Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 106 (click to see context) from:
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Have Canoe, Will Paddle", Connie, the town mechanic, is revealed to have raced in the Olympics and won a gold medal in the Women's C-1 200 meter race
to:
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Have Canoe, Will Paddle", Connie, the town mechanic, is revealed to have raced in the Olympics and won a gold medal in the Women's C-1 200 meter racerace.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "Have Canoe, Will Paddle", Connie, the town mechanic, is revealed to have raced in the Olympics and won a gold medal in the Women's C-1 200 meter race
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 105 (click to see context) from:
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.
to:
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', it is revealed that Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.quarterback and Bill a star linebacker who set several records. Dale wasn't on the team, but he took his duties as towel-boy very seriously.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* [[VillainProtagonist Megatron]] from ''VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron'' started out as a simple gladiator in Kaon and eventually became the dreaded leader of the Decepticons.
-->'''Megatron''': (while fighting in the Kaon arena) You forget, Starscream! It was within this gladitorial arena that I proved myself worthy to lead!
-->'''[[TheStarscream Starscream]]''': That day has long past, Megatron!
-->'''Megatron''': That day will live forever!
-->'''Megatron''': (while fighting in the Kaon arena) You forget, Starscream! It was within this gladitorial arena that I proved myself worthy to lead!
-->'''[[TheStarscream Starscream]]''': That day has long past, Megatron!
-->'''Megatron''': That day will live forever!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.
to:
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.quarterback from the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas State University]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 64 (click to see context) from:
* From ''Series/TheOffice'' A hidden depth of Jim in early seasons is that he's a great basketball player. It's also a way that he proves his dominance over Roy
to:
* From ''Series/TheOffice'' ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' A hidden depth of Jim in early seasons is that he's a great basketball player. It's also a way that he proves his dominance over RoyRoy.
Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
* Sam Gideon of ''Videogame/{{Vanquish}}'' was an NFL quarterback before he became a DARPA researcher testing out a prototype PoweredArmor.
to:
* Sam Gideon of ''Videogame/{{Vanquish}}'' ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'' was an NFL quarterback before he became a DARPA researcher testing out a prototype PoweredArmor.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 92 (click to see context) from:
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' gives one of these to Solid Snake himself, who was a world class dog sled musher who regularly competed in the Iditarod; Vulcan Raven is an Eskimo-Indian Olympics champion and a master of the Stick Pull, the Four Man Carry (which he does with six men) and the Ear Pull. (And, as {{Woolseyism}} has it, 'the muktuk eating contest'.)
to:
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' gives one of these to Solid Snake himself, who was who, after quitting the military, became a world class dog sled musher who regularly competed was about to compete in the Iditarod; Iditarod before being called back into service. Vulcan Raven is an Eskimo-Indian Olympics champion and a master of the Stick Pull, the Four Man Carry (which he does with six men) and the Ear Pull. (And, as {{Woolseyism}} has it, 'the "the muktuk eating contest'.) contest.")
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
to:
* ''Film/NapoleonDynamite'' has a character caught in his high school glory days
Added DiffLines:
* From ''Series/TheOffice'' A hidden depth of Jim in early seasons is that he's a great basketball player. It's also a way that he proves his dominance over Roy
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* ''VideoGame/OverWatch'' has both heroic and a villainous examples with Zarya and Doomfist, who were an Olympic weightlifter and MMA fighter, respectively, before [[RobotWar the Omnic Crisis]].
to:
* ''VideoGame/OverWatch'' ''VideoGame/Overwatch'' has both heroic and a villainous examples with Zarya and Doomfist, who were an Olympic weightlifter and MMA fighter, respectively, before [[RobotWar the Omnic Crisis]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Note that it's ''very'' common for [[ProfessionalWrestling pro wrestlers]] to have played non-staged sports professionally earlier in the life (football players are especially common in US circles), so examples should be limited to when this is made relevant to their wrestling persona.
Changed line(s) 74,75 (click to see context) from:
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling. Note that it's ''very'' common for professional wrestlers to be ex football players, so it being mentioned during their wrestling career is more of an exception than the rule.
to:
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling. Note that it's ''very'' common for professional wrestlers to be ex football players, so it being mentioned during their wrestling career is more of an exception than the rule.\n
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 74,76 (click to see context) from:
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling.
