In the middle of the 2014 NFL Super Bowl week, Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson is making his way around the Internet for appearing on a Texas Rangers baseball card.
NFL on Fox tweeted a picture of the Bowman brand baseball card on January 27.
Bowman brand is part of Topps, a popular baseball card company. Topps‘ marketing manager Marc Stephens spoke as to why the company decided to run with the card which is set to release in May, per Anthony Andro of Fox Sports Southwest in his January article.
There are two reasons we decided to put him in. First he switched teams. Plus, for the same reason the Rangers picked him up, he’s an exciting story, a big story. As soon as he switched teams we wanted a prospect card of him. It seemed like a good idea considering the success he’s had. We wanted to showcase a dual-sport athlete.
Could Wilson be a big story after the Super Bowl? Rangers’ general manager Jon Daniels is rooting for the Seahawks to win in hopes the, “Super Bowl MVP walks in [to spring training] two weeks later and puts on a Rangers’ uniform.” Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas reported the quote via Twitter.
Wilson, who is 25 years of age, could see baseball as a new challenge after he conquers the NFL—winning the Super Bowl MVP would constitute as exactly that. Of course, there is no guarantee he makes the team and pans out, see Michael Jordan’s transition, but Wilson actually has some minor league experience. And looking even deeper into sport-to-sport transitions, Deion Sanders was a recent athlete who was successful in both football and baseball.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 MLB draft, but elected to go to Florida State University. In 1988, Sanders was again drafted, this time in the 30th round by the New York Yankees. He actually made his MLB debut for the Yankees on May 31, 1989.
Sanders even thinks Wilson should seriously consider baseball as he tweeted this back in December of 2013.
Wilson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies. He hit for a .230 and .228 batting average in two minor league seasons, respectively, before deciding to return to college with one year left of eligibility to play football for the University of Wisconsin.
Hey, maybe Daniels is onto something with Wilson and his athleticism. He’s currently listed to the Round Rock Express roster, the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. Nonetheless, there really is the slimmest of chances Wilson makes his way to Arlington for a full season if he really does gear up and play.
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