The Sports Failures Who Became “Country” Stars

For many true country music performers, the bug to write, sing, and play country music bit them at an early age, and never left. Regardless of the financial hardship or adversity they face, they would never stop playing country music because it’s their life’s purpose. It’s the only passion they’ve ever known, and they’ve sunk their heart and soul and years of their lives into it.
For others, country music is simply a vehicle for fame and riches. It’s so easy these days to write and perform a “country” hit, almost anyone can do it. In fact the unique talent that it takes to make it in country music today is often the ability to completely remove any self respect or personal will and just do what you think will sell, or whatever a producer tells you.
We’ve seen this unique lack of passion and skill combined with a willingness to do whatever it takes to be famous in country from many of today’s mainstream country stars. Specifically, many of them first tried to make it in professional sports before flunking out or getting sidelined with injury, and only then picking up a guitar. Here are some of them.
Sam Hunt – Football
Sam Hunt was dud on the football field way before he would start doing his best to destroy country music by releasing EDM pop songs to the format. A decent high school player, he was a starting quarterback for Cedartown High School in Georgia where he grew up. He was named the 2002 Co-Offensive Player of the Year in his region, and received consideration for the Wendy’s High School Heisman.
But Sam Hunt’s college career was dreadful. Only able to receive an invite to Middle Tennessee State University, he didn’t play at all in 2003, and in 2004, only attempted one pass, and rushed for one yard. So he transferred to UAB, where it got even worse. He only played in seven games in 2006, completing two touchdowns, but with five interceptions. Sam was a scrambler, which came in handy because of his terrible accuracy and inability to work through progressions, racking up 159 yards on 69 rushes, and scoring one touchdown with his feet. In 2007, Hunt received more playing time at UAB, but the results were pretty much the same. Nonetheless, he tried out for the Kansas City Chiefs after graduating from UAB with a business degree in economics, and didn’t receive even a practice squad consideration from the pro team. It was only then that Sam turned to songwriting and music.
Brett Young – Baseball
Before Brett Young became arguably one of the most generic pop country men in the mainstream country industry, he was a baseball hopeful trying to make his way towards the major leagues. Young was a pitcher on the Calvary Chapel High School baseball team in Costa Mesa, California, winning a state championship during his tenure. Then in 1999 he went to Ole Miss on a full baseball scholarship. But during his time as a Rebel, Brett Young only earned 2 wins and 2 saves. He then played a season for Irvine Valley before moving to Fresno in 2003 as a college junior. While warming up in the bullpen to make a start, he blew out his right elbow five minutes before the game. It was an immediate career-ending injury. He was 21-years-old, an had never pursued music seriously until that point.
Colt Ford – Golf
That’s right, Jason Farris Brown, known professionally as country rap kingpen Colt Ford, was a bad professional golfer for eight years before he decided to give it up and get into the music business as a bad white rapper. Ford started playing golf when he was a kid growing up in Georgia, and played throughout college. As a pro he never made it onto the PGA tour, but instead was a mid pack guy on the Nike Tour and the Web.com Tour, and also worked as an instructor and coach for a short time before eventually failing out and deciding to pursue “music.” Since he couldn’t sing or play, he decided to start rapping since it fit his particularly low skill set, and unfortunately people were gullible enough to eat it up.
Colt Ford also owns Average Joes Entertainment, which is one of the biggest country rap labels, and wrote Jason Aldean’s mega country rap hit “Dirt Road Anthem.” Colt still regularly golfs while on tour.
Chase Rice – Football – NASCAR Pit Crew – ‘Survivor’ Contestant
Before Chase Rice was wearing flat-brimmed baseball caps and commanding women, “Get your little fine ass on the step, shimmy up inside” in shitty pop country songs, he was a football prospect. Though he was born in Florida, Chase Rice was raised in Asheville, North Carolina, playing football at AC Reynolds High School. He attended the University of North Carolina as a linebacker for the Tar Heels. It was there in a game in September 2007 that Rice injured his ankle playing outside linebacker against James Madison. The injury was so bad, it ended his football career on the spot.
Chase Rice would have a few more high-profile physical pursuits before making his way to “country” music. After graduating college, he worked for NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports as a rear tire carrier on crews for both Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson. After that he got a gig through a college friend as a contestant on the CBS Series Survivor during the show’s season in Nicaragua. Rice placed 2nd and won $100,000. After the show Rice took his winnings and moved to Nashville where he reconnected with Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line who he grew up with briefly in Florida. Helping to co-write Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” is what put Chase Rice on the map.
Jason Aldean – Baseball
Though unlike the others mentioned above, Jason Aldean was pursuing music early in his life and was looking to make a career of it, but baseball was a passion of his as well. Being a major leaguer was a big dream for Aldean growing up in Georgia. He was an all-district leadoff hitter for Windsor Academy—a private school in Macon. When he graduated, he fielded a few scholarship offers from colleges, but as a terrible student, he decided not to pursue them. He was hoping to be drafted by the Atlanta Braves, but when that didn’t happen, he instead decided to pursue music. Aldean still considers himself a big baseball and Braves fan.