* Subverted with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) who in fact played on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes national championship-winning football team, but was rarely touted as a football hero in his wrestling career.
* Subverted with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) who in fact played on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes national championship-winning football team, but was rarely touted as a football hero in his wrestling career.
to:
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling. \n* Subverted with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) who in fact played on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes national championship-winning Note that it's ''very'' common for professional wrestlers to be ex football team, but was rarely touted as a football hero in his players, so it being mentioned during their wrestling career.
career is more of an exception than the rule.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ''VideoGame/OverWatch'' has both heroic and a villainous examples with Zarya and Doomfist, who were an Olympic weightlifter and MMA fighter, respectively, before [[RobotWar the Omnic Crisis]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
When it comes time to invent a character's backstory, it seems sometimes the writers can't help but inject a bit of sports heroism. It's not enough to simply have them be a typical scrub player on a high school school team (which still generally requires above-average athleticism); they'll have been the ''star player'', or have played on the team that was in contention for the ''national championship''. If it was a football team, they'll probably have been the quarterback. If it was a basketball team, they'll probably have been the high-scoring team captain. There may even have been talk of them going pro, often cut short by a career-ending injury.
to:
When it comes time to invent a character's backstory, it seems sometimes the writers can't help but inject a bit of sports heroism. It's not enough to simply have them be a typical scrub player on a high school school team (which still generally requires above-average athleticism); they'll have been the ''star player'', or have played on the team that was in contention for the ''national championship''. If it was a football team, they'll probably have been the quarterback.{{the quarterback}}. If it was a basketball team, they'll probably have been the high-scoring team captain. There may even have been talk of them going pro, often cut short by a career-ending injury.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
to:
* Aoi from ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest'' was a basketball player (golf player in the manga) in high school. Her skills is what helps an old classmate in trouble recognize her, even though [[OldFriendNewGender she looks way different]] than she used to.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 64 (click to see context) from:
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
to:
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' ''Series/TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
added example
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
to:
* In ''ComicBook/BeforeWatchmen'', Dollar Bill is revealed to have once been a star football player in college before suffering a career-ending knee injury.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* ''Film/FlashGordon'' the movie has Flash be a football star before becoming a hero to Mongo.
to:
* ''Film/FlashGordon'' ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'' the movie has Flash be a football star before becoming a hero to Mongo. Mongo.
Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
* ''Series/FlashGordon'' the TV series has Flash be a champion triathlete before the portals from Mongo and Ming's minions start to cross over.
to:
* ''Series/FlashGordon'' ''Series/{{Flash Gordon|2007}}'' the TV series has Flash be a champion triathlete before the portals from Mongo and Ming's minions start to cross over. over.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Adding Buriki One reference
Changed line(s) 89 (click to see context) from:
to:
* In ''VideoGame/BurikiOne'', the representants of Judo and Greco-Roman Wrestling, Jacques Ducalis and Ivan Sokolov, are gold medalist in their disciplines.
** Also various of the fighters have the main titles of their leagues, like being Heavyweight Champion, or at least being well-known in their countries' disciplines.
** Also various of the fighters have the main titles of their leagues, like being Heavyweight Champion, or at least being well-known in their countries' disciplines.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being. May overlap with RealAwardFictionalCharacter.
to:
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender.[[ICouldaBeenAContender could have been a contender]]. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being. May overlap with RealAwardFictionalCharacter.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Film/PointBreak'', Johnny Utah's backstory as the quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes footballs team is an important plot point, because the bad guys recognize him as a celebrity, enabling him to infiltrate their circle.
to:
* In ''Film/PointBreak'', ''Film/PointBreak1991'', Johnny Utah's backstory as the quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes footballs team is an important plot point, because the bad guys recognize him as a celebrity, enabling him to infiltrate their circle.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added namespaces.
Changed line(s) 38,40 (click to see context) from:
* In ''{{Unbreakable}}'', David Dunn was a football star in his younger days, until a car accident puts an end to that career; it is later revealed that [[spoiler:he is largely invincible to injury, and faked being injured in the car accident as an excuse to quit the sport, because he girlfriend loathed it]].
