Three Athletes That Could Dominate in Other Sports

by Stephen Barston

In today's sports world, versatility is becoming a highly-coveted talent for athletes everywhere; gone are the days when specializing in one particular aspect of a game could bring you success. That being said, sometimes a player is so multifaceted that they could have their talents translate well into another sport. Below I have detailed three athletes that fall under this category.

1. LeBron James (Miami Heat): Via Twitter, James has made it known to fans everywhere that he would like to play in one NFL game "before it's over". His speed and athleticism would make him the prototypical wide receiver, yet his size and strength are reminiscent of the traditional tight end in today's NFL. Critics have noted that James might not be able to take a hit going over the middle (as can be seen in his shameless flopping), but the sheer height difference he would have when going up against defensive backs that are generally less than six feet tall would allow him to control the game with ease.

2. Marvell Wynne (Colorado Rapids): In a league filled with incredibly fast players, a major necessity for teams in the MLS is to find defenders who can counteract this speed. This is where Wynne, the American right back, comes in. During his senior year in high school, he ran 100 meters in an unprecedented 10.39 seconds, putting him only six-tenths of a second off of the pace ran by IAAF Championship gold medalist Usain Bolt. He turned down a career as a sprinter, but if his performance in recent MLS games tells us anything, Wynne could most certainly give the best of the best in the United States a run for their collective money—no pun intended.

3. Jeff Samardzija (Chicago Cubs): The Cubs have been simply abysmal in recent memory, but Samardzija has been a bright spot. Although he had a losing record and a relatively high ERA last season, he finished with a respectable 1.34 WHIP and 214 strikeouts (ninth-most in the MLB). However, many fans don't know that he was also an All-American wide receiver at the perennial college football powerhouse that is the University of Notre Dame. The lanky Samardzija is third all-time at the school in terms of receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns. After being selected in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB Draft, he withdrew his name from the NFL Draft and moved away from a sport that he could still assuredly dominate.

NBA superstar LeBron James starred for his high-school football team
and could have a huge impact for many struggling NFL teams