Sportspeople are generally adored for their athletic heroics – and they essentially deserve such global adulation. From entertaining us with some of the exquisite sporting amusements on the pitch to getting punters rich staking with top bookmakers like Msport (check here for more information), these athletes have earned their place in universal stardom.
But there are some of these top athletes who have done way more than excelling in sports. Indeed, some top athletes have proven their diligence in diversifying into agriculture and doing well.
This article explores some top professional athletes who also pivoted into agriculturally related ventures.
Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow is arguably a household name in the American National Football League. Born on December 10, 1996, Joe has made a name for himself as one of the best quarterbacks currently in the game.
Joe plies his trade with the Cincinnati Bengals, sealing a coveted place in the revered team through the 2020 NFL Draft.
Of course, he didn’t get his position in the Cincinnati Bengals on a platter of gold. Joe has already been blazing a trail of excellence from his early days, bagging the highly prized Heisman Trophy in college football, playing at LSU Tigers (representing Louisiana State University).
While his first season at the Bengals was tainted with unfortunate injuries, Joe would prove his mental resilience in rallying the Bengals to an unprecedented playoff victory and playing in the Super Bowl LVI.
It is worth noting that before Joe’s heroics, the Bengals had not tasted any playoff going as far back as 1990.
With such success in the NFL, you wouldn’t blame Joe for getting content in life and relaxing. But the ambitious quarterback has demonstrated an entrepreneurial knack by investing in US farms.
Along with cohorts like Kevin Gausman (who plays as a pitcher for Toronto Blue) and Blake Griffin (a forward for Boston Celtics), Joe is investing a whopping $5 million in purchasing farms in North Iowa.
These farms span a humongous 104 acres, with plans for heavy cultivation of watermelons in subsequent farm acquisitions.
Jason Brown
Jason Brown is one of the biggest names in the NFL to dive into farming full-time. Back in 2005, Jason was one of the best centers in that year’s NFL draft and was intensely coveted by the big boys.
Such craze for Jason was well earned. The previous year, he pulled off an appearance in the highly prestigious All-ACC.
He was relentless during his early career sojourns at North Carolina. But even amid his illustrious conquests in American football, Jason has always retained a fiery love for agriculture.
Such untamed affection for farming saw him memorably quitting professional football to become a full-time farmer in 2012. More interestingly, Jason turned down a breathtaking $37.5 million NFL deal.
Flaming with enthusiasm for agriculture, Jason would invest himself fully in studying farming tutorials on YouTube and ultimately building an appreciable farming empire.
Some years back, Jason made the news when he generously gave out 100,000 lbs of sweet potatoes to local pantries in his locality.
Did his benevolence end there?
Definitely not! Jason would further support this with another charitable donation of 10,000 lbs of cucumbers.
Over the years, Jason has enjoyed success running a special wedding destination called Amazing Graze Barn.
Aside from hosting weddings, this social farm setup hosts community events and business meetings.
Ross Ohlendorf
While our two previous mentions heavily featured in American football, Ross was a big name in the baseball universe.
He had a memorable career that saw his making waves at San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, all the way to the New York Yankees.
But even in the face of this plethora of successes, Ross has always been engrossed with agriculture.
We could say such love for agriculture can be traced to his early days at the Arizona Diamondbacks farm setup.
Ross has always shown genius tendencies. Back in school, he bagged the George Mueller Award for excellently mixing academic excellence with intercollegiate athletics.
But you would be mistaken if you thought such exploits in academics and baseball would separate Ross from his fanaticism for cattle rearing.
Throughout his professional baseball career, Ross was beautifully notorious for returning to his family’s cattle ranch situated on the outskirts of Austin.
There, he spent time connecting to his roots and childhood love: rearing cattle!
Do you know that when other baseball players would spend their off-seasons enjoying aristocratic vacations in Barbados and Maldives, Ross would spend his weaning calves?
His father had a 2,000-acre ranch, and Ross inevitably inherited his father’s ranching genes!
Alright, here are three professional athletes who enjoyed (or are enjoying) a celebrated sports career but have not shied away from their love for agriculture. They have managed to excel on the pitch and yet on the farm!
Is there any other athlete who should have made this list?