– – – – – – –
Country Music Hall of Famer Charley Pride was also a baseball player before pursuing country music, but unlike his contemporaries, was quite good, pitching in the negro leagues for the Memphis Red Sox and other teams before an injury hurt his velocity. Even then Pride continued to receive consideration and play minor league ball through baseball integration before deciding to pursue music full time. And though not a traditional sport, Chris LeDoux was a Hall of Fame rodeo champion before he got into music full time.
March 15, 2018 @ 8:27 am
Ledoux was the man. Real deal, lived, breathed and sang his heart out about rodeos and cowboy life. Perhaps the most authentic guy ever to what he wrote. Charley Pride , man…you don’t need to say anything but Charley Pride!
Those other twits you named aren’t even in the same universe as Ledoux and Pride. Sam Hunt isn’t good enough to even carry Charlys suitcase.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:40 am
1976 World Champion Bareback Rider. Went to the NFR I think 6 times in his career. Chris LeDoux was also an acclaimed sculptor.
March 15, 2018 @ 8:27 am
Vince Gill is an ace golfer and his label felt he was more dedicated to the sport than the music at the beginning of his solo career. But… that doesn’t fit your narrative.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:20 am
Vince Gill has a respect for actual country music so of course he’s not going to fit the narrative.
Nice try though.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:04 am
And he also had had success in the music field (although not country music) beforehand. He didn’t turn to music just because he couldn’t make it in pro sports.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
My guess is it wouldn’t take long to find an article from around the time he broke through that was calling him a popster ruining country music, ala Alan Jackson.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:33 am
It doesn’t fit the narrative because Gill has never taken the necessary steps to become a compete on the PGA circuit, namely joining the PGA’s apprenticeship program. The article was about artists who tried to achieve athletic success at a high level and failed; Gill doesn’t fit because he never actually tried.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:37 am
What narrative?
March 15, 2018 @ 8:28 am
Sure wish they had all made it big in sports and saved us the dreadful music that has come from them!
March 15, 2018 @ 8:33 am
Playing a sport in college is failure? That’s actually a fairly cool accomplishment and not something that happens for most
March 15, 2018 @ 8:42 am
Oh jeez, chill out. The point here is they were unable to make a living in sports, and so they gravitated towards mainstream country music, which honestly takes very little skill or talent these days. That’s how you could blow your ankle out on the filed, and six months later have a publishing deal on Music Row.
March 15, 2018 @ 8:50 am
If it was so easy, then everyone would be doing it. Even if you don’t like Sam Hunt, what he has done is rare. The % of failed athletes and music stars has to be very high.
This is clickbait
March 15, 2018 @ 9:22 am
False. If anything, it shows the womanizing dumb jock personality that made up the Bro Country abomination.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:02 pm
As opposed to the smart womanizers that make up the history of country music? C’mon.
March 15, 2018 @ 1:40 pm
Sounds to me
They’re alot of jealous people in this world.
I grew up listening to country music singer
Steve Wariner.my opion one of the best guitar
Players.
Then my teenage years,there was Tracy Lawrence,Mark Wills,Kenny Chesney when he first started out.Rhett Akeins btw that Thomas Rhett dad if you didn’t know.Which I’m sure you do.I so use to love Ty Herndon.
Now it’s later in country 2018 lol.
I’m older I accept some changes.
People don’t go around with big hats on their heads.placed their boots with sneakers and flip flops.
Now I love Kane Brown.I call him my boy crush
Yes Sam Hunt is one of my favorites.
Darious Rucker.cant beat a good ole South Carolina boy and Gamecocks fan.
Oh and Jason Aldean he puts on the best concert.He will be having a free concert
In Greenville Bonsecore arena
After fishing tournament in Anderson ,South Carolina this weekend.
I so want to go to his concert.
Im hoping to find a ride.Cant drive I have Epilepsy and a nerve condition lol.
Anyways yep sounds like some jealous people.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:05 pm
Not so much jealous people , Lisa . I’d say there are a lot of AWARE people that visit this site.
They are aware of how little talent it actually takes to chart on mainstream country radio these days ( if you look the part , can ‘bend ‘ a little and have NO qualms about what you’ll be expected to ‘sing’ ) , and how many incredibly gifted artists there are that won’t get that opportunity because they are far too overqualified for the job in these times . They think for themselves , they are profoundly creative , invested , respectful of tradition , respectful of a GREAT song , and passionate about their devotion to writing or performing one for people who actually CARE about what they are listening to .
I’m sorry to hear of your condition and sincerely hope you can find a ride to the concert .
