# Vegetarian/vegan athletes **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 6, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996 "2016-12-06T05:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/1 "2016-12-06T05:27:28Z")
I was reading on another forum about why more athletes don’t stop eating meat to improve their performance. It quickly declined into woo territory, but it did bring up a legitimate question. Do any noteable athletes refuse to eat meat or animal products? And if they do, how has it affected their perfomance? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/2 "2016-12-06T06:13:41Z")
Found this list: [http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/10-male-athletes-you-didnt-know-were-vegan.html/?a=viewall](http://www.cheatsheet.com/health-fitness/10-male-athletes-you-didnt-know-were-vegan.html/?a=viewall) Of them, the only ones I’ve heard of are Carl Lewis and Mike Tyson (and Tyson apparently went vegan after retiring). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/3 "2016-12-06T12:43:22Z")
The best known vegetarian athlete may be Tony Gonzalez, who will probably make the pro football Hall of Fame in a few years. One of the best tight ends ever. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/4 "2016-12-06T12:54:54Z")
Here are some more athletes who are vegetarians. Bill Walton is probably the best-known. The most surprising one to me is professional wrestler Walter “Killer” Kowalski. > **[Top 15 Athletes You Didn't Know Were Vegetarian](https://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-15-athletes-you-didnt-know-were-vegetarian/)** > > The world of sports is often seen with an intensely restricted view when considering athletes who follow vegetarian or vegan diets. However, there is an ever-growing trail of successful athletes who a ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/5 "2016-12-06T13:14:12Z")
Not mentioned in either list is British distance runner Mo Farah, who with several Olympic and World Championship gold medals must be managing OK. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/6 "2016-12-08T20:01:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The most surprising one to me is professional wrestler Walter “Killer” Kowalski. Also professional wrestler Bryan “Daniel Bryan” Danielson. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/7 "2016-12-08T20:13:03Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > I was reading on another forum about why more athletes don’t stop eating meat to improve their performance. It quickly declined into woo territory, but it did bring up a legitimate question. Heh. Either you post to hfboards, or the proponent of said woo did a drive-by of a number of forums at once. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/8 "2016-12-09T13:24:17Z")
40 years ago there was a baseball player named Rodney Scott who went vegetarian during his career. Fast runner but his hitting declined. Which may not have been related to his diet, it happens a lot and second basemen like Scott was seem to be prone to injuries like runners crashing into them when they are attempting to turn a double play. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/9 "2016-12-09T14:03:43Z")
There are a number of vegans/vegetarians in ultra running. You see Vegan Power shirts at almost every race. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/10 "2016-12-09T14:59:29Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Also professional wrestler Bryan “Daniel Bryan” Danielson. He currently is I believe, but when touring 300 days a year, he gave it up because it was too hard to get regular vegan meals. ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/11 "2016-12-09T20:52:50Z")
Former Montreal Canadiens tough guy [Georges Laraque](http://www.greatveganathletes.com/georges-laraque-vegan-ice-hockey-player) went vegan after watching a movie about cruelty to animals. Many other vegan athletes are featured on the site. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/12 "2016-12-09T22:20:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Here are some more athletes who are vegetarians. Bill Walton is probably the best-known. The most surprising one to me is professional wrestler Walter “Killer” Kowalski. > > [http://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-15-athletes-you-didnt-know-were-vegetarian/](http://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/top-15-athletes-you-didnt-know-were-vegetarian/) > [@GoodOmens](#): > > Also professional wrestler Bryan “Daniel Bryan” Danielson. > [@Chimera](#): > > He currently is I believe, but when touring 300 days a year, he gave it up because it was too hard to get regular vegan meals. I came in to mention those two. Kowalski didn’t have to travel as much or work as hard as Bryan so I can see he’d have to go with what he could get on the road. Kowalski may have had to do the same thing from time to time also. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/13 "2016-12-10T03:07:59Z")
Oddball former American football player Ricky Williams. I’d say his love of things “green” did affect his career, but maybe not in the way the OP is asking. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/14 "2016-12-10T03:21:40Z")
What surprised me recently was that Olympic weightlifter Kendrick Farris is vegan. It doesn’t [seem to cause him any problems](http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/vegan-diet-american-olympic-weightlifter-kendrick-farris). He isn’t even all that concerned about his protein intake. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/15 "2016-12-12T14:49:20Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > Heh. Either you post to hfboards, or the proponent of said woo did a drive-by of a number of forums at once. Don’t post, but definately do lurk. ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/16 "2016-12-13T16:20:02Z")
Professional wrestler [Austin Aries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Aries) has been vegan since 2011 apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Chet\_Manley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47c2d/32.png) [@Chet\_Manley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chet_Manley)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/17 "2016-12-13T20:05:49Z")
Wilson Chandler of the Denver Nuggets has been vegan for about six months ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/18 "2016-12-15T03:29:01Z")
[QUOTE=kenobi 65;19832291… Mike Tyson (and Tyson apparently went vegan after retiring).[/QUOTE] I dispute that Tyson is a vegetarian. Or don’t ears count as meat? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/19 "2016-12-15T04:05:35Z")
This topic came up in a thread earlier this year. Back then, I wrote: I seem to recall that former NHL center Bob Bassen was a vegetarian when he played for the Blues. I thought I remembered one of the St. Louis sports writers ribbing him about it. I tried to confirm that but couldn’t find a cite. I loved Bob Bassen. He was one of my favorite players when I used to be a big hockey fan. ---
**Author:** ![justmeetee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-vegan-athletes/773996/20 "2016-12-23T07:17:42Z")
I tried to find something to support this but was not successful so I’ll pose it as a question. I have a memory of reading that Bill Walton, after he retired from basketball, learned that a lack of protein in his diet had been a contributing factor to his orthopedic problem. And he even did some advertising for the beef industry. Anyone else remember this? Or did I see this in National Lampoon or the Onion?