* Essentially the entirety of ''ForrestGump'' is backstory being exposited -- which includes having been an All-American football player at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, and being an Olympic-level ping pong player.
* Essentially the entirety of ''ForrestGump'' is backstory being exposited -- which includes having been an All-American football player at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, and being an Olympic-level ping pong player.
to:
* In ''{{Unbreakable}}'', ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'', David Dunn was a football star in his younger days, until a car accident puts an end to that career; it is later revealed that [[spoiler:he is largely invincible to injury, and faked being injured in the car accident as an excuse to quit the sport, because he girlfriend loathed it]].
* Essentially the entirety of''ForrestGump'' ''Film/ForrestGump'' is backstory being exposited -- which includes having been an All-American football player at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, and being an Olympic-level ping pong player.
* Essentially the entirety of
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 9 (click to see context) from:
to:
* The title heroine of ''Anime/CrossAnge'' was a semi-professional player of [[FlyingCar hoverbike]] "polo" before being enlisted as a HumongousMecha pilot, which allows her to grasp the basic flying controls much faster than anyone expected.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 27,28 (click to see context) from:
* "Fanfic/TheSilenceEnds": When listing off Tyria Sark's backstory, Henry Wake mentions that she was captain of the Starfleet Academy women's basketball team.
to:
* "Fanfic/TheSilenceEnds": When listing off Tyria Sark's backstory, backstory from her dossier, Henry Wake mentions that she was captain of the Starfleet Academy women's basketball team.
Changed line(s) 52,54 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Series/MagnumPI'' it is noted that lead character Thomas Magnum played on his high school football team -- which won the Virginia State championship -- and that he went on to quarterback the U.S. Naval Academy football team.
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at the bar.
* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at the bar.
* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
to:
* In ''Series/MagnumPI'' it is noted that lead character Thomas Magnum played on his high school football team -- which won the Virginia State championship -- and that he went on to quarterback the U.S. Naval Academy football team. \n ([[InterServiceRivalry And lost to Army.]])
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at thebar.bar.
* ''Series/{{JAG}}''-{{Verse}}:
** On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony ** One episode of ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' plays this for laughs. A Marine who's a person of interest in the case of the week throws Sam a football that the Marine has been throwing through a hanging tire (practice for being quarterback). Sam throws it at the tire and misses, and grumbles to Callen that he was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer. wide receiver.
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at the
* ''Series/{{JAG}}''-{{Verse}}:
** On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
Changed line(s) 60,61 (click to see context) from:
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
to:
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
champion.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s series concept is to fill out a version of Clark Kent's backstory before he became Franchise/{{Superman}}. Among other things, he quarterbacks the Smallville High football team, something complicated by his powers as he explains to Jonathan Kent in "Jinx". He treats it as something of a SelfImposedChallenge:
-->"Every handshake, every hug, every time I'm out on that field, I make a conscious decision to fall when those guys hit me so they don't get hurt. No matter how hard you try, you can't understand that. That's why it's my decision, not yours."
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'''s series concept is to fill out a version of Clark Kent's backstory before he became Franchise/{{Superman}}. Among other things, he quarterbacks the Smallville High football team, something complicated by his powers as he explains to Jonathan Kent in "Jinx". He treats it as something of a SelfImposedChallenge:
-->"Every handshake, every hug, every time I'm out on that field, I make a conscious decision to fall when those guys hit me so they don't get hurt. No matter how hard you try, you can't understand that. That's why it's my decision, not yours."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
to:
* "Fanfic/TheSilenceEnds": When listing off Tyria Sark's backstory, Henry Wake mentions that she was captain of the Starfleet Academy women's basketball team.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being.
to:
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being. May overlap with RealAwardFictionalCharacter.
Added DiffLines:
[[AC:FanWorks]]
* Bill Hannity, a PompousPoliticalPundit featured in chapter seven of ''Fanfic/TheMysteriousCaseOfNeelixsLungs'' (Admiral Leyton makes an appearance on his show to announce that the Federation has found out what happened to USS ''Voyager''), was apparently an Olympic boxer in his prior career. His nose never quite healed right.