March 15, 2018 @ 8:34 am
Also Jake Owen with wake-boarding. To be honest, as long you look like a model, that’s all large record labels look for nowadays. A lot of mainstream artists are all tall and fit, dark hair and 5 o’clock shadow. Fuck if they can write a decent song by themselves or have any country cred.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:58 am
Jake Owen with golf, as well.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:03 pm
Yeah, I was recently at the Nashville Topgolf facility, and he and Charles Kelley were knocking the SHIT outta the ball!
March 15, 2018 @ 8:37 am
Long-time lurker here, but I seldom comment. Trigger I’m with you on the majority of the stuff you post on here, but I think you’re being pretty harsh by labelling these guys “failures,” etc. To even get to where they got is farther than 99% of people who play sports get. I can’t stand Sam Hunt, but he did play FCS football and got a try-out with an NFL team. How many people can say that? Most of the music these guys have put out is a disgrace to “country” music, but hating on their athletic accomplishments is going too far I believe. These guys pursued their sports dreams as far/long as they could, and for whatever reason eventually decided to call it a day in that arena. There’s no shame in that! Now, it is a shame what they’ve done with their music, but that’s a whole nother topic. Hate on their musical output all you want. /endrant
March 15, 2018 @ 8:55 am
None of these guys were able to make it in their chosen profession, and so they decided late in life (except for Aldean) to choose mainstream country music instead, since it was an easy path to fame and riches that didn’t require much skill, knowledge, or lifelong dedication. Not to knock anyone who played college sports, but these performers failed to achieve what they wanted in the sports realm, which was to be a pro. We all understand how tough that is. It’s apparently infinitely easier these days to become a country star. Also, none of them were particularly good in college. I think this is a fair illustration of how the country industry is being flooded with people who have a unique lack of skill and dedication to country music, but are simply looking for the easiest path to fame and riches.
Granted, “failure” might be a strong word, but goodness. Someone tap me on the shoulder when it’s okay again to laugh a little bit.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:45 am
I guess I totally agree with your overall premise, that these guys (other than maybe Aldean) don’t really have their heart in country, and that that can be shown by the fact that a music career was a kind of “last resort” for them, but I just think this is wrong way to go about proving your point. Tell us all about how they had different career aspirations initially, and then had to fall back on country once those other goals didn’t happen to the extent these guys might have hoped, and how that is just affirmation that these guys are half-assin it in country because they never really even felt the music to begin with. That’s fine. But as someone who was on a D1 college football team that made the national championship twice while I was there, I know the level of dedication, commitment, hard work, and, yes, talent, that it takes to get to play at that level. And if you can get there you are anything but a failure, even if you don’t advance any further beyond that. And from looking at the comments that were posted after mine, it looks like a lot of people agree with me.
“Granted, “failure” might be a strong word, but goodness. Someone tap me on the shoulder when it’s okay again to laugh a little bit.”—–I love to laugh and have a great sense of humor, love a lot of the rants you do, I just think you went about proving your point that these guys’ hearts aren’t really in country music, the wrong way.
Like I said though, in general I love your stuff. Check your site almost every day. Keep up the good work and the fight for real country! Just wanted to say I thought you came off a little strong in your criticism of these guys’ athletic careers.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:13 am
Aldean is the only one mentioned in the narrative that actually possesses some quality songs. Sure, he has some real stinkers (remember Burnin’ it Down and 1994), But for every pile of shit, there is an incredible song (The Truth and Amarillo Sky, for starters).
I am by no means an Aldean apologist, but I highly recommend for anyone who sees this post, go check out the album cuts for Aldean’s first two albums, his self titled album and Relentless. There are some awesome songs.
March 15, 2018 @ 12:33 pm
Read this site everyday and rarely comment, but i kinda agree with other posters on this one. Chris Knight worked around mines until he was 30. Just because they got a late start doesn’t mean much.
March 15, 2018 @ 3:22 pm
You missed it completely, pal.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:07 pm
What’s “it”? A poorly constructed narrative?
March 16, 2018 @ 9:02 pm
And Sturgill was a sailor then a railroad man. Listen to Chris Knight then listen to Chase Rice.. theres defiently a difference in authenticity
March 15, 2018 @ 3:22 pm
As a former college football player with a National Championship ring, I think you are not understanding what motivates a college jock. Most guys on the roster don’t look at sports as an occupation. They do it because they love the game, and it provides an opportunity for a college education. The guys that were depending on going pro, didn’t have much alternative available for success. Very few athletes go pro, and that is widely understood by the athletes. Calling them failures sounds like a kid that got picked on looking for revenge. If you aren’t writing for the NYT are you a failure?
March 15, 2018 @ 6:06 pm
What is the definition of “late in life” these days? For fuck’s sake, its getting to where if someone wasn’t born in a tobacco field with a mandolin nearby….
March 15, 2018 @ 9:07 am
The point his trying to make cane be seen in the opening sentence “For many true country music performers, the bug to write, sing, and play country music bit them at an early age, and never left”
Country music was an afterthought for these guys (except Aldean), I get that using the word “failure” might be harsh but he’s only looking at how they became the people we know them as today
March 15, 2018 @ 10:26 am
I think he has a very valid point and I agree with him that music, and country music specifically, was nothing more than a fall-back option for them, but I think he went about it the wrong way. These guys were not athletic failures in any way. See my response to his response to my initial post to see exactly what I mean.
