• 96 questions
  • Checked October 2026

Funny Questions to Ask an Athlete

Twelve funny questions for an athlete in any sport, each with a line for the answer, ready to print.

Funny Questions to Ask an Athlete

AthleteAsked byDate

  1. Write the athlete's name, the sport and the date at the top.
  2. Ask each question aloud and write the answer down as it is said.
  3. Skip any question. An athlete may pass on any line.
  4. On a school visit, give each student one question to ask.
Show all 24
  1. What happened the last time you tried a sport you are bad at?
  2. What is the worst thing you have left in a gym bag over a weekend?
  3. If your team had a mascot chosen by how you really play, what would it be?
  4. What does your coach say so often that the whole team can recite it?
  5. Have you ever scored for the wrong side?
  6. What chore do you get out of by saying you have practice?
  7. What is taped to the inside of your locker door?
  8. Who gives the worst pep talks on your team, and what do they say?
  9. Which rule of your sport would you change just to make it funnier?
  10. Which piece of your gear smells the worst?
  11. What went wrong in the last team photo?
  12. Which snack disappears first on a team trip?

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All 96 questions

Funny ones 24

  • Have you ever scored for the wrong side? In a youth game. My grandmother still cheered.
  • Have you ever tripped over nothing in front of a crowd? During the walk out, before anything had started.
  • If your team had a mascot chosen by how you really play, what would it be? A very determined goose.
  • What chore do you get out of by saying you have practice? The dishes. It has worked for years.
  • What do you do on the bench that the cameras should never catch? Count the lights in the ceiling.
  • What do you say to yourself in a game that would sound odd out loud? "Elbows, elbows, elbows."
  • What does your coach say so often that the whole team can recite it? "Feet first, then everything else."
  • What happened the last time you tried a sport you are bad at? Bowling. I lost to a nine-year-old with bumpers.
  • What is taped to the inside of your locker door? A drawing from my niece and an old ticket stub.
  • What is the silliest prize or trophy you have won? A ham. I came second in a holiday race.
  • What is the strangest thing a fan has shouted at you? "Nice shoes!" in the middle of a play.
  • What is the worst haircut a teammate has shown up with? A homemade one, the night before picture day.
  • What is the worst thing you have left in a gym bag over a weekend? A banana. It became a science project.
  • What is your most ridiculous superstition before a game? Left sock first, or the whole day is off.
  • What song is not allowed in the locker room anymore? The one a teammate played forty times in one week.
  • What went wrong in the last team photo? Half of us blinked, and they printed that one.
  • What would your victory dance be if nobody could stop you? Something with too much elbow.
  • Which drill would you delete from every practice forever? The one where we run until the coach gets bored.
  • Which piece of your gear smells the worst? The gloves. They live in the garage.
  • Which rule of your sport would you change just to make it funnier? Everyone switches shoes at halftime.
  • Which snack disappears first on a team trip? The orange slices, then anything in a crinkly bag.
  • Which teammate takes the longest to get ready? Our captain. Forty minutes for one headband.
  • Who gives the worst pep talks on your team, and what do they say? Our goalkeeper. "Try not to be bad."
  • Who on the team is the worst loser at card games on the bus? Me. I admit it.

Training and rest 12

  • How do you know when to stop practicing for the day? When the last three tries are worse than the first three.
  • How do you practice the part of your sport you like least? First, before I can talk myself out of it.
  • How is a week of practice laid out, day by day? Five days on, one day easy, one day off.
  • What do you do the night before an early practice? Pack the bag, set two alarms, lights out.
  • What do you eat before practice, and what did you learn not to? Toast and a banana. Never chili.
  • What do you practice now that you ignored as a beginner? Standing still. Balance comes before speed.
  • What do you work on when nobody is watching? My weaker side. Left hand, left foot.
  • What does a rest day look like for you? A long walk and a longer nap.
  • What does your coach notice that you cannot feel yourself? That my shoulders creep up when I am tired.
  • What small habit made the biggest difference to how you play? Writing down one thing after every session.
  • Which exercise do you dread and do anyway? Hill sprints, every Thursday.
  • Who pushes you hardest in practice? A teammate two years younger and a lot faster.

Game day 12

  • How do you and your teammates talk without words during play? A nod, a pointed elbow, and years of practice.
  • How do you calm your nerves before you compete? I count my breaths while I tie my shoes.
  • How do you pack for game day, and what never leaves the bag? Two of everything, and a spare pair of laces.
  • What do you do in the hour before a game starts? Same playlist, same stretch, same seat on the bench.
  • What do you hear from the crowd, and what do you tune out? My sister's whistle. Everything else is weather.
  • What does the team say in the huddle? One word, chosen by whoever played least last week.
  • What goes through your head in the last minute of a close game? Only the next play. Nothing bigger fits.
  • What is different about playing away from home? The floor sounds different. I notice it every time.
  • What is the best game you ever lost? A final that went to overtime. We played our best.
  • What is the first thing you do after the final whistle? Shake hands, then find water.
  • Which moment in a game do you replay in your head afterward? The pass I did not make.
  • Who do you look for in the stands? My dad, always in the same ugly hat.

