The LeftBacks

An unfortunate name is bad for anyone.

It’s much worse if you are a professional sportsman though.
Think about it – people actually make a living from saying your name, printing it on a jersey and writing it on the boxes of action figures.

The horror.

Let’s take a quick look at 5 sportsmen with particularly unfortunate last names…

1.       Hore

The first guy on our list is Andrew Hore of the All Blacks and Highlanders. A fine player with extensive experience in top level rugby, this guy probably had to make peace with his name a long time ago.

Also, as if it was written in the stars, Andrew Hore went on to play hooker. What are the chances?

Lol-worthy headline: Hore plays central role in victory.

2.       Seaman

Making over 750 appearances for club and country, David Seaman is a legend of the game of soccer and is the next guy on our list.

It could be indicative of my level of maturity, but his last name is one I find particularly amusing.

How many times do you think David has heard the “what’s long, hard and full of seaman?” joke? We’d guess a lot.

Lol-worthy headline: Super Seaman lasts 20 years.

3.       Woodcock

Another great of the game, Tony Woodcock is a front row legend that has had to overcome not only the challenges of making it as a professional sportsman, but also a couple of sniggers from a coach or two when reading his name on the team sheet.

It goes without saying that a name like Woodcock would be hot property in certain industries. If I was Tony, I’d reserve woodcock.com and sell it to the highest bidder. Do it now!

Lol-worthy headline: Woodcock pumped after victory

4.       Kaka

Another great player (notice a trend here), Kaka has been playing football since he was 8.

Having played for a number of the world’s biggest clubs including Milan and Real Madrid, Kaka’s playing style has been described as the “capacity to glide almost effortlessly past opponents, provide defence-splitting passes and score consistently from distance”.

We will concede that this one is probably only funny to us South Africans.

Lol-worthy headline: Kaka’s always a handful

5.       Thrush

You don’t play for the All Blacks without being one of the very best, and it’s no different in the case of young Jeremy Thrush.

It’s a shame about his name though.

I kid you not, one time I was watching rugby with my father-in-law and the team subbed Thrush and brought on Reddish. We both laughed awkwardly.

Lol-worthy headline: Coach blames Thrush for loss.

Bonus

6. Kamarin Akmal

Or as we like to call him, Kak mal.

Any others we’ve left out? Post them in the comments or tweet @leftbacks on Twitter!