March 15, 2018 @ 12:06 pm
This also assumes that every person mentioned had it ingrained in their mind to become a professional athlete. Almost every person who plays sports in college realizes they will not become professional. I bet each of these people were just as involved with music as they were sports while competing (especially if they weren’t stars or starters)
March 15, 2018 @ 12:39 pm
That’s incorrect. To source the information for this article I read interviews with all these artists talking about their pursuit of sports, and how they got into music. Folks can feel free to Google and find them as well. To a man they all wanted to be pro athletes, including Jason Aldean who was the only one pursuing music from an early age. In regards to Colt Ford, Brett Young, and Sam Hunt, they didn’t do anything significant in music until after their sports career was over. In fairness, Chase Rice had been noodling on the guitar for years previous, but Sam Hunt had not as much as played one note before his sports career ended.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:09 pm
Well then, Hunt will never become a success with THAT type of musical ambition!
March 18, 2018 @ 10:18 pm
Love this website but this is the worst article I’ve seen on here. Anybody who has ever played college sports obviously wants to go pro but very few do. Hell, Aaron Watson played college baseball. I hate their music as much as the next guy, but I’m sure they’re passionate about making it. They’re not purposely making bad music lol. I like it better when you critic the music. This is just dumb
March 15, 2018 @ 8:38 am
Seems like a fairly unnecessary article
March 15, 2018 @ 8:56 am
Completely unnecessary, but an interesting illustration.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:09 am
Has a little bit of a Taste of Country feel to it honestly
March 15, 2018 @ 11:59 am
Except Taste of Country would’ve titled the article “Country Superstars Whose Talent Surpasses Music!”
March 15, 2018 @ 8:45 am
I’m sure there are dozens of country singers who also played sports at a fairly high level, or even vice versa. A couple that come to mind:
– I read once that Conway Twitty was an excellent baseball player
– Marty Robbins raced in NASCAR for years
– Roy Acuff is in the Tennessee Sports HOF and played baseball at the semi-pro level
March 15, 2018 @ 9:12 am
Marty Robbins was a different deal, though. His success in country music opened doors for him to engage in NASCAR racing. He had a hatful of #1 hits by the time he drove in his first race in 1959.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:13 am
You’re right about that. I thought he grew up driving.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:10 pm
Oh, so he was such a FAILURE AT RACE CAR DRIVING HE HAD TO COME SNIVELING BACK TO A COUNTRY CAREER?!?!?!?
March 15, 2018 @ 6:57 pm
I love Marty Robbins and NASCAR.
I wish I had been able to see him run a race.
I’ve been going to dirt track races for 55 years and NASCAR races for 30 years.
He was certainly a free spirit.
And a great singer.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:27 am
“Raced” might be a strong term for what Marty Robbins did. He had a car and entered races.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:35 am
Well, he was better than Danica Patrick and she was considered a serious driver, while he did it as a hobby.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:10 pm
Eh, were any drivers openly trying to knock Robbins out of races?
March 15, 2018 @ 9:35 am
https://savingcountrymusic.com/marty-robbins-saves-life-of-nascars-richard-childress/
March 15, 2018 @ 8:52 am
What, no love for college football Hall-of-Famer and two-time NFL All-Pro Mike Reid? ’90s artist Michael Peterson won a Division III national championship as an OT with Pacific Lutheran.
Wait, you said “failures”. Sorry.
March 15, 2018 @ 8:52 am
Why write this? I don’t like any of their music but only the worst kind of Monday morning quarterback will say someone who earned a D1 scholarship is a failure as an athlete. They are failures as country music artists, they happened to be pretty good athletes.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:12 pm
No no, unless they are in their sports’ respective HOF, THEY ARE COMPLETE FAILURES! How they can bring themselves to play in front of sellout crowds every weekend, I’ll never know!
March 15, 2018 @ 9:03 am
That’s right, Jason Farris Brown, known professionally as country rap kingpen Colt Ford, was a bad professional golfer for eight years before he decided to give it up and get into the music business as a bad white rapper. +2 Trigg!
March 15, 2018 @ 9:10 am
I despise rap and what Colt Ford produces that passes for “music.” However, to call him a bad golfer is ridiculous. Its much easier to play college football, baseball, etc. than it is to play college golf and even make it for a while on pro tours. The dude is an incredibly good golfer. I played baseball in college and was a pretty good athlete in HS and college. I’ve also played golf most of my life and I am still horrible. There are very few things in the sports realm that are more difficult than being good at golf.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:12 am
In golf, you can’t overcome a lack of skill by being fast, strong, aggressive, tall, tough, etc. You just have to be good.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:03 am
Someone woke up with a case of the meanies!
