in recent years. And some of America and Canada's (there are Canadian teams in the MLS, after all) top athletes can be counted among world football's biggest fans. Here's a selection of high-profile sports stars who have embraced the Beautiful Game. If you can think of other examples, as always, have at it in the comments. 

Kevin Garnett

The Boston Celtics star has taken a shine to English football, having played soccer himself back in high school before embarking on a successful professional basketball career. 

KG has expressed admiration for Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview, but the club he's most commonly linked to is Chelsea. He's struck up a friendship with one of his footballing heroes, Blues striker and Ivorian international Didier Drogba, who he first tried to meet while watching Chelsea practice on tour in Los Angeles.

As he told TDK of his admiration for the striker:

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"I went from Ronaldinho to Cristiano Ronaldo, when they were really young, and I really started getting into it, and then I started watching the Ivory Coast squad, actually, play in the World Cup back in 2006, and I caught Drogba, and just loved his talent, found out what team he was on, and found out he played for Chelsea, and I’ve been following him ever since."

"

Kobe Bryant

Well, Kobe's gotta do something during the NBA lockout, right? While on a recent tour of Europe, the L.A. Lakers star stopped in Istanbul for a little fun at Galatasaray. He had trouble getting a penalty shot past Gala's skilled keeper Ufuk Ceylan, but you've got to admire his enthusiasm. 

Bryant, who previously has been a supporter of Barcelona (and an admirer of Ronaldinho) and AC Milan, the club he supported in his youth, told the Turkish press he would become loyal to the Cim Bom: 

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”It’s a great honour to come here… It’s a huge honour for them to accept me here…. Definitely I’m a new supporter. Definitely not a player because If they wanna continue to win I’ll stick to basketball. But they definitely have a new supporter.”

"

Also, for what it's worth, as we could see in the beginning of the video, he's got pretty solid juggling skills.

LeBron James

King James may have a while before he fulfills his goal of becoming a worldwide legend on the scale of a Michael Jordan, but he expanded his reach to the UK when he became a minority shareholder of Liverpool Football Club back in April. 

Since the Miami Heat star has a bit more time on his hands now with the NBA being in a lockout and all, he flew out to Liverpool last month to watch his Reds take on rivals Manchester United. After the match, James took to Twitter and described taking in one of the biggest rivalry matches in world football as "One of the single best experiences of my life! The excitement that these fans have is like no other. Extremely loud start/finish."

Steve Nash

The main reason for the parentheses in the title of this slideshow, South African-born Canadian NBA star Steve Nash had too many links to world football that we couldn't not include him. 

The Phoenix Suns point guard grew up playing soccer, pursuing the sport through high school, and both his siblings played, brother Martin for the Vancouver Whitecaps and his sister Joann at the university level. A supporter of Tottenham Hotspur and Corinthians, Nash has a number of famous footballing friends, among them Owen Hargreaves, Alessandro del Piero and Steve McManaman.

But his first love, instilled into him by his London-born father, has always been Spurs, a club in which he has expressed interest of one day becoming a minority shareholder. Aware of the scorn many EPL supporters have for American ownership—the ousted Hicks and Gillett at Liverpool, the Glazers at Manchester United—Nash told The Guardian his hypothetical ownership would be different, one rooted in lifelong fandom:  

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"Unlike them, I've been a passionate supporter all my life. My parents are from north London and so it's not like I'm some Yank who wants to make a profit out of football. I don't care about making money. I just want to see Spurs succeed and, if I can help, that's great."

"

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Boxing icon Pretty Boy Floyd may not be a regular follower of English football, but he used it to his advantage to psyche out an opponent before a fight. 

At a press conference before a 2007 bout between Mayweather and Manchester native Ricky Hatton, Mayweather donned a United shirt to promote the match, try to win over the locals and rile up Hatton in his hometown. 

Ian Johnson

The San Francisco 49ers running back and one-time Boise State hot prospect had the opportunity in 2007 to chat with Didier Drogba in an interview for Sports Illustrated. 

Here's a selection: 

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Drogba: Sure. Ian, I would like to invite you to London to see one big game. Especially because we are in the Champions League and I hope we are going to go far. It is one of the best competitions in Europe, and you should come see a big game. If you have time to come.

