Shifting from the world of professional sports to the political arena may seem an unlikely ambition, but many former athletes have accomplished this feat with amazing success. This article profiles five sports personalities who made the leap, going on to represent their city, or even their state on the political stage.
1. Jesse Ventura – Governor of Minnesota
During the 1970s and 1980s, Jesse Ventura competed as a professional wrestler in the WWF ring, later becoming a commentator. In 1991, he became involved in politics as the mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
Subsequently, he entered a three-way race for governor of Minnesota. During his campaign, he promised tax rebates. Ventura went on to serve as governor from 1999 to 2003, becoming the first Reform Party candidate to assume a statewide office.
2. Kevin Johnson – Mayor of Sacramento, California
Kevin Johnson’s outstanding career in the NBA saw the three-time All-Star claim a Most Improved Player award in the 1988-89 season. He also established Phoenix Sun franchise records for assists and free throws.
In his political career, Johnson made history as Sacramento’s first African American Mayor. Since his election, Kevin Johnson has devoted himself to reducing homelessness, tackling gang violence issues, and promoting the arts. In addition, he has led a push to keep the Sacramento Kings in town.
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Governor of California
The most successful contestant in the history of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger amassed numerous accolades throughout his extraordinary sporting career, which include winning the title of Mr. Universe, as well as being crowned Mr. Olympia a staggering seven times.
After retiring from the sport of bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger transitioned to a second career in acting, starring in several Hollywood blockbusters such as Total Recall, Terminator, and Predator.
Entering politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger won the California governor recall election of 2003, winning by more than a million votes. He was subsequently re-elected in 2006. During his tenure, Schwarzenegger passed the first greenhouse emissions cap of any kind within the whole of the United States. As well as championing groundbreaking climate change legislation, Schwarzenegger was a driving force behind workers’ compensation reform, as well as voter-approved political reforms.
4. Bill Bradley – US Senator from New Jersey
Born and raised in Crystal City, Missouri, Bradley excelled at basketball as a young boy. After attracting attention as an all-state basketball player in high school, he received a staggering 75 college scholarships offers. Bradley declined them all, opting to study at Princeton University, during which time he won an Olympic gold medal, playing for the Team USA basketball team in 1964. He subsequently attended Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship, before joining the New York Knicks NBA team.
Bill Bradley enjoyed an outstanding career in professional basketball that spanned 12 years. Playing for the New York Knicks, he helped his team to win two world championships, and was recognized with numerous awards, including being named a first-team Parade All-American, and Mr. Basketball USA.
Following Bill Bradley’s retirement from the sport in 1977, he ran for a seat in the United States Senate. Representing New Jersey, his adopted home state, Bradley won, and was re-elected in 1984 and 1990, leaving the Senate in 1997.
During his time in office, Bill Bradley specialized in complex reform initiatives, including overhauling the federal tax code system in 1986, simplifying the tax rate schedule so that it incorporated just two brackets: 15% and 28%, and eliminating many kinds of deductions. He also led or was associated with initiatives reforming child support enforcement. Bradley was a driving force for legislation addressing lead-related child health problems, as well as federal budget reform to reduce the national deficit.
5. Vitali Klitschko – Mayor of Kyiv
The son of a Soviet Air Force General, Vitali Klitschko says he always believed that his military upbringing would prove invaluable in preparing him to defend his home country, Ukraine. While his father proudly fought for the Russian nation, Klitschko is today the man leading 2.8 million Kyiv residents against the Russian invasion, vowing to fight for the capital of Ukraine.
Throughout his career in heavyweight boxing, Vitali Klitschko was a ferocious fighter, earning himself the moniker “Dr. Ironfist.” Also an avid chess player, Vitali Klitschko retired from boxing in 2013. The following year, he was elected mayor of Kyiv and subsequently re-elected in the 2020 elections by almost 300,000 votes.
Klitschko has long been touted as a potential future leader of Ukraine, and has become symbolic of his home city’s courageous efforts to resist the Russian invasion.