March 15, 2018 @ 6:13 pm
Or a bad case of the, “Hmm, I’ve done a few Bebe articles already this week, how can I maximize SEO with little effort?”
March 15, 2018 @ 9:08 am
I remember hearing about Scott McCreery going back to his high school to play on the baseball team as a senior. He was a relief pitcher. Thought that was pretty cool.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:14 pm
He’ll be in Part Two.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:20 am
Eh, nothing else to write about today? This doesn’t seem necessary at all. I’d say there’s a good many artists who had career plans that didn’t pan out the way they wanted or dreamed they would so they turned to music. Be it sports, accounting, anything, it doesn’t matter. They had a new dream or desire to make money, they pursued it, it worked out for them. Heck, as I sit here at my keyboard during my lunch break, at my 40 hour a week ho hum job doing what they’re doing seems like a pretty good idea, maybe I should give it a go.
oh, if you’re going to write such bs you could add Lee Brice and Toby Keith to the list.
March 15, 2018 @ 1:13 pm
Keyword being, “desire to make money.” Not that it’s a bad thing, but it is if it’s your endgame when it comes to music. And for a lot of these guys listed, you can’t help but wonder.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:25 am
You know, no fan of Sam Hunt here, but “all state in high school, played on multiple D1 NCAA football programs, graduated college and tried out for the NFL before becoming a platinum selling Country Artist” is really kind of a stretch to factor in as a “failure”.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:45 am
Sam Hunt wanted to be a professional football player. We know this because he tried out for a pro team. He failed to achieve that goal. He also failed to win more games than he lost, or to throw more touchdowns than interceptions in any season during his college career. That’s failure. That doesn’t discount the effort and dedication Sam Hunt pout into his dream and passion. He put his whole life into being a football pro. Then he put 6 weeks into learning a G-chord on the guitar and could waltz onto Music Row and start writing shitty pop country songs, while thousands of songwriters struggle to even get heard.
Clearly I failed somehow to get the premise of this article across due to the feedback it’s receiving. But I think there’s a much deeper message here that I think a lot of folks are failing to understand.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:16 am
Everybody thinks you wrote a shitty article, but somehow we’re ALL failing to grasp the depth of your “deeper” message. C’mon man…
March 15, 2018 @ 11:56 am
Don’t think I’m so lacking in self-awareness that I don’t see how this article is going, or unwilling to take responsibility for it…
March 15, 2018 @ 12:01 pm
I think you hit a nerve with the backwards baseball cap wearing, fantasy loving crowd … the kind of men who wear jerseys with another man’s last name on their back.
March 15, 2018 @ 12:03 pm
Look at the bright side you haven’t been called racist or a misogynist yet.
March 15, 2018 @ 5:51 pm
Yeah, I always thought the concept of wearing another man’s name on one’s back was just a tad creepy.
March 16, 2018 @ 11:25 am
Ha Ha, at least you have a working sence of hummer (humer?)
March 15, 2018 @ 6:16 pm
“But I think there’s a much deeper message here that I think a lot of folks are failing to understand.” Or…a failure of an article?
March 16, 2018 @ 8:22 am
I get what you’re saying, I think it’s just that the tone of the article seems really petty. It reads more as “ha ha, these guys couldn’t succeed at sports, they suck”, more than “they were fairly talented, were ultimately unable to make it to the top level, refocused and now are making serious money as top Country stars”. Rather than being an indictment of the brain dead label heads and radio suits pushing this crap, it’s coming off as oddly jealous and pretty bitter. Trust me, I’ve got no desire to defend the bro-EDM country guys, but I’m not going to knock the hustle of going out there and getting paid.
March 19, 2018 @ 8:21 am
Yes Buckshot, Trigger neglected to put the criticism where it really belongs with the “brain dead label heads and radio suits pushing this crap.” It would have been a good article if he illustrated how easy Music Row is making it for good looking young guys with minimal musical talent and no understanding of the roots of the genre to make a pile of cash.
But as others have pointed out, for every Sam Hunt there are a slew of hotshots who aren’t making it.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:52 pm
This is an interesting, yet very bad read. I think its super cool that they were sports players at one time, thats a great story to tell anyone. I do think the knock on Sam Hunt is pretty classless – Trig has obviously not cared to read into Sam’s background but I have and never once did he state he got into music for the fame or fortune. He has stated NUMEROUS times in interviews all over the web that he wanted to get into music because he thought if he did and got recognized that his ex girlfriend who he was crazy about would come back to him. Guess what? It worked, she came back, and they are married now….this happened when Body Like A Backroad was flying up the country and pop charts. I found one interview that took me like an hour of google searching to find, but he stated a couple months ago that he has little desire to continue his music career and may not be making much more music because he achieved his goal. I have MAD RESPECT for him because of all that. He may not be very country, nor is his music, but as a person I have crazy respect for him.
March 15, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
I’m pretty sure you just (accidently) made the point of this article.
