Basketball stars might command the spotlight, but when *Saturday Night Live* needs a host from the sports world, football has the deepest bench.
Through October 2026, 13 hosts with football backgrounds have taken the stage at Studio 8H, counting two-sport star Deion Sanders and former players who became famous as actors or broadcasters. Basketball has supplied five. That doesn’t prove Lorne Michaels loves football—but somebody should check his fantasy lineup.
The connection began in 1977, when Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton became the first professional athlete to host SNL. A decade later, Joe Montana and Walter Payton shared hosting duties, giving the show a backfield most NFL teams could only dream of. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, J.J. Watt, and Travis Kelce would all take their turns.
Some football connections are less obvious. Before playing Apollo Creed in *Rocky*, Carl Weathers played professional football. Alex Karras moved from the Detroit Lions to acting, while John Madden brought the personality audiences knew from coaching and broadcasting.
Why does football keep producing hosts? One possible explanation: its players already understand an unusually relevant set of instructions. Learn the plays. Trust your teammates. Commit completely. And when something goes wrong on live television, keep moving.
Hosting SNL requires a willingness to look ridiculous—a useful counterweight to the carefully controlled image of a professional athlete. The audience already knows these people can win. Watching them risk being the joke is part of the appeal.
Football may own Sundays. At Studio 8H, it has a pretty good record on Saturday nights, too.
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## From the Playing Field to Studio 8H
*Hosts grouped by sport and ordered by their first hosting year. Return hosting years are included; cameos are not.*
| Sport | Year(s) hosted | Host | |---|---|---| | **Football** | 1977 | Fran Tarkenton | | | 1978 | O.J. Simpson | | | 1982 | John Madden | | | 1985 | Alex Karras | | | 1987 | Joe Montana and Walter Payton — co-hosts | | | 1988 | Carl Weathers | | | 1995 | Deion Sanders* | | | 2005 | Tom Brady | | | 2007 | Peyton Manning | | | 2012 | Eli Manning | | | 2020 | J.J. Watt | | | 2023 | Travis Kelce | | **Basketball** | 1979 | Bill Russell | | | 1991 | Michael Jordan | | | 1993, 2010, 2012, 2018 | Charles Barkley | | | 2007 | LeBron James | | | 2026 | Jalen Brunson | | **Baseball** | 1984 | Bob Uecker | | | 1986 | Billy Martin | | | 1995 | Deion Sanders* | | | 2001 | Derek Jeter | | **Professional wrestling** | 1985 | Hulk Hogan and Mr. T† — co-hosts | | | 2000, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2017 | Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson | | | 2016 | John Cena | | **Boxing** | 1986 | Marvin Hagler | | | 1994 | George Foreman | | **Tennis** | 1989 | Chris Evert | | | 2003 | Andy Roddick | | **Hockey** | 1989 | Wayne Gretzky | | **Figure skating** | 1994 | Nancy Kerrigan | | **Freestyle skiing** | 2002 | Jonny Moseley | | **Auto racing** | 2003 | Jeff Gordon | | **Cycling** | 2005 | Lance Armstrong | | **Swimming** | 2008 | Michael Phelps | | **MMA / judo** | 2016 | Ronda Rousey‡ |
*Deion Sanders played both professional football and baseball. He appears in both categories but hosted once.*
† *Mr. T is included for his professional-wrestling appearances.*
‡ *Ronda Rousey later competed in professional wrestling; her SNL hosting appearance preceded her WWE career.*