* Bill Hannity, a PompousPoliticalPundit featured in chapter seven of ''Fanfic/TheMysteriousCaseOfNeelixsLungs'' (Admiral Leyton makes an appearance on his show to announce that the Federation has found out what happened to USS ''Voyager''), was apparently an Olympic boxer in his prior career. His nose never quite healed right.
Added DiffLines:
[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* In Music/JasonMichaelCarroll's song "Where I'm From", it turns out that the rich businessman for whom the small-town protagonist has been an airliner seatmate is from a similar small town background, including quarterbacking his high school football team to a state championship in 1963.
* In Music/JasonMichaelCarroll's song "Where I'm From", it turns out that the rich businessman for whom the small-town protagonist has been an airliner seatmate is from a similar small town background, including quarterbacking his high school football team to a state championship in 1963.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 69 (click to see context) from:
* Logan Carter from ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' used to be a football star. Then he took part in a street race and crashed, injuring his knee and killing his female passenger. His efforts to escape his demons lead him to travel to Banoi for a vacation, right when it becomes the epicenter of a ZombieApocalypse.
to:
* Logan Carter from ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' used to be a football star. Then he took part in a street race and crashed, injuring his knee and killing his female passenger. His efforts to escape his demons lead him to travel to Banoi for a vacation, right when it becomes the epicenter of a ZombieApocalypse. His past as a quarterback is represented in gameplay as a preference towards throwing weapons.
Changed line(s) 75,76 (click to see context) from:
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRising'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.
to:
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRising'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.
* Sam Gideon of ''Videogame/{{Vanquish}}'' was an NFL quarterback before he became a DARPA researcher testing out a prototype PoweredArmor.
* Sam Gideon of ''Videogame/{{Vanquish}}'' was an NFL quarterback before he became a DARPA researcher testing out a prototype PoweredArmor.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
to:
* In Sir Henry Newbolt's poem ''[[http://www.bartleby.com/101/860.html He Fell Among Thieves]]'', the protagonist's memory of school is of his triumph at athletics.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 15 (click to see context) :
* ''Comicstrip/FlashGordon'' the comic strip had Flash be a "world-renowned polo player" before travelling to Mongo.
Added DiffLines:
[[AC:ComicStrips]]
* ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' the comic strip had Flash be a "world-renowned polo player" before travelling to Mongo.
* In ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'', part of Diana Palmer's ActionGirl credentials is that she won an Olympic medal in diving.
* ''ComicStrip/FlashGordon'' the comic strip had Flash be a "world-renowned polo player" before travelling to Mongo.
* In ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'', part of Diana Palmer's ActionGirl credentials is that she won an Olympic medal in diving.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 4 (click to see context) :
Deleted line(s) 6 (click to see context) :
Changed line(s) 76,77 (click to see context) from:
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode "Quarterback Duck" in which Commander X-2 travels back in time and discovers Dodgers's sports hero backstory is entirely fictional.
* In ''KingOfTheHill'' it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.
* In ''KingOfTheHill'' it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.
to:
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode "Quarterback Duck" in which Commander X-2 travels back in time and discovers Dodgers's that Dodgers' sports hero backstory is entirely fictional.
* In''KingOfTheHill'' an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.quarterback.
* On ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'', whenever any sport is mentioned, Penelope claims to have excelled in it.
----
* In
* On ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop'', whenever any sport is mentioned, Penelope claims to have excelled in it.
----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
FIVE HATS, LAUNCHING!!
Added DiffLines:
When it comes time to invent a character's backstory, it seems sometimes the writers can't help but inject a bit of sports heroism. It's not enough to simply have them be a typical scrub player on a high school school team (which still generally requires above-average athleticism); they'll have been the ''star player'', or have played on the team that was in contention for the ''national championship''. If it was a football team, they'll probably have been the quarterback. If it was a basketball team, they'll probably have been the high-scoring team captain. There may even have been talk of them going pro, often cut short by a career-ending injury.
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being.
----
!Examples
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/{{Remote}}'', the female lead was a track medalist in school--she's not in as good shape now, but can still run fast.
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ComicBook/BoosterGold was originally a football player from the future who received a lifetime ban after betting on his own games. His original motive for travelling back in time was to stop himself from making the mistakes that ended his career.