March 19, 2018 @ 8:25 am
Hard to have crazy respect for her though since she went back to him only after he was financially successful.
October 25, 2021 @ 3:04 pm
Sam Hunt was pretty blue pilled there. Why would he want her back? She obviously only loved him because of money.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:31 am
It’s hard to imagine Colt Ford being good at anything, much less his big ass out on the course.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:37 am
I saw football great Peyton Manning sing with Kenny Chesney once…..
Man, what a horrible goofy singer… And the other guy played for the Tennessee Vols…
March 15, 2018 @ 9:57 am
LOL!
March 15, 2018 @ 11:08 am
He also “sang” (f you could call it that) in a Nationwide Insurance TV commercial.
March 15, 2018 @ 12:02 pm
“Chicken parm you taste so good “
March 15, 2018 @ 9:39 am
You obviously know nothing about sports if you can discredit Hunt’s success for becoming a division one athlete and subsequently having the opportunity to try out for professional teams. I’d say he’s far from a “dud” on the field. When you make stupid articles like this it just takes away from you credibility, and you do actually put out good content.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:17 pm
Is he wearing a Super Bowl ring? FAILURE!
March 15, 2018 @ 10:37 pm
You have a penchant for hyperbole, Isaac.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:39 am
Heard Sturgill was a pretty good t-ball player when he was 8.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:01 am
Had trouble with the moving ball and it was all over. Just couldn’t make it at the next level.
March 15, 2018 @ 3:26 pm
You mean t-bagger?
March 15, 2018 @ 9:50 am
Long time reader but first time commenting – Disappointing article. Didn’t Dave Dudley do the same thing? Yeah their music sucks but if they came late and starting singing like Cody Jinks no one would care.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:57 am
FGL’s Brian Kelley was also a baseball player. Definitely fits the list.
March 15, 2018 @ 9:59 am
Youtube “Chad Brock WCW”
March 15, 2018 @ 11:04 am
Actually Chad Brock is sort of the opposite of what Trigger is talking about. He turned down a college football scholarship to pursue a singing career, then signed to Warner Brothers who developed the “country singing wrestler” persona with the WCW.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:18 am
Yea, I’m not talking shit either way. I just wanted to share.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:06 am
Not being a fan of NASCAR, I wasn’t aware pit crews were so specialized that you could be a “rear tire carrier.” Does he graduate to “rear tire changer”? Did he aspire to advance to front-tire duties? I guess the guy that fills the gas tank is king of the hill.
Good article. What it underscores, for me, as that these guys were after the “money for nothing” that Mark Knopfler sang about years ago. They might have had a smidgen of athletic talent, but when they could no longer pursue that (even through no fault of their own; injuries happen) instead of going out and getting real jobs they wanted to get into another business — any business — where they could be worshipped, people would wait on them, and producers would do all the heavy lifting. If our culture treated plumbers that way, they would’ve tried their hand at plumbing. Once you get that taste of fame, you need to keep feeding the addiction.
March 15, 2018 @ 3:26 pm
Bingo.
Everyone with a beef with this piece needs to read the above comment s-l-o-w-l-y.
March 16, 2018 @ 8:12 am
Can a right guard immediately switch over and play center or defensive tackle? Can a wide receiver swap to quarterback in the middle of a game with no dropoff? Can a first basemen just decide to pitch? These are drilled, rehearsed positions that require a lot of strength and finesse given the speed they perform at.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:44 am
While I understand your bigger point I’m not sure I can go with this one. Are we saying that you can only have one passion in life?
Also as a few others have pointed out calling a D-1 scholarship athlete a failure is stretching it for me. And as someone who has played college golf and been involved in various aspects of the golf industry for many years I can without a doubt say that anyone good enough to play on what is now the Webdotcom Tour is an exceptional player, probably among the top .01% in the world.
So I definitely thing Sam Hunt and Colt Ford put out horrific music I have a hard time classifying their athletic pursuits as failures.
March 15, 2018 @ 10:47 am
The Webdotcom is basically Triple A golf. I can’t call someone who makes it to that level of a sport a failure. Just can’t.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:19 am
Colt Ford considered himself a failure. I know this because I read interviews with him saying how he wasn’t good enough to make it in golf and support himself and a family. That’s why he quit and pursued music.
I read interviews with all these guys talking about their sports careers before posting this article. All except Jason Aldean did not even think about music as a career or even a hobby until they failed to be able to make a living at playing sports.
Of course you can change career paths, have different passions, etc. The point is how easy it is to put down a football and pick up a guitar and launch mega hits millions will hear with no accountability for skill or dedication. I think that’s a sad commentary.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:30 am
Maybe we’re just arguing semantics here. I mean I wanted to play on the PGA Tour also and after four years of college golf it was obvious that I wasn’t going to be good enough so in that way I guess I was a failure also.
I guess my broader point is that there isn’t nor should there be one way to make it. Playing in bars at 12 like Tanya Tucker shouldn’t be the way anymore than starting in your twenties.
