Great Overweight Athletes

I reported yesterday that Broncos’ right guard Montrae Holland reported to camp 9 lbs. overweight and has to shed the pounds before practicing with his team. Holland weighed 350-360 lbs. during the off-season, and lost a lot of it before reporting to camp. He has jeopardized his starting spot and his health. Here’s a video of Holland explaining his condition.

Some people might say that it’s part of his job to stay in top physical condition even during the off-season. Do you see marathon runners smoking a pack a day during their off-season? Would you want to see your brain surgeon hungover the day before he/she preformed your surgery? Do you see your pilot boarding the plane drunk…, er, never mind. Anyway, I know football is just a game, but it is also a job for these guys. Just because they are professional athletes does not mean that they can choose when to deal with their responsibilities.

Everyone (athlete or not) struggles with their weight at one point in their life for various reasons. We usually don’t think of athletes as overweight, but many are right in the middle of a stellar career. So, I’ve decided to compose a list of the top overweight athletes in no particular order:

1. Charles Barkley – he was stout in his playing days too. How do you think a guy who’s 6’4” got all those rebounds?

2. Babe Ruth – they didn’t name a candy bar after him for nothing.

3. George Foreman – won a heavyweight belt and moved on to selling grills.

4. Shaquille O’Neal – constantly reported to camp overweight yet still has some rings. Shaq, tell me how your food tastes.

5. Sebastian Janikowski - thought he had to get a lot of weight behind his kicks.

6. Big Papi David Ortiz – much of his big paycheck goes towards groceries.

7. John Daly - athlete that is most proud of his physique. Plays golf without shirt probably because of the fried chicken stains.

8. Oliver Miller – another basketball player makes the list. He played his final season with the Timberwolves in 03′-04′ at 325 lbs.

9. Most bowlers

10. Close to half the field in any competitive eating competition

11. Players in the regular Nintendo’s hockey game

Whose got other suggestions?