* MVP from ''[[ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative The Initiative]]'' was a rising college athletic star who also happened to be a descendent of Dr. Erskine, the scientist who created the serum that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica his powers. When his heritage was discovered, people began to suspect that his above-average stats were the result of a serum, and he was stripped of his scholarship, banned from competing, and forced to register under the Superhuman Registration Act. Adding injury to insult, [[spoiler:he was killed during a training accident, and his body was cloned multiple times to be exploited for black ops work.]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', prior to discovering that his parents were supervillains and being forced to go on the run, Chase Stein was a varsity lacrosse player.
* In ''ComicBook/TheOrder'', James Wa was an up-and-coming college baseball player before losing both his legs in a car accident.
*''Comicstrip/FlashGordon'' the comic strip had Flash be a "world-renowned polo player" before travelling to Mongo.
*In one telling of his backstory, DC Universe PsychoForHire Bullseye was an amazing baseball pitcher in high school and was even offered a scholarship, but opted to go to the Minor Leagues. He was so impressive that after a few games he went right to the Major League, where after doing amazingly, he got bored and decided to kill a player on the opposing team with a baseball. A big part of Bullseye's character is that he's AxCrazy and doesn't care about money (even his work as an assassin is just a means to the end of killing people).
*Fred Meyers, who is the B-list supervillain Boomerang (sort of a poor man's Bullseye) grew up loving baseball in his native Australia and was for a time a Major League player known as an amazing pitcher. Unfortunately, he got into HookersAndBlow and after getting caught taking bribes to throw a game, was banned from the sport.
[[AC:ExpandedUniverse]]
* FemmeFatale Elsa Schneider (introduced in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'') is asked by the younger Dr. Jones if she can swim; her response is not simply "yes" but that she was an ''Olympic silver medalist'' in the 50-meter freestyle in the 1932 games.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/PointBreak'', Johnny Utah's backstory as the quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes footballs team is an important plot point, because the bad guys recognize him as a celebrity, enabling him to infiltrate their circle.
* In ''Film/ThirteenDays'', it's noted that Ken O'Donnell and Robert Kennedy, two key figures in resolving the crisis, were teammates on the Harvard football team, with O'Donnell having been captain. Also TruthInTelevision.
* ''Film/VictorVictoria'': The ArmoredClosetGay bodyguard was an All-American football player in school.
-->King: But, you were all-American! I never saw a rougher, tougher, meaner, son-of-a-bitch football player in all my life.
-->Squash: Boss, if you didn't want the guys to call you queer, you became a rough, tough, son-of-a-bitch football player.
::And as can be seen a few moments later in the same scene, the French Middlewight boxing champion is also gay.
* ''Film/FlashGordon'' the movie has Flash be a football star before becoming a hero to Mongo.
* In ''{{Unbreakable}}'', David Dunn was a football star in his younger days, until a car accident puts an end to that career; it is later revealed that [[spoiler:he is largely invincible to injury, and faked being injured in the car accident as an excuse to quit the sport, because he girlfriend loathed it]].
* Essentially the entirety of ''ForrestGump'' is backstory being exposited -- which includes having been an All-American football player at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, and being an Olympic-level ping pong player.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Creator/DorothyLSayers wrote of Literature/LordPeterWimsey's early life that he was a top cricketer in college. It becomes plot-relevant in ''Murder Must Advertise'', where he is working undercover, and his cover is almost blown due to the sports fame of his younger days.
* Literature/JesseStone was on track to become a professional baseball player until a career-ending injury led him to law enforcement.
[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/TwentyFour'', President David Palmer is referenced as having not only been a college basketball star, but having hit a game-winning shot in the NCAA Final Four.
* In ''Series/CriminalMinds'', when Derek Morgan's heretofore unexplored history is revealed, it is noted that he was the starting quarterback for the Northwestern University football team (until, inevitably, a career-ending injury steered him into police work).
* Trivette, Chuck Norris' best friend and partner on ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', played football for Penn State and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys before a career ending shoulder injury.
* ''Series/NashBridges''. First season opening credits sequence visually [[InformedAttribute informs]] of highlights of Nash's past, including a "high school MVP" award gliding across the screen with apparent football team photo in background.
* ''Series/MiamiVice'' has Sonny Crockett as a former star player for the University of Florida Gators football team (until his athletic endeavors were sidelined by an injury).
