Music makes everything in life better. From a celebration of exam results to a tough break-up, the right tune on the radio or your playlist can lift your mood at a time when you need it most. Music and sports also go hand in hand, enjoying a long-running and close relationship.
From the tracks on your workout playlist to the ring walk music of champion boxers, it’s hard to imagine one without the other. If you are struggling through a tough session at the gym, it’s impossible to think of one without the other.
It seems there are more than a few musicians who are multi-talented. From poker to producing sportsbook reviews, art to carpentry, baking to mechanics, we’ve got them all in the music business. Could you see Mick Jagger functioning in any other role in life?
As well as an incredible singer and songwriter, he’s also a well-known actor and movie producer. That’s not difficult to believe, but Jagger has a real talent for basketball and cricket. The founding member of the Rolling Stones making a career as a big-hitting batsman in the whites of international cricket? It just doesn’t sit right in our minds.
Jagger isn’t the only musician with a flair and talent for sport, and he isn’t the only one who was good enough to consider a career playing sports professionally. There are more than you may think and far more than we could list in this article. But we have chosen our favourites. After browsing the list of musicians who can turn their hand to sports, we have picked out our three favourite names. These may surprise you. They certainly caught us off guard.
50 Cent packs a punch
50 Cent is a massive boxing fan. That comes as no surprise to anyone with an interest in the artist or the noble art. Watch any big fight involving one of the sport’s top names, and there’s a good chance you’ll notice 50 Cent sat at ringside, occupying the VIP area. He’s as close to the fight as possible without getting hit, but did you know he could have been even closer to the action?
50 Cent was and is a talented boxer, today using it to keep fit and enhance his physique. In the 1980s, he was good enough to compete, and in recent years he has tried his hand at boxing promoting, working closely with Floyd Mayweather.
Verdict: It doesn’t take much to imagine Curtis Jackson in the ring throwing hurtful bombs.
Prince could jump
Prince is one of the greatest that ever lived, and he wasn’t too shabby on the basketball court either. Despite being small in stature, standing at just over 5ft and weighing around 115lbs, he was a force to be reckoned with on the court.
An online search even turns up a high school photo of Prince in his basketball uniform, looking decidedly small against the others. Accounts tell us he was a fantastic point guard, determined dribbler and fearless attacker. Interviews from former coaches and teammates pointed the finger of blame at Prince’s short basketball career on a failure to grow. He was good enough to mix it with the best in high school basketball but, as the other players grew, he didn’t.
Verdict: Prince in the NBA? Nah.
Serge Pizzorno tackled soccer
Best known as the singer and songwriter for Kasabian, Serge Pizzorno shared another talent with a few other famous names in the music industry. What was Bob Marley, Rod Stewart, and Julio Iglesias have in common with Serge Pizzorno? The answer to that pub quiz-style question is a talent for soccer.
Have you ever seen Marley with a ball at his feet? His silky skills will surprise you. Have you seen Stewart bursting with pride sitting in the stands of his beloved Celtic Park? Well, look out for Pizzorno in the 2012 Soccer Aid match that was played in Manchester, and you’ll see he stands out from the other celebrities and has the ability to match the pros on the field of play. He scored a spectacular goal in that game, shooting past former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman.
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