Written by Alexis Barton
Whether they’re the best player in their position, the best-looking player, or the funniest player in post-game interviews, we all have our favorite athletes. Even though we like to think that nothing can beat them, they all have their kryptonite. Here are some guesses as to what some of the pros are scared of.
Tom Brady: The Manning Brothers. Tom Brady is one of the most accomplished players in NFL history and will probably go down as one of the greatest players of all time. It seems like he can do just about anything, but the one thing he hasn’t figured out how to do yet? Beat Eli and Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl or the AFC Championships. Both of the Manning brothers have retired from the NFL after winning numerous Super Bowls and MVP titles, and they are both among the few to tackle Tom Brady and his former Patriots teammates in some of the most important games of the season. In 2008 and 2012 Eli Manning and the Giants beat out Brady in the Super Bowl, beating Brady’s nearly-perfect Patriots. Though the Patriots always fared much better in the regular season than the Giants, Eli knew how to pull off the big wins. Peyton was always an AFC rival of Brady, so they never faced each other in the Super Bowl, but they often faced each other in the AFC Championships. In 2007, Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts past the Patriots in the AFC Championship and went on to win the Super Bowl. Manning went on to do this again with the Denver Broncos in 2016, too. While Tom Brady’s six Super Bowl rings can speak for themselves, none of them have been against the Manning Brothers.
Jose Altuve: Having his shirt torn off after a home run. Are the Astros cheaters? Was he wearing a buzzer? The world may never know, but it sure made for a memorable moment in 2019. After hitting a home run that secured an American League Conference Series win for the Houston Astros, Altuve wanted to make sure that his shirt stayed on as he was running home despite a few of his teammates trying to take it off in celebration. Was this proof he was cheating? Was it really because he recently got a tattoo? We may never know, but it definitely is a scary thought for Altuve.
Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson: Running the Ball on the 1 Yard Line. One of the most memorable sports moments from the past few years has to be from Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 when Pete Carroll decided to not run the ball on the 1 yard line despite Marshawn Lynch, one of the best running backs in the league, being active in the game. This decision proved to be fatal for the Seahawks, as the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler intercepted the pass with just 26 seconds left in the game. The Patriots’ were able to successfully defend their small lead against the reigning Super Bowl champions and grab their fourth Super Bowl title.
The Toronto Maple Leafs: Getting Past the 1st Round of Playoffs. Unfortunately for Leafs fans everywhere, it seems like there is always something keeping the Leafs from winning in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One truly haunting memory for Leafs fans is from the 2013 playoffs in a first round series against longtime rival, the Boston Bruins. In Game 7, the Leafs had a solid 4-1 lead going into the final period of play. Unfortunately, the Bruins still had some fight left in them. In the final 10 minutes of play, the Bruins came back and scored 4 unanswered goals, leading them to win the game and eventually taking them to the Stanley Cup Final. The team must have come across a broken mirror or walked under a few ladders on the way to this game, because they haven’t had any success in the first round ever since.
