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Since the beginning of the Reality TV craze society has been interested in placing athletes into odd situations.  Well, now that the appetite for athletes in Reality TV has been somewhat satisfied what are the results?  Is it worth risking the time away from training to optimize your fame?  Here is a quick study of the bottom line when it comes to athletes in Reality TV:

The Good

Jesse Palmer

Remember him?  He did the Bachelor ad landed a hot girl and a gig with ESPN, not bad for a guy that probably would have been a 3^rd option QB in the NFL for a couple years.  Jesse did it right and lived to tell the story.  He did not get caught up in the limelight, he did the show and launched a TV career, period.

Chad Ochocinco

Chad had a show on VH1, “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch”, which was like a dating reality show. This was a great opportunity for Chad, because it allowed him to get in front of the cameras, which is something Chad loves to do. These days he has been seen riding bulls, dating other Reality TV stars, and generally just being Ocho.  But has this been good for him?  Sure we all know who he is, but if you ask a 10 year old kid what he is famous for they will tell you he is a TV star and a famous Tweeter.  I think we all dis Ocho more than we should, it appears to us that he knew his career was winding down and he took advantage.  Good for you Chad, we miss your 200 yard games, amd excessive touchdown celebrations, but we love to laugh with you.

The Bad

Jose Canseco

In early 2005, he made news with his tell-all book, Juiced. Canseco the author told readers that he had used steroids and accused several other major league stars of doing the same, including Oakland A’s teammate Mark McGwire.  Canseco didn’t exactly fade out of sight after that. Instead, he agreed to live for two weeks with some other famous has-beens on VH1′s The Surreal Life 5.  Canseco’s face time on The Surreal Life 5 didn’t help his book sales very much. Six months after its publication, Juiced stood at No. 705 in the sales rankings at Amazon.com. At Barnes & Noble’s online outlet, the book was ranked at No. 1,031.

Dennis Rodman

Rodman appeared on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab………do we need to elaborate?

Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom got his shot at TV stardom with ‘Khloe and Lamar’ that documents his life and marriage to one of the Kardashian sisters.  The couple played well before the cameras and earned their own shot at primetime.  But with Odom leaving Los Angeles for Dallas this past offseason, the results are in and the stats say this was a bad thing for Lamar.  He had easily the worst year of his career and was ultimately let go from the Mavs without playoff pay.  We hope to see you back in action next year Lamar.

The Ugly

Kris Humphries

At one time long ago, Kris Humphries might have been known as a huge basketball star, but his connection to reality television is what made him a household name.  Kris joined the cast of  ”Keeping Up with the Kardashians”, which was focused around his former wife and girlfriend, Kim Kardashian.  Kris was never comfortable around the cameras, and he often expressed his feelings of wanting out of the reality show.  He acted like a high school freshman around some of the most powerful people in Hollywood and, as we all know, he was dropped like a bad sitcom by Kim and the Kardashians in less than 3 months.  Kris is now 2012’s Most Hated Athlete, even though he had a great year on the court.   Here is a video you might enjoy if Kris got under your skin a bit CLICK.

Conclusion

Appearing on television, even on a purely absurd reality show, can be a great way for an athlete to increase his time in the limelight. Most of the fading sports stars who appear in these sometimes nonsensical programs desperately need the attention, and hope that the exposure will help them continue to fund their celebrity lifestyles.  Some athletes don’t have much of anything to gain from the experience, except perhaps enjoyment.

It’s likely we’ll continue to see famous faces of sport showing up on reality television. For celebrities, it’s all about getting your name out there and your mug on the tube, and promoting yourself constantly.  A bit of advice for the athletes that still have athletic careers…..stay away from the Reality spotlight until you retire.  Our research indicates that more than 80% of those still playing have sub-par if not completely horrible numbers on the field after doing a show. Remember to stay good at what got you there until it is gone fellas.

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