Johnson: I think I could find time to make a game [laughs]. The top team, in the top league, I think I could find time.

Drogba: Yes, you would be my guest.

Johnson: That would be amazing. You know the truth is; it's all pretty much my brother's fault that I became a Chelsea fan. A while ago there was this ridiculous video game where guys did triple back flips to score goals, so that was the first time I truly started to play soccer. It was all international teams, and he would always pick a small team like Mali or Wales, so I wanted to play with a small team also. So I found the Ivory Coast and I thought it was so sweet. It's a smaller place that not many people know about but they've heard about, but they were all so extremely good, so I started playing with them. The only person I ever scored with ever was Drogba, Drogba, Drogba.

"

Gilbert Arenas

One of a number of NBA stars who have taken to training with soccer teams as part of their fitness regimen (i.e. Steve Nash training with the New York Red Bulls), Agent Zero expressed interest in training with D.C. United on the offseason while he was still with the Wizards.

Jason Kidd

In this video interview, the point guard of the world-champion Dallas Mavericks reveals he has quite the affinity for the Beautiful Game. 

Kidd says he encourages young aspiring athletes to give soccer a try, and noted basketball players who have had experience with soccer were able to improve their coordination. He also extended his support to the US Men's National Team: 

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"Hopefully, one day, soccer will be popular in the States as it is in Europe. I'm a big fan of USA Soccer and I hope one day we can hold that cup, the World Cup. That would mean soccer will be very popular here when that day comes, and I think we're on the path. We've got some great young players and the future's very bright."

"

Kidd, along with Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Leandro Barbosa and other footy-loving NBA stars, participated in a charity football match against footballers like Steve McManaman, Jozy Altidore and Thierry Henry for charity. 

Samuel Dalembert

The Haitian-born Canadian NBA star, who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers before a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings, played soccer as a youth in Port-Au-Prince before watching a clip of Julius Erving and developing a love of basketball.

Dalembert, who became a Canadian citizen back in 2007, never totally lost his love of soccer though. While with the 76ers, he became the biggest fan (literally, as he stands an imposing 6'11", leading to a whole lot of nyuk-nyuk headlines) of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. 

Nomar Garciaparra

As a kid growing up in California, Nomar played soccer and football along with baseball, all the way up through high school. His cousin, Arturo Ledesma, is a professional soccer star with Mexican Primera División side Guadalajara.

Later, the Major League Baseball star found love with a world footballing icon: U.S. Women's National Team star Mia Hamm. The two married in 2003 and have twin daughters. No word on which of their parents' sports of choice they will be forced to play in embarrassing, awkward little league sport situations. 

Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis

These Canadian teammates of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins decided to try a little football to warm up before a match against the Calgary Flames. Judging by the video, their control needs a little bit of work, but they've got the right idea. 

It must have worked as a training method, as the Pens went on to defeat their adversaries 5-3. 

Jack Wilson

Before becoming a star shortstop with the Pittsburgh Pirates—way before—Jack Wilson, now with the Atlanta Braves, developed as an athlete through his experiences playing soccer when he was younger. Years of playing the game had an impact on his footwork and speed, setting him apart from his competitors in the minor leagues and allowing him to progress with his Major League Baseball career. 

As he told the Seattle Times:

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"Soccer helped me get to where I am today. I've gotten to where I am because a lot of things went my way. I've been fortunate. I believe there's a plan for all of us and I'm just following along, trying to enjoy it as best I can."

 

"

Cole Hamels

The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher is an outspoken fan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the U.S. Men's National Team, and expressed enthusiasm when Major League Soccer franchise the Philadelphia Union arrived in the City of Brotherly Love.

Hamels played soccer and baseball as a youth, which meant a tough decision when it came to what to pursue when he got to high school. He chose baseball, but the footy still has a place in his heart. 

As he told Goal.com back in 2008:

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“In high school I had to either pick soccer or baseball, and it was baseball, which I was lucky enough to go pro in. I always wanted to go pro in soccer, but it didn’t happen and that’s ok. I’ve always been a big fan of the LA Galaxy, and I always watch World Cup matches. I’m glad the US team is starting to do better.”