* According to [[JadedWashout Al]] from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', his defining moment was when he scored four touchdowns in a single game as a fullback at Polk High School. [[FutureLoser He now is a shoe salesman]].
* In ''Series/MagnumPI'' it is noted that lead character Thomas Magnum played on his high school football team -- which won the Virginia State championship -- and that he went on to quarterback the U.S. Naval Academy football team.
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at the bar.
* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
* On ''Series/TheUnusuals'' Detective Jason Walsh used to be a professional baseball player until some gangsters killed his girlfriend while trying to force him into throwing a game.
* On ''Series/ThirtyRock'' Pete Hornberger was an archer who was selected for the Olympic team but never got to compete because of the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Olympics.
* ''Series/FlashGordon'' the TV series has Flash be a champion triathlete before the portals from Mongo and Ming's minions start to cross over.
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' adds to the backstory of Commissioner Gordon that he was formerly a college football star.
* In ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'', Jonesy was a star pitcher in the major leagues until he is [[KneeCapping knee-capped]] as retribution for refusing to throw a game.
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
[[AC:ProfessionalWrestling]]
* Wrestling/KurtAngle is a legitimate olympic gold medalist, and while wrestling gimmicks don't ''have to'' be based on real events, wrestling scenario writers do not let such plot devices slip.
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling.
* Subverted with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) who in fact played on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes national championship-winning football team, but was rarely touted as a football hero in his wrestling career.
[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* In ''Theatre/JourneysEnd'', Osbourne mentions that he once played rugby for England. The scene in question establishes [[NewMeat Raleigh]] as a compulsive HeroWorshipper of sorts and Osbourne himself as a CoolOldGuy.
[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Tidus, the SupportingProtagonist of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', was a star blitzball player before the circumstances forced him to go adventuring, which explains his top physical condition and reflexes at the start of the game.
** Wakka was also a Blitzball player (although he and his team are [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut less successful]]). It's mentioned that he gave up playing (although he can be recruited in the EndGame) because he felt that it distracted him from the [[MyGreatestFailure last pilgrimage]] he was on.
* Logan Carter from ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' used to be a football star. Then he took part in a street race and crashed, injuring his knee and killing his female passenger. His efforts to escape his demons lead him to travel to Banoi for a vacation, right when it becomes the epicenter of a ZombieApocalypse.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': Augustus Cole was an all-star player of Thrashball, a sport heavily based on Usefulnotes/AmericanFootball.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' has several, although usually for peculiar sports.
**In ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Ellen Pettrovich is a former Bolshoi ballerina.
**''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' has Running Man, an Olympian who had a world-record time at the Men's 100m Sprint, but when the sports world kicked him out for doping he became a mercenary; and Natasha/Gustava, who was a former Olympic ice skater who became a secret policeman in order to reunite with a soldier she met at the Olympics in Calgary.
**''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' gives one of these to Solid Snake himself, who was a world class dog sled musher who regularly competed in the Iditarod; Vulcan Raven is an Eskimo-Indian Olympics champion and a master of the Stick Pull, the Four Man Carry (which he does with six men) and the Ear Pull. (And, as {{Woolseyism}} has it, 'the muktuk eating contest'.)
**In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRising'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode "Quarterback Duck" in which Commander X-2 travels back in time and discovers Dodgers's sports hero backstory is entirely fictional.
* In ''KingOfTheHill'' it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.
Such a sports-hero backstory may in turn be used to justify the character having specific skills, or superior athleticism generally, which may result in IKnowMaddenKombat. This can also lend a bit of pathos to a character who CouldHaveBeenAContender. This may lead to a character being FamedInStory, as well, although it is occasionally a headscratcher because the character's backstory makes them somebody who ''ought'' to be more famous in the story than they are generally presented as being.
----
!Examples
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In ''Manga/{{Remote}}'', the female lead was a track medalist in school--she's not in as good shape now, but can still run fast.
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ComicBook/BoosterGold was originally a football player from the future who received a lifetime ban after betting on his own games. His original motive for travelling back in time was to stop himself from making the mistakes that ended his career.
