Did you know John Elway was a loser? (Patreon)

No, seriously. That headline isn’t just some grabby BS to catch your attention. At one point in his career, John Elway was a known loser on the grandest stage. But that’s not even what brought me to do this video! While researching the Eli Manning Prism, I discovered that Elway kind of set the precedent for players forcing their way out of teams during the NFL draft. However, Elway had a unique case. While he was in college, the dude got drafted by the New York Yankees! Yes, the baseball team. At Stanford, John was a multisport athlete who excelled in both football and baseball. In the latter, famed moneybags Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was prepared to cash out to secure Elway’s talents. 

Elway's remarkable status as a prospect gave him unique leverage heading into the NFL draft. He was not only considered among the most highly rated football prospects ever, but he also had the very real option of suiting up in pinstripes for the Yanks. Enter the Baltimore Colts — a poorly-managed franchise, with a known hardass for a coach who didn’t win a single game the season before Elway entered the draft. They held the number one overall pick… and Elway didn’t want to play for them. Following a weird back-and-forth where Elway publicly denied those claims, he later officially released a statement saying he would rather play baseball if the Colts drafted him. Sooooo, the Colts drafted him anyway.  What followed that was an even messier situation where Elway publicly dragged the Colts, which eventually saw him land on the Denver Broncos, a team with the perfect mascot to match his chompers of teeth.

Anyway, in Denver, people expected greatness. Which Elway kind of delivered on, but just couldn’t get over the hump. Imagine going to three Super Bowls in four seasons and not winning a single one. Welp, that’s what happened to Mr. Elway as he turned in mediocre performances on the biggest stage and was viewed as a choker. Ok, I feel like I yapped enough and don’t wanna give the entire story away. So press that play button and enjoy, friends!

-Joe