Somehow I’m finding myself defending Sam Hunt and Colt Ford and their career choices.
March 15, 2018 @ 6:20 pm
To be fair, writing/performing megahits that millions will hear = SOME kind of skill. Just because we don’t like it doesn’t mean there isn’t skill involved. It’s not like I think a watermelon (YUM) farmer is more skilled than a tomato (YUCK) farmer.
March 16, 2018 @ 5:29 am
I would venture to say that the skill required to do what Sam Hunt does is more akin to the skill required to grow grass in a 100-year-old lawn.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:02 am
I would also add that almost by definition to make it in athletics you have to start at a young age and if you haven’t ‘made’ it by your mid twenties you are not likely to where as a musician that is not the case. So if you have multiple interests then going for the age sensitive one first seems smart. Do we want to tell young people pick a career goal and by golly if you don’t make it to the top in that don’t dare try something else or we’ll rip on you for it.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:06 am
Gosh… tough crowd. I thought it was a fun article.
You people need to stop taking everything so seriously.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:57 am
If I posted this article 18 months ago (which is when I probably first thought of the idea), it’s received completely differently. #RIPfun
March 16, 2018 @ 5:25 am
That’s no shit. Thin skin is the new norm…
March 15, 2018 @ 11:06 am
Is there a point to this article? We have all “failed” at some point, or many times, and have had to reinvent ourselves or pursue other interests. That’s life.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:09 am
Remember Mike Reid? He was successful on all fronts. Played for Penn State and the Cincinnati Bengals, wrote a bunch of number one hits for country music artists in the 80’s and 90’s (Ronnie Milsap’s “Stranger in My House”, Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”) and had a number 1 hit of his own with “Walk on Faith” … a song little ole 12 year old me me LOVED… I had his cassette and played it till the ribbon broke.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:18 am
https://youtu.be/kZWcaxYNKIM
It went #1 in February 1991, so I was 13 not 12.
I remember the video more than hearing it radio. I always had TNN or CMT on the TV.
Still a good song despite the filmy 90’s production.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:33 am
12 #1 songs including Tim McGraw’s, “Everywhere,” Wynonna’s, “My Strogest Weakness,” and Colin Raye’s, “In this Life.”
March 15, 2018 @ 11:42 am
Yep, this article could be rewritten as a positive take very easily and probably has been by some cheesy country music site somewhere.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:47 am
Trig added Charlie Pride and Chris LeDoux at the end of the article so I thought I’d throw out Mike Reid. I wasn’t trying to cheese the article.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:54 am
I wasn’t being critical of your comment at all I was just saying that a positive approach to ex athletes in country music could be written.
And I remember Mike Reid also and ‘In This Life’ is a great 90s country song in my opinion.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:11 am
If nothing else, this article explains why these guys think what they are doing is “country” music… they probably sustained some head injuries during their playing days.
And if these guys had any respect for real country music, Trig would not be ripping on them like this.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:34 am
Your article’s premise (that these guys went to country music as a fall-back plan, and that they aren’t really invested in it) is 100% valid. But none of this is athletic failure. If you aspire to sell out stadiums as a music artist, but only get to the point where you can sell out amphitheaters, does that make you a failure? Of course not. This is where the message is getting lost in translation. I get what you’re trying to get at, but I think you just went about it the wrong way. These guys made solid accomplishments in athletics, and to try to make their accomplishments look like nothing only makes you look petty and gives fuel to your critics who think you just hate anyone not names Hank Williams or Waylon Jennings.
Again, I love your site, your voice and what you do Trigger, but I think I speak for a lot here.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:47 am
Are you sure that picture is Jason Aldean? Because that dude has a neck.
March 15, 2018 @ 12:11 pm
They all failed to make the cut.
What is *with* people nowadays? Does social media have us all terrified to admit failure? Like, “sorry, I tried to fix the damn thing and failed,” or “she did that shimmy thing, but I failed to call her back,” or “me and my bros threw all this money at McAnally and Copperman, but we failed to write a country song.”
It’s like the word fail has been banned from common use. Take it back!
March 15, 2018 @ 12:25 pm
All of this mis-reading of the article is pretty funny. Nobody is saying that you can’t change career paths, or that it isn’t impressive to be as good at sports as any of these guys are. The point is that it’s really lame how these guys…NONE of whom had any real talent, passion or experience (and still don’t)….were able to so quickly change paths and basically go straight to the “top” with their mediocre skills. 99.9% of college athletes don’t end up playing sports professionally, and that doesn’t take away from their accomplishments. BUT, the analogy here would be that if some bozo D1 football player (I played football too) with zero real world experience graduated college and went into accounting and was instantly promoted to, say, a VP or President level at a major accounting firm and did a completely horrible job. If he would have started at the bottom….in accordance with his skill / talent level and experience…no problem at all.
