The Entertaining Reasons Why Married Athletes Put A Ring On It
LatestPrince William has taken flack for eschewing a wedding ring, but there’s a group of dudes who could probably get out of wearing theirs by reason of occupational hazard: pro athletes. Nonetheless, some choose to put a ring on it. And their reasons are pretty amusing.
ESPN has an exhaustive list of athletes who wear their rings on the field of play. Most of them are football players, since baseball and hockey stars have a harder time playing while ring-clad. Hockey players face special penalties for fighting with anything on their hands, including rings, but Radek Martinek says, “I fight with my right hand so I won’t get fined or suspended if someone were to get cut.”
Most ringed-up players say they wear the bling out of respect for their wives, but a few have more entertaining rationales. Says Houston Texans kicker Neil Rackers, “quite frankly, I’m a strapping young lad, so I have to ward off the chicks any way I can.” And for Rian Lindell, kicker for the Buffalo Bills, the ring is a superstition thing: “I wore it one game and maybe I forgot to take it off and had a good game, so I keep wearing it.” He’s also stayed married to his wife for as long as he’s been wearing it, so maybe it’s good luck in that department too. Sadly, though, wearing a ring doesn’t guarantee that you’re a stand-up guy. One of the most prominent ring-wearing players in the NFL is none other than Ben Roethlisberger.