Playing sports or merely watching people play sports gives us excitement that lifts our souls. It’s a great escape from a stressful workday. Many people experience a feeling of connection to others while watching or participating in sporting games or activities.

The round red item in the center of this dancer’s arms was one of the first things we noticed when we glanced at the photo. We initially assumed this gymnast had been struck in the face by a ball, but upon closer inspection, we realized she was most likely performing a stunt with her chin.

This player is surely regretting how decision to stick his tongue out when he did. To be honest, it is a bit curious that he stuck his tongue out at all, but what can we say, we weren’t there.

Unlike the little boy who was saved thanks to the man sitting next to him, this poor man was not, and his face took the brunt of it. 

This man had some time to reflect on himself and the world around him, if even for a moment. He saw the man in the mirror, he faced himself.

Yelena Isinbayeva, a former Russian pole-vaulter, is a remarkable athlete. She’s a three-time World Champion, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and a world record holder in her field. She is an amazing woman who motivates and inspires people worldwide.

Just as this man thought he was going to dunk the basketball into obscurity, the ball slips, and he merely becomes the game of basketball himself.

Have you ever wondered why athletes, such as this hockey player here, take their water bottles and pour water over themselves? It’s not some kind of water ritual or anything. It’s to keep cool. Who wouldn’t feel overheated after playing or training so intensely?

This photo was taken moments before this very unfortunate fellow likely hit the ground and got mowed down by an angry bull. 

Synchronized swimmers have spectacular moves and poses which delight onlookers and make them cheer with glee. These swimmers look as amazed by their own skill as we are, but they’re probably just out of breath.

No one in their right mind would make that face, especially if they were aware of the hundreds of cameras ready to snap their unfortunate expression. He probably didn’t intend to make this bizarre expression at the zenith of his jump, but it happened nonetheless. That’s life.

If you capture the moment a swimmer comes up at just the right moment, you’re in a for a hilarious surprise. There is almost something inhuman about this picture.

Synchronized swimming is a combination of dance and gymnastics but in the water. Consider how difficult that is to deal with. Swimming is difficult enough if you have to do it for several hours, but it’s twice as hard when you have to pull off a complicated dance move on top of that.

At first glance, you might think this is wrestling. It turns out that it’s actually ice skating. We’ve seen pictures of thousands of professional ice skaters dancing on the ice gracefully. However, we haven’t seen as many pictures of them messing up, nor have we seen as many as funny as this one.

This man, be it the boy’s father, uncle, or some lone stranger in the stands, is likely the reason that boy has a functioning nose. Can you imagine how severe that would have been?

Breathing is obviously an essential activity. But in sports, it’s a highly refined skill. Athletes, like track runners, need air to sustain their high speed, but their way of breathing ensures that their body gets the most efficient level of oxygen possible. It may not be pretty, but this is what perfect efficiency looks like.

This photo pretty much completely speaks for itself, an unfortunate moment caught on camera that had to hurt. Poor guy.

Pole vaulting is an Olympic sport in which athletes vault over a high bar like spring-loaded javelins. The vaulter leans back over the bar and then throws the pole forward once they’re up in the air. The easy part is going up; the hard part is getting over the pole. 

Sepak Takraw, or as it’s sometimes otherwise known, kick volleyball, is a famous game in Southeast Asia. You’ll see kids playing it everywhere. Unlike volleyball, you can’t use your hands when passing the ball, and you need to defy gravity to win this game.

This moment isn’t really all that embarrassing or illuminating a silly moment on the athlete’s part. So why is it on the list?

Even figure skaters, who we see as graceful and majestic, struggle to perfect their masterpieces. That’s what being a human is all about. Errors and mishaps will always happen when you try to achieve great things. Sometimes, the kind of stunts that figure skaters try to pull off are too tricky, even for the best of the best.

This fellow certainly lost the race. But it does speak volumes how far ahead the other athletes are ahead of him within moments of his fall. 

This woman looks as though she’d just overheard something so surprising that her brain flipped over. Given the complex nature of the sport, she’s probably executing thousands of actions with her body at once, leaving no space to think about her facial expressions. 

This photo was captured at the best time, really. Who doesn’t love jazz hands? They are so funny and flirty. 

This rugby player looks like he was a wooden boy with a fibbing problem at the time this photo was taken. The rugby ball looks like it is coming out of his nose or that he is growing it like our favorite cartoon movie, Pinocchio.

Baseball is a crazy game. Baseball fans will tell you that it’s the greatest game in the world. We admire how its players are able to hit such a tiny ball, which often, you can’t even see as it’s flying towards you. You almost have to have a sixth sense to read where it’s about to land.

You’re looking at a picture of someone who’s just fallen in defeat. In reality, this fall was a calculated move in a game of incredible agility and skill. The more we look at this picture, the more we admire her posture and passion. Even in such a state, she still has her eyes on the ball.

You might not be able to see it here, but this man is a professional powerlifter. He’s forcing a dizzyingly heavy object above him with a great effort of will. But out of context, all that effort makes him look like he’s eagerly eying down the last slice of pizza.

This young girl and her father both had the right idea when they attempted to reach for the out ball headed there way. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it went as planned. 

We don’t mean any offense, but we were crying our eyes out in laughter the first time we saw this picture. It looks like he’s surrendering to a squad of police while trapped in a wind tunnel. Even his toes look like they want to give up. 

Many often undervalue the work needed to be a synchronized swimmer. The sport is a test of your agility, strength, resolve, and ability to work as part of a team. Pulling off moves in the water is incredibly difficult. Can you imagine how it feels to pull something off under all that pressure? 