March 15, 2018 @ 4:06 pm
spottobis onnibus
March 15, 2018 @ 12:57 pm
I find myself in a strange predicament today. I am 100% on board with the premise, and intent of an article on this website. I also concur with the assertion this article makes.
I wonder if this comment will be posted.
March 15, 2018 @ 1:17 pm
A bunch of butthurt snowflakes today. C’mon guys, it’s almost Friday. Get the sticks out of your asses.
March 15, 2018 @ 1:49 pm
Colt Ford maybe a gimmick and a half… but I know people who live way, way out in the sticks in Georgia… that first album he did or the one that had ‘trailer trash’ or whatever the title is, they thought he wrote it about people they knew and grew up with. Now, no it isn’t country to me, but it is funny.
March 15, 2018 @ 8:18 pm
I’m not sure if growing up 2 miles outside of Athens, Georgia counts as being from the sticks, but I’ll concede the point that the guy is just a regular guy who didn’t come from money, and at least he has acheived the American dream.
March 15, 2018 @ 4:39 pm
Love the blog, but this seems petty!
March 15, 2018 @ 6:22 pm
All the flavors available in the world, but you chose salty.
March 15, 2018 @ 7:22 pm
The article could have been written differently but the fact of the matter is that those guys (Hunt et al.) had no interest in music and country music. They jumped on that ship to make money without any consideration for the genre which occurred after their own dreamed ended. That’s the point.
March 15, 2018 @ 11:46 pm
So basically they all sucked at the game so none of the major league sports teams wanted them but they all suck at country music and Nashville wants them?? That makes a hell of a lot of sense. Damn shame they weren’t a little better at the game. On a side note… Harold Lloyd Jenkins was a hell of a baseball player and had a shot to play in the major league but gave it up for his love of country music. I’m talking about Conway Twitty in case you didn’t know. These boys should take some lessons from Conway… musically and athletically.
March 16, 2018 @ 5:31 am
No, Conway Twitty didn’t pursue a baseball career because he was drafted for the Korean war.
March 16, 2018 @ 8:48 am
No… like I said… Conway Twitty chose the guitar over the bat.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_entertainment.jsp?ymd=20080805&content_id=3256325&vkey=entertainment&fext=.jsp
March 16, 2018 @ 8:59 am
Not interested in going to that site due to the warning that pops up when I click the link, but every other link on the internet confirms that he gave up baseball due to the war.
March 16, 2018 @ 9:24 am
Here’s a different link… didn’t realize the first one wasn’t secure. Besides… this has nothing to do with the original point I was trying to make about today’s country artists mentioned in the article.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/conway-twitty-mn0000780451/biography
March 16, 2018 @ 12:41 am
Wow…I never seen so many dudes have a hard on for Sam Hunt(usually he’s being called all kinds of 4 letter words on here and whatnot) if you looked at his stats, he wasn’t that good of a QB…very mediocre…sure he got recruited to the NFL training camp but a lot of dudes do…and with not much competition it wand like Sam they get cut on the 1st day. For once I’m actually siding with Trigger(also forgot to add Jake Owen) these people didn’t make pro which was their original goal so they pretty much failed. He called them a failure at sports(losers don’t get a pat on the back and called a winner…well maybe in snowflake land with participation trophies) most of you act like he called them failures at life and they should just end their life. Sam Hunt has made it crystal clear he never wanted any of this
March 16, 2018 @ 4:24 am
I think I get your point. I agree with you.
There are people who want to be famous and rich, and don’t care how they get there.
Try sports, no luck, try music, no luck, I know, how about I try “acting”.
No actual real commitment to sports, or music, or acting. just commitment to fame, money and self love.
I’ve noticed this with the “professionals” on the tv dancing contests, some of whom are also “in a band” or have an album out.
It signifies shallowness. Probably not a great quality in a person. And probably won’t result in anything of much lasting value.
March 16, 2018 @ 5:58 am
I don’t like the music these dudes put out either Trig…But this article is just petty and childish.
March 16, 2018 @ 6:58 am
Calm your tits everyone. He’s making a point through satire, FFS! I didn’t realize there were so many recreationally offended commentators in these here parts.
March 16, 2018 @ 8:44 pm
Oh yes I forgot that you and him are smarter than everyone else here. What would we do without you explaining the real meaning of this petty piece of writing.
March 16, 2018 @ 9:30 am
Kip Moore was in the minors too I think?
March 16, 2018 @ 1:39 pm
Don’t forget Bill Anderson and Jim Reeves
March 17, 2018 @ 2:42 pm
Boy, I’m sure this awesome group of artists sure experienced a lot of hardships in their formative years/high school/college years when they were athletes. What amazing source of emotions and experiences they can draw from to write amazingly deep songs.
…..sarcasm over…..
March 22, 2018 @ 7:52 pm
Terry Bradshaw had a hit with a cover of I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry in 1976 as well.
March 22, 2018 @ 7:55 pm
We know that Terry is a sports legend and was successful in sports but he did make it in country music as well.