The Best Athlete Hosts in Saturday Night Live History and Their Topps Cards
Topps RIPPED is celebrating Saturday Night Live’s historic 50th season with multiple articles about the show’s biggest stars, best sketches, and connection with Topps and The Hobby
For many athletes looking to build an even stronger foothold in pop culture, hosting Saturday Night Live is both a strong career move and a rite of passage. From the first athlete host in 1977, legendary quarterback Fran Tarkenton, to the most recent in Kansas City Chiefs superstar (and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) Travis Kelce, sports biggest personalities have long loved to step outside the lines and under the lights. Let’s look at some of the most memorable athlete hosts in SNL history.
2014 Topps Chrome WWE Gold Refractor #40 Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson /50
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
SNL Accomplishments
• five-time host (most among all athletes)
• hosted in 2000, 2002 (2X), 2015, and 2017
• rock obama became a recurring character after a cameo in 2009
memorable moment
• 2015 monologue in which johnson calls himself “franchise viagra” due to his ability to save any movie franchise
What They saID
• “I had an amazing time. And it was after that that we got a few big calls from some Hollywood studios saying, ‘Is The Rock interested in breaking into Hollywood and making movies?’ And that started the first step of many.” – dwayne johnson on the impact of hosting snl for the first time
1998 Topps Chrome Football Refractor #165 Peyton Manning Rookie Card
Peyton Manning
SNL Accomplishments
• hosted in 2007
• impersonated by seth meyers in 2005 sketch
memorable moment
• video sketch “united way” in which manning berates kids for being unable to catch a football (filmed with the kids of snl crew members)
What They saID
• “Some of the parents, I think, of the other kids on the team were a little hesitant at first because the last time they really saw me ever doing any coaching was on this Saturday Night Live skit where I was pegging 7-year-old kids in the head with footballs.” – manning on the impact of his famous sketch
1996 Topps NBA Stars Finest Refractor #104 Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
SNL Accomplishments
• four-time host
• hosted in 1993, 2010, 2012, 2018
• hosted only once during his playing days (1993)
memorable moment
• 2018 “athletes monologue” when barkley addressed the “shut up and dribble” controversy surrounding lebron james
What They saID
• “Every time those guys from Nirvana opened up their door, I got like a contact high. It was like one of those big mushroom clouds. I was scared to go to the airport.” – barkley on working with musical guest nirvana
2013 Topps UFC Knockout FIST-OGRAPH #FG-RR Ronda Rousey Auto /10
Ronda Rousey
SNL Accomplishments
• hosted in 2016
• became only the third female athlete to host the show
memorable moment
• congratulating holly holm on her then-recent win, rousey claimed she was doing fine after the knockout, while joking about potential brain damage
What They saID
• “Everyone’s like, ‘Are you scared? Are you nervous, da, da, da?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m nervous, but no one’s trying to kill me.” – rousey on hosting
1993/94 Topps Finest Basketball Refractor #1 Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
SNL Accomplishments
• hosted in 1991
memorable moment
• jordan crushed in his “daily affirmation” sketch with beloved character stuart smalley. The episode became an instant classic
What They saID
• “We had a lot of athletes on the show, but Jordan was the pinnacle.” – snl writer robert smigel
2013 Topps Chrome Football #118 Travis Kelce Gold Refractor RC
Travis Kelce
SNL Accomplishments
• most recent athlete to host snl
• hosted in: 2023
memorable moment
• made surprise appearance with girlfriend taylor swift in season 49 premiere
What They saID
• “I’ll tell you what, man, it was electric to be back in that place. There’s just something about being in that room, and just it being their first episode this season. I had such a freaking blast, man.” – kelce on making a cameo last season
