Our favorite fictional athletes, from Lightning McQueen to Rocky Balboa

SB Nation’s favorite fictional athletes

The blooming partnership between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce over the past two NFL seasons has meant many things.

Not only did that relationship open the door for the legion of Swifties to learn about the NFL — as our intrepid James Dator learned when he joined their Discord server early in the relationship — but their partnership spawned not one, but two holiday movies inspired by them.

Of course, James watched and wrote about both.

However, something from one of those movies sparked wider debate. This scene from Christmas in the Spotlight, where pop star Bowyn Sykes learns all about wide receiver Drew “Gonzo” Gonville who is a NINE-TIME MVP:

Given that a wide receiver has never won MVP once, this is certainly an eye-catching accomplishment.

It also got us thinking about some other incredible fictional athletes, ones with incredible accomplishments or others we just loved, so we put together this list. If there is a fictional athlete we missed, or someone you’re a particular fan of, sound off in the comments!

Ricky Vaughn/Willie Mays Hayes — Major League

Major League took baseball in a different direction for the modern audience and Vaughn and Hayes were huge in that. Vaughn’s rebellion and Hayes’ mouth and athletic ability were a ton of fun and game-changing for Cleveland to down the evil New York Yankees.

Rocky Balboa — Rocky

Not much really needs to be said, he’s Rocky and inspired millions for years which also led to the Creed Trilogy.

Air Bud — Air Bud

A cute golden retriever playing basketball and dominating some kids:

Show me another dog showing off those kinds of skills and we can argue about who is the best dog athlete. Until then, Air Bud deserves to be on the list.

Lightning McQueen — Cars

Lightning McQueen was fast. Truly fast. Pure speed on the racetrack.

He just needed to grow up a bit.

Thanks to a detour through Radiator Springs, and some guidance from former Piston Cup legend Doc Hudson, McQueen found the maturity he needed to excel on the track. Thanks to that detour, McQueen went on to win a stunning seven Piston Cup titles.

By means of comparison three drivers — Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Richard Petty — are at the top of NASCAR history with seven titles each. That is rather impressive company for Lightning McQueen.

Doc Hudson — Cars

While a serious crash cut Doc Hudson’s own racing career short, he still walked away from the Piston Cup racing series having won three titles. He would also go on to enjoy a tremendous second career as a local judge, before returning to the Piston Cup as a mentor for rising star Lightning McQueen.

Joe “The Hummer” Tanto — Driven

Joe “The Hummer” Tanto is one of the few drivers who can claim an Indianapolis 500 title on their resume, and a former CART Series Champion.

He can also illustrate his mastery of a given track through tricks like this one:

Steve Nebraska — The Scout

He threw a perfect game in Game 1 of the World Series, but more impressively, he struck out all 27 batters he faced on the minimum of 81 pitches. I don’t see how anything can top that.

Gordon Bombay — The Mighty Ducks

When you first watch The Mighty Ducks you understand the basic backstory of Gordon Bombay. He was an youth hockey phenom who was destined for the NHL before a knee injury derailed his career and he became a lawyer.

We get one small glimpse of just how good Bombay was, and it’s when Hans casually says to him “You scored 198 goals that season.” We brush it off because it sounds good — but 198 goals in a single season, at any level, would make him the greatest hockey player in the history of the sport.

Just watch this breakdown.

What a god.

Deke Van – Western Illinois in College Hoops 2K8

I spent more than a year of my life simulating a college basketball video game from 15 years ago and blogging every move. You can read the whole thing here. The Washington Post even wrote a feature on it. The highlight of my journey with Western Illinois was our first championship, when our starting center Deke Van willed us to victory. As I streamed the title game on Twitch, Deke Van had the entire world talking.

We love you, Deke. I always assumed you went on to glory with the Seattle SuperSonics.