"

Tavian Banks

At the end of the '90s, running back Tavian Banks looked ready to be the NFL's Next Big Thing, becoming a fan favorite with the Jacksonville Jaguars thanks to his lightning speed. But Banks cut his teeth on both kinds of football as a youth, being named a Gatorade Player of the Year three times for soccer throughout his high school career.

A gut-wrenching knee ligament injury ended his pro career pretty abruptly, taking a lot of potential with it. Who knows what could have happened had he chosen the other kind of football? 

Baron Davis

Like many young aspiring American athletes, Cleveland Cavaliers star Baron Davis played soccer when he was a kid, but as he grew older, so did his appreciation for the Beautiful Game. 

Like Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, Davis participated in a 2008 charity match in New York City, in which NBA stars took on some of the world's top footballers. And from this video, Davis does a pretty good job marking Thierry Henry one-on-one, which is pretty darn impressive. 

Kurt Angle

Former U.S. freestyle wrestling Olympian and WWE star Kurt Angle has been known to show his support for the U.S. Men's National Soccer team, as seen in the photo.

However, he's also blasted the game in hyping himself before events, particularly honing his efforts on one football megastar: in 2009, Angle gave an interview to the British tabloids blasting Cristiano Ronaldo for his lackluster driving skills following an incident in which Ronaldo wrecked his car in a tunnel near the Manchester Airport: 

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 "I should officially request that the British government detain Ronaldo for the time in which myself and the rest of the Main Event Mafia are in the city of Manchester for TNA's Maximum Impact Tour...his inability to drive, combined with his natural weakness as a soccer player, would make navigating the United Kingdom far too risky for an international celebrity such as myself with a pathetic fool like that out on the streets...Lesson number one - soccer is a girl's game in the United States, and since we set the rules across the globe, Ronaldo should abandon the sissy English game and get in the six sided ring of TNA like a real American."

"

If the game is so "sissy," then why's he wearing a football shirt? Ah, well. 

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson, icon of boxing and facial tattoos, got into a bit of trouble in São Paulo, Brazil in 2005, after a cameraman accused Tyson of punching him in the face outside a nightclub. 

Never one to stray away from controversy, Tyson showed up to his court date wearing an Argentina national team jersey, the bitter international rivals of the Brazilian Selecão. Tyson's kit was signed by Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who wrote, "To Mike, With Love, Diego." Maybe he thought the "Hand of God" could help him out when he went up against the judge. 

Evander Holyfield

Tyson's most famous sparring rival and one-time meal, Evander Holyfield, has also had a foray into football fandom, although his was likely more as a publicity stunt. When Holyfield visited Liverpool's Radio City in 2008, he was given a Tranmere Rovers kit and seen around town wearing it. 

Among Tranmere's other famous fans, according to this site, are British media personalities Ray Stubbs and political reporter Jonathan Dimbleby. Now you know. 

Chad Ochocinco

The two-time nominee to the NFL team of the season and reality show star says in the accompanying video that although football was his chosen career path, soccer was his first love: he played on youth teams as a kid and likes to warm up by juggling. 

A passionate Real Madrid supporter, the Cincinnati Bengals star often tweets "Hala Madrid!" on matchday and at the beginning of the year, had an opportunity to visit a training at the Bernabéu, party with Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina Shayk speak with Jose Mourinho, admitting he would love to try out the other football one of these days. He even tweeted that he would go "play fútbol in SPAIN" if the NFL lockout continued. Like any loyal Madridista, he even took the opportunity to smack-talk some Bacelona players, tweeting at Gerard Piqué and Andrés Iniesta: "I'm getting ready to sign with Real Madrid, you should be very afraid." 

Tim Lincecum

Well, the San Francisco Giants' pitcher has embraced FIFA 12, anyway, even beating Landon Donovan at his own game. "I've been playing FIFA since I was born... in my mind," Lincecum deadpans before, playing as Arsenal, defeating Donovan and the L.A. Galaxy by a score of 3-2. 

Also, as far as sports video game commercials go, this one is pretty funny.