10 Times Man Challenged Animals in Sports
We all marvel at athletes who can run, jump, and swim 10 times better than the rest of us.
The fact that professional athletes do things that we can’t even dream of is why we make bets and pay outrageous ticket prices to see them play.
But can you imagine if Usain Bolt had to race a cheetah? LeBron James had to dunk over a giraffe? NFL linemen had to block a grizzly bear?
They’d get crushed!
Nevertheless, some athletes have undertaken the task of trying to best animals in sports. That said, let’s look at 10 times man competed against animals.
1. Man Boxes Kangaroo
Just recently, we saw a viral video where a man punched a kangaroo to save a dog’s life. This was definitely an act of bravery, because a full-grown kangaroo can kick a man’s ass.
For evidence, check out the video below, where a boxer takes on a kangaroo. You can also see the video where the man saves his dog too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P4rmItAUVU
2. Jesse Owens Races a Horse
Jesse Owens was an American hero after winning four gold medals and destroying Adolph Hitler’s Aryan superiority theory at the 1936 Summer Olympics. But he had trouble finding work afterward due to the racism that existed in America.
In order to make money, he raced a horse over 150 meters and won, although he had a 40-meter head start. On equal footing, we expect that the results would’ve been different, even as fast as Owens was.
3. Chad Johnson beats a Horse
Running the forty-yard dash in 4.57 seconds, retired Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson wasn’t one of the fastest players at his position. But he was always up for a challenge, including the time that he raced a horse at a Cincinnati racetrack.
Like Owens, Johnson got a head start, only his was bigger since he ran just 100 meters versus 200 for the horse.
4. Dennis Northcutt Races an Ostrich
Former Cleveland Browns receiver Dennis Northcutt is faster than Johnson, boasting a 4.43 forty time. But is he faster than an ostrich?
This seems like a fairer race because humans and ostriches both have two legs. But given that an ostrich tops out at 43 mph, it wasn’t much of a race at all when the ostrich was chased.
5. Chris Johnson vs. Cheetah
Here’s the ultimate test: Chris Johnson, who ran the fastest NFL Combine forty ever (4.24 seconds), versus the fastest animal.
It’s obvious who would be faster in a real race, given that cheetahs run up to 75 mph. The Arizona Cardinals running back gave it a good effort, but was no match for the cheetah.
6. Devin Hester Beats the Cheetah
Former Chicago Bears punt-return extraordinar Devin Hester was featured on the same Nat Geo special as Johnson.
Running the forty slightly slower (4.41) than Johnson, Hester seemed like he would just as easily be crushed by the cheetah. But perhaps the beast was taking it easy since Hester won the race.
7. Footballer Chases Down Pine Marten
This wasn’t really a contest between an athlete and animal, but rather Zurich footballer Loris Benito chasing down a pine marten that had invaded a Swiss Super League match.
In case you’re wondering, a pine marten is almost as crazy as a honey badger, which explains why it bit him.
8. Shawn Crawford Beats Giraffe, Loses to Zebra
American sprinter and gold medalist Shawn Crawford did a series of races against animals for Man vs. Beast.
Crawford beat the giraffe, but his time of 10.86 seconds was nowhere close to the zebra’s 9.96 seconds. If it’s any consolation to Crawford, his personal 100-meter best of 9.86 seconds would’ve won.
9. Sumo Wrestler Takes on Monkey
In another Man vs. Beast gem, a 363-pound sumo wrestler faced off against a 180-pound orangutan.
This wasn’t a sumo wrestling match, but rather a tug-o-war game where the object was to pull the other off their block and into a mud pit. Even at double the weight, the sumo lost and got a nice mud bath.
10. Kobayashi and a Bear Eat Hot Dogs
128-pound Takeru Kobayashi has become synonymous with hot dog eating contests since he holds numerous world record, such as eating 110 bunless hot dogs in 10 minutes.
But he was put to the ultimate test against a 1,100-pound Kodiak bear. As you can see below, it wasn’t much of a contest, with this hot-dog-loving bear dominating.