Setbacks and comebacks 12

  • Have you ever been left off a team, and what did you do next? At fourteen. I practiced against the garage door all summer.
  • How did you earn your place back after losing it? By being the first one at practice for a month.
  • How do you treat the day after a bad game? Watch it once, write two notes, then leave it alone.
  • What did you have to give up to keep playing? Saturday mornings, for about ten years.
  • What do you tell yourself during a slump? That the work still counts, even when the score does not show it.
  • What does a good teammate do when you are having a bad day? Passes me the ball again, right away.
  • What is the hardest thing about sitting on the bench? Being ready with nothing to do.
  • What would you say to a young player who just lost a big game? It will sting for a while. Then it will be useful.
  • When did you last surprise yourself in your sport? I finished a race I had planned to drop out of.
  • Which loss taught you the most? One where we led all day and stopped paying attention.
  • Which mistake in a game do you still think about, and what changed because of it? A dropped baton. I have practiced handoffs every week since.
  • Who helped you most when you wanted to quit your sport? A coach who said, "Fine. Come tomorrow anyway."

For a college or high school athlete 12

  • How did you choose which sport to stay with? I kept the one where I liked practice, not only winning.
  • How do you fit homework around practice and travel? On the bus, with a flashlight and a clipboard.
  • How do you stay friends with a teammate you compete against for a spot? We agreed to tell each other the truth and share the snacks.
  • What did moving up a level change about the game? Everyone is fast. The difference is who decides sooner.
  • What do you do in the off-season? A different sport, badly, for fun.
  • What do you want to study or do when your playing days are over? Teach, and coach the youngest team they will give me.
  • What do your teachers or professors do when you miss class for a game? Send the notes ahead, and expect them back done.
  • What does your alarm clock say on a morning with practice before class? Five fifteen. I do not look at it kindly.
  • What does your team do together that has nothing to do with the sport? Pancakes after every home game.
  • What is the hardest part of being a student and an athlete at once? Being tired at the two times I most need to think.
  • Which class has helped your sport the most? Physics. I finally understand spin.
  • Who drives you to early practice, and what do you owe them? My mom. A lifetime of washed cars.

For a professional athlete 12

  • How do you handle being watched while you work? I pretend it is practice. It mostly works.
  • How do you keep enjoying something you do for a living? Once a month I play with kids who do not keep score.
  • How do you think about the day you stop competing? With a list. Coaching is at the top.
  • How long does a season feel from the inside? Like one very long week.
  • What did your first professional game teach you? That everyone here was the best player on their old team.
  • What do you do to be useful to younger teammates? Tell them where the good coffee is, and what I got wrong.
  • What do you miss about playing as an amateur? Orange slices at halftime and a ride home with my dad.
  • What does a day off look like during the season? Laundry, a long breakfast and no shoes.
  • What is travel like when every trip is for work? Airports, hotel carpets and the same three meals.
  • What part of your job would surprise someone who only watches the games? The meetings. There is so much video.
  • When did the sport stop being a hobby and become your job? The day I had a schedule someone else wrote.
  • Who works around the team that fans never see? A trainer, an equipment manager and a cook who knows my order.

For a school visit 12

  • Can you show us one move we can try at recess? Yes. It starts with your feet, not your hands.
  • Did you have to do your homework before practice? Every night. House rule.
  • Do you still get nervous before a game? Every time. It means I care.
  • How many hours do you practice in a week? About fifteen, plus the time I spend thinking about it.
  • How old were you when you started your sport? Six. The shirt came down to my knees.
  • Were you always good at your sport? No. I was the slowest on my first team.
  • What do you eat for breakfast on a game day? Oatmeal with too much honey.
  • What does it feel like to lose, and what do you do about it? Quiet. I am grumpy for an hour, then I practice.
  • What does it feel like to win? Loud, and then very hungry.
  • What other sports or games do you like? Table tennis. I am terrible, and I love it.
  • What should we do if we want to get better at a sport? A little every day, and tell someone your goal.
  • Who taught you to play? My aunt, in a driveway with a crack down the middle.

How it works

These funny questions to ask an athlete start in the locker room: the superstition, the gym bag, the song nobody may play. Six more groups cover training, game day, setbacks, student athletes, professionals and a school visit.

Read the full guide

Questions to ask a professional athlete, or a student

For a professional athlete asks when the sport became a job, who works around the team, and what a day off looks like in season. The questions to ask college athletes and the questions to ask a high school athlete share one group: homework around travel, practice before class, a teammate who wants the same spot.

Ask about a loss as well as a win

Setbacks and comebacks asks about losses, slumps and time on the bench, and nothing about injuries. The example answers are invented and print on a last page you can leave out.

Questions and answers

What are the best questions to ask athletes?

Ones about what the crowd cannot see: what goes through your head in the last minute of a close game, what you work on when nobody is watching, which loss taught you the most.

What are 10 questions to ask an athlete in a short interview?

Take two funny ones to open, three from Training and rest, three from Game day and two from Setbacks and comebacks, ending on what to say to a young player who just lost a big game.

What can kids ask an athlete on a school visit?

For a school visit holds twelve in a child's voice: how old were you when you started your sport, were you always good at it, can you show us one move to try at recess.

Do the questions fit an individual sport?

Most do. A few speak of a team, a huddle or a bench, so for a swimmer or a gymnast trade those lines for ones from Training and rest. No question names a team, a league or a player.

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