Image via Complex Original
A little prank can go a long way. When put together thoughtfully, a prank can move mountains, strengthen friendships, and give everyone a solid laugh in a world that takes itself entirely too seriously at times. Lighten up, folks. Athletes can be stone cold serious at times, and it’s an attitude that fans, media, and coaches force down their throats. If a player is caught joking around, even in his or her own time in complete privacy, it’s somehow indicative of their perpetual carelessness and a reflection on their on-field performance. That’s a bunch of bull, and pranks prove it. Successful sports figures and athletes like Ken Griffey Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Billy Donovan don’t see themselves as being above the banter. Let’s watch each of them (and others) pull off some hilarious stunts in The 10 All-Time Greatest Sports Pranks.
The MIT Balloon
This was done in 1982, and even today, its marvel has stood the test of time. There’s no way I could ever break into a college football stadium on multiple instances in the middle of the night and wire a mechanism to the field’s electrical grid to make a giant MIT balloon inflate seemingly out of nowhere during an MIT-Harvard football game. The balloon is both bizarre and magical all at once.
There are so many things in 2014 that were way harder to do in 1982. We have self-parking cars, instant messaging, and Delivery.com. What 1982 and those corny MIT kids have on us, however, is the ability to pull off pranks that nobody asked for and won’t bother to repeat.
Yale Tricks Harvard Into Admitting That It Suck
This is undeniable proof that Yale is a superior institution to Harvard in every which way to. Throw away prestige and notable alumni—what happened at a Yale vs. Harvard football game in 2004 is what really matters. At that game, 24 Yale students created the “Harvard Pep Squad,” disguised themselves as Harvard students within Harvard’s fan section, and intently began giving out 1,800 pieces of red and white paper. They told the Harvard fans that once raised, a big “GO HARVARD” would appear, which everyone was super giddy about. Once all the papers were distributed, the Pep Squad sprang into action and got everyone to raise his or her part of the sign. The result was a fantastic “WE SUCK.”
Kyle Kendrick Gets Fake Traded to Japan
If you want to see pure terror, the face of Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick at the 58-second mark in the video is too legit. Kendrick was born in Texas and raised in Washington State, only knowing a stereotypically American way of life. Clearly, the prospect of upheaval troubled him. To Kendrick’s credit—and this is a trait he’s known for—he didn’t look frustrated or angry at all through the prank. Just, you know, completely terrified.
Jeff Gordon Pulls a Fast One on His Doubters
After Jeff Gordon “pranked” a used car salesman during a high-speed test drive for a Pepsi ad, the Internet was in full pursuit of Gordon. Because like 90 percent of Internet writers are cynical and look to see through every celebrity action, plenty of outlets were deeming Gordon’s prank as a stunt. A fake. A set-up. A corporate ruse. To get back at one of the bloggers who slandered Gordon’s original “Test Drive” prank, he posed as a cab driver, picked up the targeted writer, and took him on one helluva ride.
Deion Sanders Hates Snakes
Man, this was cruel. Deion Sanders just wanted to chill out during another boring interview and eat some good food. Instead, he was met face-to-face with a snake. In a post-Anaconda world (the movie where Anthony Anderson gets eaten, not the song), snakes are objectively scary and not to be messed with at all. At least that’s the pop culture take on snakes. We’re going to need ESPN’s Sport Science to calculate whether or not Sanders beat his 4.27 40-yard-dash time during his getaway sprint.
Billy Donovan Shatters the National Championship Trophy
This video really needs a second camera angle. The mortified faces and exasperated gasps of thousands of Florida students weren’t sufficiently captured. Thankfully for them, when Donovan fumbled the crystal ball and saw it shatter, it was all just a prank. Donovan had a replica made just so he could drop it, which is a true rock star move. You know that you’ve made it when you’re buying things just to purposely break them for the sake of entertainment.
Tottenham’s Happy Halloween
Kyle Walker and Tottenham’s video crew executed a basic, but time-tested prank. A masked surprise and a scream will cause any unassuming human to jump out of their skin. Walker put fear and a few good laughs into teammates Andros Townsend, Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Jan Vertonghen. Defoe was so terrified that he collapsed into the fetal position in fear.
The Half-Million Dollar Shot That Wasn’t
So, so cruel. A few years back, Jake and Amir from College Humor traded blows in an epic prank war that went viral. The seventh prank involved a fake blindfolded half-court shot at a University of Maryland halftime show. Jake arranged for Amir to be selected for a $500,000 shot, and while Amir was in the annals of the arena signing fake paperwork, Jake briefed the crowd: No matter how badly Amir missed, they were to cheer as if he had won in order to fool the fool. If you want to see human emotion go from 0 to 100 and then from 100 back to zero REAL QUICK, then this prank is the truth.
Ken Griffey Jr. Buys Lou Piniella Dinner
In Seattle, Junior was known for his prankster ways. A few of his best pranks during his late-career return to the Mariners involved Ichiro, but his finest work was done in the 1990s. At spring training in ’95, Griffey—who was the reigning home run champ—was challenged by manager Lou Piniella to a small wager. Piniella bet Griffey that he couldn’t hit homers to left, center, and right field on three pitches. The winner would pay for a steak dinner.
Griffey is a god, but he wasn’t able to pull it off. Though, he was able to, somehow, get a cow into the clubhouse to make good on the steak dinner bet.
Amar’e Stoudemire Pisses Off Metta World Peace
For Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Amar’e Stoudemire had Kimmel’s Cousin Sal pick his former teammate up and bring him to a charity event that didn’t actually exist. Sal annoys the hell out of Metta World Peace with painful small talk, bad jokes, and autograph requests. Eventually, Metta gets so fed up that he calls 911—yes, he called the police because his driver was annoying him—and forces his way out of the limo. This may be the most Metta World Peace event of 2014.