* MVP from ''[[ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative The Initiative]]'' was a rising college athletic star who also happened to be a descendent of Dr. Erskine, the scientist who created the serum that gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica his powers. When his heritage was discovered, people began to suspect that his above-average stats were the result of a serum, and he was stripped of his scholarship, banned from competing, and forced to register under the Superhuman Registration Act. Adding injury to insult, [[spoiler:he was killed during a training accident, and his body was cloned multiple times to be exploited for black ops work.]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', prior to discovering that his parents were supervillains and being forced to go on the run, Chase Stein was a varsity lacrosse player.
* In ''ComicBook/TheOrder'', James Wa was an up-and-coming college baseball player before losing both his legs in a car accident.
*''Comicstrip/FlashGordon'' the comic strip had Flash be a "world-renowned polo player" before travelling to Mongo.
*In one telling of his backstory, DC Universe PsychoForHire Bullseye was an amazing baseball pitcher in high school and was even offered a scholarship, but opted to go to the Minor Leagues. He was so impressive that after a few games he went right to the Major League, where after doing amazingly, he got bored and decided to kill a player on the opposing team with a baseball. A big part of Bullseye's character is that he's AxCrazy and doesn't care about money (even his work as an assassin is just a means to the end of killing people).
*Fred Meyers, who is the B-list supervillain Boomerang (sort of a poor man's Bullseye) grew up loving baseball in his native Australia and was for a time a Major League player known as an amazing pitcher. Unfortunately, he got into HookersAndBlow and after getting caught taking bribes to throw a game, was banned from the sport.
[[AC:ExpandedUniverse]]
* FemmeFatale Elsa Schneider (introduced in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'') is asked by the younger Dr. Jones if she can swim; her response is not simply "yes" but that she was an ''Olympic silver medalist'' in the 50-meter freestyle in the 1932 games.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/PointBreak'', Johnny Utah's backstory as the quarterback of the Ohio State Buckeyes footballs team is an important plot point, because the bad guys recognize him as a celebrity, enabling him to infiltrate their circle.
* In ''Film/ThirteenDays'', it's noted that Ken O'Donnell and Robert Kennedy, two key figures in resolving the crisis, were teammates on the Harvard football team, with O'Donnell having been captain. Also TruthInTelevision.
* ''Film/VictorVictoria'': The ArmoredClosetGay bodyguard was an All-American football player in school.
-->King: But, you were all-American! I never saw a rougher, tougher, meaner, son-of-a-bitch football player in all my life.
-->Squash: Boss, if you didn't want the guys to call you queer, you became a rough, tough, son-of-a-bitch football player.
::And as can be seen a few moments later in the same scene, the French Middlewight boxing champion is also gay.
* ''Film/FlashGordon'' the movie has Flash be a football star before becoming a hero to Mongo.
* In ''{{Unbreakable}}'', David Dunn was a football star in his younger days, until a car accident puts an end to that career; it is later revealed that [[spoiler:he is largely invincible to injury, and faked being injured in the car accident as an excuse to quit the sport, because he girlfriend loathed it]].
* Essentially the entirety of ''ForrestGump'' is backstory being exposited -- which includes having been an All-American football player at the University of Alabama under Bear Bryant, and being an Olympic-level ping pong player.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* Creator/DorothyLSayers wrote of Literature/LordPeterWimsey's early life that he was a top cricketer in college. It becomes plot-relevant in ''Murder Must Advertise'', where he is working undercover, and his cover is almost blown due to the sports fame of his younger days.
* Literature/JesseStone was on track to become a professional baseball player until a career-ending injury led him to law enforcement.
[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* In ''Series/TwentyFour'', President David Palmer is referenced as having not only been a college basketball star, but having hit a game-winning shot in the NCAA Final Four.
* In ''Series/CriminalMinds'', when Derek Morgan's heretofore unexplored history is revealed, it is noted that he was the starting quarterback for the Northwestern University football team (until, inevitably, a career-ending injury steered him into police work).
* Trivette, Chuck Norris' best friend and partner on ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', played football for Penn State and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys before a career ending shoulder injury.
* ''Series/NashBridges''. First season opening credits sequence visually [[InformedAttribute informs]] of highlights of Nash's past, including a "high school MVP" award gliding across the screen with apparent football team photo in background.
