Do Olympians and other famous athletes have enough time to go on vacations, read, and watch Netflix? We perceive these figures as super-humans. Most of us don't realize that they are just people, with interests outside their main occupation.
Imagine this: many elite athletes are prone to sedentary behavior during leisure time. It's easy to understand that someone with a sedentary profession would aim to be physically active in their free time. To a football player, any physical activity outside their profession carries a high risk of injury. It's why many pro athletes spend their free time reading books or playing video games.
Yes, we can often see sports stars in casino resorts. But did you know that many of them also access an online casino paysafecard? Online gambling is a growing industry. A virtual casino mimics the real experience through slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, and other table games. Live dealer games are also available.
When someone wants to relax after a hard day spent training, online gambling is the perfect activity. Fun fact: did you know that Christiano Ronaldo enjoyed playing Bingo? He used the game as a way to pick up on English sayings and numbers.
Messi tried watching Prison Break and Lost, but felt that the storyline was dragged and left them midway. Thank God for Netflix and similar services! If you don't like a particular show, you can always start watching another one. Can you imagine a more suitable activity for an athlete who wants to spend a relaxing evening at home?
Lego is one of the most common hobbies for “normal†people all around the world. But the rich and famous love it, too! Building a set of 2,000 pieces is a massive challenge, but it's nothing for Rodrigo Blankership, an American football star. He is a passionate collector of the bricks.
Collecting is a passion that lasts for life, and it's not limited to Lego. Jerome Boateng collects something else: sneakers. He has hundreds of them in his collection, ranging from vintage models to custom-made pairs and expensive limited editions.
Oh; and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar collects oriental rugs!
It's not like relaxing is all that athletes do outside their professional activities. Many sports stars are real party animals, especially during the start of their career.
Michael Jordan was a legend not only in basketball, but in partying, too. He made a show out of his love for gambling, partying, cigars, and drinking whenever he spent a night out. You would expect him to kick back a little, but he never got tired as he aged. He still hosts star-studded soirees.
Most professional athletes are active on Instagram and other media. If you felt like all those profiles were highly edited and maintained by marketing managers, you were wrong. Most of them are completely private, and the photos you see are spontaneous.
Larry Fitzgerald, an American football wide receiver, loves photography. Whenever he visits a new destination (and we know that athletes travel a lot), he spends some time outside taking pictures. But he also likes traveling for leisure. He's posted lovely photographs from Egypt, Brazil, Kenya, Tokyo, China, India, and Thailand on social media.
Antoine Greizmann is known for his interest in video games. Until recently, he had a productive partnership with the Japanese video game giant Konami.
But he isn't the only football star who enjoys video games. Fernando Torres, Andrea Pirlo, and Neymar have also been spotted playing during leisure time. Neymar has a custom-built beast of a gaming PC. He likes playing GTA, Call of Duty, Fortnite, and (of course!) Pro Evolution Soccer.
Athletes usually become interested in this hobby close to the end of their careers. They have too many stories and too much experience to share. Arsene Wenger, Alex Ferguson, Rio Ferdinand, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, and many other sports superstars have published their autobiographies.
Yes; most of them rely on heavy editing and some may have hired ghostwriters. But their love for literature is undisputed, and many of these books are great!
Here's a challenge: name a big and important fashion show without a sports star attending it! Athletes love to dress well. Many of them have an outrageous sense of fashion (Dennis Rodman, we're looking at you). But their love for style goes beyond wearing expensive items.
Did you know that Sean Avery spent an entire summer offseason at Vogue magazine, working as an intern? Imagine that: a strong, powerful hockey player with such a sophisticated interest!
Athletes work out a lot, and have a public lifestyle to maintain. You would think that after such a busy day, they don't have any energy left to deal with a hobby. Plus, their high-premium salaries enable them to spend entire days at luxury resorts without thinking about anything. Well, they have hobbies like most people.
Some of the activities are sedentary: playing video games, collecting Lego and other limited-edition items, or online gambling. But many athletes also love clubbing, photography, and other active ways to spend their free time. The conclusion is simple: they are normal people with normal interests!
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