Rob Gronkowski drinks when the New England Patriots lose the Super Bowl. Rob Gronkowski drinks when the Patriots win the Super Bowl. Moral of this story? Gronk drinks. A lot. In fact, after the New England Patriot partied with family and friends to commence the start of the offseason, dad Gronk had to help him out of the party. Dripping in his own sweat, still dressed in his ripped dress pants.
That's right. Gronk brings his dad to the club sometimes.
Gronk isn't the only person in sports who likes to drink, however, he is the poster boy party of drinking for the modern sports era. He's quickly becoming America's Sweetheart due to his love of fun and for all of the adorable stuff he's always doing like wearing a minions hat or even owing a minions hat.
Gronk isn't the first.
Here are the top 15 drinkers in sports, past and present.
15 15. Metta World Peace
After winning the 2010 NBA title, Metta World Peace got right to the point. He was so excited to party he told reporters in his press conference, "I can't wait to go to the club after this." Ron wore his Los Angeles Lakers jersey around the LA scene and is rumored to have taken a vodka shower at one point.
When World Peace played for the Chicago Bulls, he would drink at halftime. His drink of choice? Hennessy. He says, "I [kept it] in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store and get it."
The NBA's response to this? Spokesperson Tim Frank said: "We have no comment and we hope Ron has a successful season."
14 14. Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin has a ton of really epic party pictures.
Ovechkin has even partied with Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, helping him drink out of the World Juniors Tournament.
OV got a little wasted during an autograph signing at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto.
On the topic of partying and drinking, he says:
"I don’t want to be 30 years old, look back and say: ‘I wake up at nine, I go to the gym, then I skate, then I take a rest, then I watch hockey and go to bed at nine.’ I’m not that type of person. I’m an open person. If I’m going out, hey, I’m going out. If somebody doesn’t like it, it is what it is. That’s the situation you understand when you’re young.
My culture isn’t going to change. I’m Russian. It’s never going to change. Some people like it, some people don’t."
13 13. John Daly
John Daly is a self-proclaimed binge drinker. Daly did everything big in his day. Booze, food, tobacco, all of it. Even Diet Coke. He says, "I used to have 26-28 cans a day." However, he's sober now. And, healthier.
He no longer drinks. Daly says his biggest regret about finally quitting the sauce in 2010 is that he played better while he was drunk. He still doesn't go to the gym. Saying, "I can't see me being allowed to smoke a cigarette on a treadmill. I don't think they will let me into the gym if I do that. Will they?"
He still smokes 40 a day.
12 12. Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera has several very serious marks on his record due to drinking.
Once, in Florida, Cabrera was arrested on drunk driving charges. A St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says the 27-year-old player’s car engine was smoking alongside a road late when a deputy spotted the vehicle. According to the arrest report, Cabrera smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and took a swig from a bottle of scotch in front of a deputy.
He had to apologize to his teammates for being drunk while the Detroit Tigers were trying to clinch the AL Central title. He once registered a 0.26 blood alcohol content between two Tigers games.
11 11. Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is one of the most interesting players to ever lace up. He's a known drinker and gambler.
His Philly block party is ESPN's Page 2 publication legend. The outlet detailed Iverson's antics. They include:
"4:55 a.m. Guests seen leaving Iverson's house with gift bags; contents include an R. Kelly video and T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Practice Makes Perfect ... Sense To Everyone Except Allen Iverson."
5:14 a.m. Iverson seen in heated debate with woman outside his front door regarding the United States' involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
10 10. Mickey Mantle
Micky Mantle life was so storied it was selected to become a Broadway show.
He was a big drinker, once saying, "If I'd known I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken a lot better care of myself."
At the Betty Ford clinic, a doctor informed him that 40 years of drinking made his liver "look like a doorstop," while letting him know that his next drink could kill him.
Although he had livelong problems with booze, Natty Light still chose Mantle as their pitchman.
9 9. Babe Ruth
Off the field, Babe Ruth was famous for his charity, and also his flamboyant party lifestyle. This an actual quote from him:
“Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, ‘It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.’”
The Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ was one of Ruth's spots. The club’s booking agent, Michael Ambrose, told Bar Time, “We do have evidence that it [The Stanhope House] was a speakeasy. We found booze buried in the dirt floor in the basement." It was prohibition so that could have been anyone. But...
Ruth is linked to the spot by a single Prohibition era photo that depicts Ruth standing in the Stanhope House basement, holding a baseball bat in one hand, leaning on it as if it were a cane. In his other hand, the Bambino holds a bottle of beer.
8 8. Joe Namath
Joe Namath was a legendary party animal back in his days with the New York Jets. The man wore a fur coat on the sidelines.
In the early 2000s, after a day of non-stop drinking, the cultural icon humiliated himself live on television during an inebriated sideline interview with ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber. He told her that he wanted to kiss her. Twice.
Kolber responded, "Thanks, Joe. I'll take ...that as a huge compliment." Namath later apologized and blamed the incident on his obvious intoxication.
7 7. Wade Boggs
Baseball urban legend says that Hall of Famer Wade Boggs once drank 64 Miller Lites on a cross-country flight from Boston to Los Angeles.
He denied it.
Actor Charlie Day says that when filming an episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" he got the truth out of Boggs. Day claims that Boggs pulled him aside and said he actually drank 107 beers in one day— including before the flight and after.
6 6. Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino has done a lot of great things. He's hung out with presidents and chimps. And, he drank.
He used to practice with a beer in his golf cart.
At the 1968 PGA in San Antonio, where golf seemed to be secondary to partying for Trevino, a questioner, asked him why he hadn't brought his wife Claudia along. The answer? "You don't bring a ham sandwich to a banquet."
Classy.
5 5. David Wells
David Wells was never a great pitcher. But when Wells pitched a perfect game he was so hungover from the night before that he was still half-drunk.
When asked about his booze consumption, Wells responded "What about it?" Wells replied. "It's good. It does a body good. If beer [is the cause], then go to whiskey. If it's whiskey, go to vodka. If I have to drink water, I don't care. I don't want to hurt."
Makes total sense?
4 4. Kyle Orton
It's not typical to see a starting quarterback passed out in in bed with friends taking his pictures, drinking in cheap hotel rooms and carrying bottles of Jack around with him.
Orton never played drunk but he sure looked like it sometimes. After years of sporadic playing, Orton finished his season with the Buffalo Bills with 3,018 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and an 87.8 quarterback rating.
On December 29th, 2014, Orton announced his retirement from the NFL.
3 3. Max McGee
Super Bowl I, which was the first ever matchup between the NFL and AFL champions, would determine once and for all who was the real world champion was.
In preparation for the big game, Green Bay Packers backup receiver Max McGee was out all night bar-hopping and getting hammered. Before the big game, the guy was so hungover that coach Lombardi decided to teach him a lesson by making him play when the starting receiver went down with an injury. Then he showed up the coach by catching 7 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
2 2. Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane had one super embarrassing failure of a weekend at a frat party once. He's a little more controlled now. But, he still brings the party, and he's not ashamed of it one bit.
During the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Championship parade, Kane was apparently hammered. Sweaty and drinking out of champagne bottles.
His drunk persona is so awesome that it has its own twitter account.
1 1. Rob Gronkowski
Gronk is the current drinking champion of sports.
After the Super Bowl, Gronk and the Patriots tucked their quarterback into bed and threw a rager with family, friends and Pitbull (just kidding, Tom Brady was in attendance. He stayed up way past 8:30pm).
The tight end went wild at Los Angeles nightclub DBA Monday night after filming “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Page Six reports espresso martinis might have influenced the evenings events which included dancing on tables. Gronk ordered four of the martinis during the night. Each contains a full shot of espresso.
After a quick nap on the floor of the Dallas airport, Gronk continued on in Boston. During the Patriots parade, Gronk cracked open a cold one he caught from a fan and let the beer run down his face as he basked in his glory.