More than 30 athletes or sports figures have hosted “Saturday Night Live” since the show debuted in 1975. Scores of others have appeared in cameos, and sports remains a common topic, ripe for comedy.
Hosting, though, is a unique skill, and to be honest, most of the athletes to attempt it have been largely underwhelming. A successful host needs comedic timing, the ability to commit to the bit, and, maybe more than anything, a willingness not to take himself or herself too seriously.
Some of the greatest professional athletes of all time have failed at this: Tom Brady, LeBron James and Wayne Gretzky, for example, didn’t make our cut.
About our methodology: We convened a group of sketch-comedy aficionados across The Athletic’s staff of reporters and writers, and each submitted an AP-style ballot, picking their top 15 favorite sports hosts. (Our voters also nominated their favorite sports sketches, those are included below as…
