America’s Golden Boy, Olympian Michael Phelps, is set to host the 34th Season Opener of NBC’s Saturday Night Live on September 9, 2008. I’m eager to see whether Phelps can give a gold medal comedic performance on this struggling but infamous sketch series.
Will Phelp’s sink or swim as an actor? Could he make the transition from athlete to comedic actor someday? We’ll see, but some natural born athletes are also natural born comedians—Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, OJ Simpson, Fred Dryer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and swimming champ Ester Williams, just to name a few. Others should not have "gone there", such as Joe Namoth and Bruce Jenner. However, Phelps does appear to have a "funny guy" persona about him, so I’m predicting a great night of SNL. A sketch on his eating habits would be very amusing.
Phelps will join the ranks of the only other two Olympians who’ve hosted SNL, 1994 silver medal winner Nancy Kerrigan (figure skating) and 1998 Olympic gold medal winner Jonny Moseley (skiing). However, a slew other famous athletes have hosted SNL over the years, they include but are not limited to: The Rock, Joe Montana, OJ Simpson, Peyton Manning and LeBron James.
Athlete Comedians
Michael Phelps to Host SNL
Trend Themes
1. Athlete Comedians - Athletes venturing into comedy is a trend that has been around for years, with some athletes finding success in this industry.
2. Olympian Hosts SNL - Olympic athletes hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live is a trend that has been established since the 1990s.
3. Comedic Performances - The ability to perform well in comedy roles as an athlete is a trend that has been scrutinized by fans of sport and comedy alike.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - The entertainment industry can benefit from new talent like athletes who have comedic potential.
2. Sports - The sports industry is always looking for new ways to keep fans engaged, and finding new comedic talent among its athletes could be one way to achieve this.
3. Media - The media industry could benefit from more cross-over opportunities, such as having athletes host popular TV shows and potentially increasing viewership.