* ''Series/MiamiVice'' has Sonny Crockett as a former star player for the University of Florida Gators football team (until his athletic endeavors were sidelined by an injury).
* According to [[JadedWashout Al]] from ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', his defining moment was when he scored four touchdowns in a single game as a fullback at Polk High School. [[FutureLoser He now is a shoe salesman]].
* In ''Series/MagnumPI'' it is noted that lead character Thomas Magnum played on his high school football team -- which won the Virginia State championship -- and that he went on to quarterback the U.S. Naval Academy football team.
* On ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' Sam was a Major League baseball player before he retired and bought the bar. Coach was actually Sam's old baseball coach and now works at the bar.
* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' Tony was a college basketball player who made it to the Final Four before he decided to become a police officer.
* On ''Series/TheUnusuals'' Detective Jason Walsh used to be a professional baseball player until some gangsters killed his girlfriend while trying to force him into throwing a game.
* On ''Series/ThirtyRock'' Pete Hornberger was an archer who was selected for the Olympic team but never got to compete because of the 1980 boycott of the Moscow Olympics.
* ''Series/FlashGordon'' the TV series has Flash be a champion triathlete before the portals from Mongo and Ming's minions start to cross over.
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' adds to the backstory of Commissioner Gordon that he was formerly a college football star.
* In ''Series/{{Carnivale}}'', Jonesy was a star pitcher in the major leagues until he is [[KneeCapping knee-capped]] as retribution for refusing to throw a game.
* The reality TV series ''TheBiggestLoser'' often has at least a few contestants who have athletic backgrounds, and so who are supposed to have a better workout ethic; but the 2014 "Glory Days" season is ''all'' former athletes, including several Olympic gold medalists and a two-time Super Bowl champion.
[[AC:ProfessionalWrestling]]
* Wrestling/KurtAngle is a legitimate olympic gold medalist, and while wrestling gimmicks don't ''have to'' be based on real events, wrestling scenario writers do not let such plot devices slip.
* Goldberg was a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams, and this background was worked into his wrestling.
* Subverted with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) who in fact played on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes national championship-winning football team, but was rarely touted as a football hero in his wrestling career.
[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* In ''Theatre/JourneysEnd'', Osbourne mentions that he once played rugby for England. The scene in question establishes [[NewMeat Raleigh]] as a compulsive HeroWorshipper of sorts and Osbourne himself as a CoolOldGuy.
[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Tidus, the SupportingProtagonist of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', was a star blitzball player before the circumstances forced him to go adventuring, which explains his top physical condition and reflexes at the start of the game.
** Wakka was also a Blitzball player (although he and his team are [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut less successful]]). It's mentioned that he gave up playing (although he can be recruited in the EndGame) because he felt that it distracted him from the [[MyGreatestFailure last pilgrimage]] he was on.
* Logan Carter from ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'' used to be a football star. Then he took part in a street race and crashed, injuring his knee and killing his female passenger. His efforts to escape his demons lead him to travel to Banoi for a vacation, right when it becomes the epicenter of a ZombieApocalypse.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': Augustus Cole was an all-star player of Thrashball, a sport heavily based on Usefulnotes/AmericanFootball.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' has several, although usually for peculiar sports.
**In ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Ellen Pettrovich is a former Bolshoi ballerina.
**''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' has Running Man, an Olympian who had a world-record time at the Men's 100m Sprint, but when the sports world kicked him out for doping he became a mercenary; and Natasha/Gustava, who was a former Olympic ice skater who became a secret policeman in order to reunite with a soldier she met at the Olympics in Calgary.
**''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' gives one of these to Solid Snake himself, who was a world class dog sled musher who regularly competed in the Iditarod; Vulcan Raven is an Eskimo-Indian Olympics champion and a master of the Stick Pull, the Four Man Carry (which he does with six men) and the Ear Pull. (And, as {{Woolseyism}} has it, 'the muktuk eating contest'.)
**In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRising'', Senator Armstrong was a former college football champion quarterback.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Parodied in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' episode "Quarterback Duck" in which Commander X-2 travels back in time and discovers Dodgers's sports hero backstory is entirely fictional.
* In ''KingOfTheHill'' it is revealed that Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer played high school football together (a big deal in Texas) -- and that Boomhauer was the starting quarterback.
