Can You Match the Athlete to the Correct Sport?

SPORTS

Bambi Turner

7 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons by Luke X. Martin

About This Quiz

Do you know what sport earned Tiger Woods or Babe Ruth the adoration of millions, or turned Michael Jordan and Joe Montana into heroes for people all over the planet? Can you guess which sport Michelle Kwan dominated for a decade, or which event earned Simone Biles a gold medal at the Rio Olympics by one of the widest margins in the history of her sport? Think you can match some of the world's best-ever athletes to the sport that made them famous? Prove it with this quiz!

Millions of people kick a soccer ball around or join a rec softball team for fun and exercise, but just a select few make it to the pros ... and only a handful of those who ever earn a living playing their favorite sport become household names who live on long after they've retired. The athletes in this quiz, however, were so darn good that their names still come up in everyday conversation, as people wax nostalgically about Joe Montana and "The Catch," Michael Jordan's unprecedented airtime or Jim Thorpe's overall athletic prowess. Yet even as we recall their names and know that they were the fastest, strongest, the best to ever swing a bat or toss a ball, their exact achievements can get lost to time. Think you can still match these legendary athletes to the correct sport? Show your skill with this quiz.

He was born Edsel Avantes de Nascimento, but to his fans, he was always Pele. Can you match this beloved Brazilian to the correct sport?

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Hailing from Switzerland, this athlete turned pro in 1998. Think you know which sport earned Roger Federer two Olympic medals?

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LeBron James just might be one of the most successful athletes to ever pick up a ball ... but do you know what kind of ball he is most likely to be seen with?

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Cassius Clay won Olympic gold in 1960, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali the next year after converting to Islam. What sport made Ali a legend?

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Born in 1975, Tiger Woods was named Rookie of the Year in this sport after turning pro in 1996.

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Michael Phelps has won a record-breaking 23 Olympic gold medals, including 8 in 2008 alone, in this summer sport.

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Which sport made Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who was also a star basketball player at UCLA, one of the most celebrated female athletes of all time?

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Name the sport that helped earn Joe Montana the nickname "The Comeback Kid."

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Jackie Robinson not only broke color barriers but is also remembered today for his poise and quiet determination to excel as one of the first African Americans to play this sport.

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Simone Biles was one of the most dominant athletes in the world in the 2010s thanks to her unprecedented talent in this sport.

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Babe Didrikson Zaharias won Olympic medals in track and field in 1932, but which sport did she excel in after going pro in the '30s?

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No, he's not a bobsledder, but Usain Bolt is a famous athlete from Jamaica. Do you know what sport made him an Olympic champ?

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Michael Jordan was named 1985 Rookie of the Year in this sport, where he remains a legend long after his retirement.

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He's known simply as "The Great One," but do you know which sport Wayne Gretzky dominated from the '70s through the late '90s?

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He won 16 world championships over his 40 year career, but do you know which sport made Ric Flair a star?

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Jim Thorpe was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal. Know which sport earned him this honor?

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had his #33 jersey retired by UCLA, and scored a record 40,000 points before he retired from this sport in 1989.

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Do you know which sport earned Michelle Kwan a record nine U.S. titles and five World Championships between 1996 and 2005?

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The Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, George Herman—OK, you can call him Babe—is still remembered today for his success in this sport.

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Serena Williams started training at the ripe old age of 3, but do you know which sport has made her a star?

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It's no secret that Nike believes that Bo knows, but do you know which of these sports Bo Jackson dominated in the '80s?

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Born in the Czech Republic in 1956, Martina Navratilova went on to win Wimbledon nine times, making her one of the all-time greats in this court sport.

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Jerry Rice played alongside fellow athletic legend Joe Montana. Can you guess the sport that made Rice famous?

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Hank Aaron, who was also known as Hammer, was a 25 time All-Star. Know what sport he played?

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Born Ray Charles Leonard in 1956, his fans called him Sugar Ray. Guess which sport won him Olympic gold in 1976 in Montreal.

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Do you know which sport earned Jack Nicklaus the nickname the Golden Bear?

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With or without the double cork that made him famous, Shawn White is a legend in this sport.

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Name the sport that made Michael Schumacher a star, and allowed him to call himself world champ a staggering seven times.

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Do you know which sport made Annika Sorenstam of Sweden a Hall of Famer?

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After playing for the Wolverines at Michigan, some guy named Tom Brady turned pro and became kind of famous thanks to his unprecedented skill in this sport.

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Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio just might have had a bit of talent in one great American pastime. Do you know what it is?

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Name the sport that Jim Brown excelled at between his time playing for Syracuse and his successful acting career that started in the '60s.

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Before becoming a successful coach for the Indiana Pacers, which sport made Larry Bird a star in the '80s?

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Born in 1972, which sport earned Mia Hamm medals at every Olympics between 1996 and 2004?

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Athletic success didn't come easy for Jesse Owens, a black man born in Alabama in 1913. What sport earned Owens four Olympic gold medals and made him a legend that people still look up to today?

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