Whether it was done intentionally or not, this looks brutal. Soccer is a physical game, and players have to expect a level of physicality while they play. While this may be true, there are certain rules which forbid certain actions. We’re not sure if this is covered, but it probably should be.

This picture was, like many other pictures on this list, taken out of context. The look on her face, half-submerged in water as it is, evokes a melted and haunted look. She’s crossing her arms as if assaulted by a tidal wave of watery ghosts—but in likelihood, she was just coming up for air.

Have you ever marveled at how smoothly divers leap off their diving boards? Countless attempts and mistakes underlie those flawless leaps. On this occasion, what could have been a great shot ended up giving us an insight into the kinds of strange faces divers can make attempting to perform their perfect drop.

This woman took a page out of Superman’s book and decided to become a flying machine. The form of her body is completely aerodynamic. It is not hard to envision her truly flying.

There are always things that we can’t control in this world, such as tennis balls heading straight for our chins. You might be having a bad day, but consider what’s about to happen to this tennis player. She was probably caught off guard by a renegade serving.

If you capture movement in slow motion, you’ll see a lot of things that you can’t see at the average speed. That’s what happened to this guy. When the video was played at normal speed, he cracked like a whip. He looked so cool throwing the ball, but then they found this frame.

Pair skating requires a ton of confidence in the other person. In addition to the fact that you have to be in a state of harmony with your skating partner, you likewise need to trust them to catch you every single time you’re tossed in the air. The lady in this photograph doesn’t appear to have that trust.

Cricket, a bat and ball game that originated in England to keep gentlemen occupied between their colonial conquests abroad, now attracts thousands of people to games worldwide. Many people love cricket for its ranking, culture, and shows of skill. 

We’ve seen this face before. It’s the face of a kid caught red-handed with their fingers in the cookie jar. She’s obviously in motion, but it appears as if she’s holding a grimace or awaiting a scalding. Don’t worry, you’re doing great!

Sure, motorcycle riders of freestyle motocross aim to wow the judges and the crowd with their incredible stunts but things can get terrible at times.  This rider clearly didn’t have an easy time when he took his dirt bike out for an exhibition.

Not the face! Oh man, this woman really got the short end of the stick. While going for the field hockey ball she managed to meet the wrong end of a the stick (is there a right one?)

Most athletes have one thing in common—they’re all competitive. If you’re not, then why bother competing in the first place? But sometimes, their game faces are quite hilarious to look at. But, don’t let a silly face fool you—they’ll be able to beat you without breaking a sweat.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: synchronized swimmers are one-of-a-kind athletes. Some of their moves seem abstract and unfathomable at first glance, but there is a narrative at work. It doesn’t make sense if you look at it piece by piece, but when you look at the entire picture, it forms something quite beautiful.

Powerlifting requires strength of muscle, power, and a lot of guts to lift a heavy weight. But some people will laugh because of the awkward facial expressions they pull. Sometimes, the weights they’re lifting are heavier than their actual weight!

Ice skating has had its share of unexpected moments, and here’s one of them. Can you see it? This couple is so skilled at skating that they’ve managed to warp space and time during one of their routines. One of them has completely disappeared! Well, almost. 

This professional table tennis player right here is giving it his all in order to hit the tiny ball in front of him. His face is full of determination. If you’ve watched a game before, you’d know that this is not the only weird face players pull while playing. You should hear the noises they make, too.

Why is there always someone out there who manages to take a photo of you when you least expect it? Like this photo. This woman was putting her all into the competition, but then when she looked up, she saw a camera waiting to capture her expression.

We’re trying our best to understand what happened in this photo but we’re as confused as you are. So this football player walked into the TV shot with awkward timing – or at the perfect time, depending upon your perspective. Having recently taken off his helmet, this Carolina Panthers player looks unquestionably disoriented.

Staged or real, wrestling is an art that takes years to master and requires an immense amount of physical strength and skill. Wrestlers need to be at the top of their game to win the competition. On the other hand, Referees, being responsible for keeping the game fair and playing by the rules, need sharp wits and catlike agility to follow the action. 

When you play sports, especially those that include a ball, you run the risk of being stuck anywhere on your body—especially your face. Soccer is an intense game in which you are constantly being checked, knocked over, kicked, and hit by a high-velocity object.

Basketball requires deft footwork, crazy aim, and a tight grip. It’s a sport bursting with action and energy. In the competition, your instincts get the better of you, and you turn into a dunking machine.

Watching a ball hammer through the net is an exciting moment for any crowd. Some players are so skilled that they turn what would otherwise be a routine movement into a flash of divine creation. Most basketball fans look forward to seeing a slam-dunk. But some players are so intent on delivering that they get a little too close to the action.

Cheerleaders play an essential role during games. They boost the players’ confidence and pride by encouraging the crowd, getting them to cheer on their team. To raise the stakes, they pull off some amazing stunts to entertain the fans too.

One thing that we always love to see while watching sporting events is the intensity of the crowd and the passion of the athletes. We always admire the level of sportsmanship, and the dedication of each team member as the crowd goes wild to praise them.

These two soccer players look like they’re auditioning to become cheerleaders. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that they are in the middle of the game. Plus, this kind of “football” doesn’t even use cheerleaders!  It seems like they were dancing mid-air, but in fact, they were just trying to take possession of the ball.

This photo has so many superb features. The looks on their faces are priceless, especially player number 12. It’s like this sort of thing just happens to him all the time. Everyone else looks a little more surprised, though, especially the guy below him. 

Contact in basketball cannot be avoided. There are times that the sport would require players to get up close and personal with their opponents.   It’s just part of the game. But this ridiculous photo was captured at such a bright moment that it makes it appear like one basketball player is tenderly kissing the other player’s cheek.

This skater looks like she’s orchestrating a brutal final move in the final moments of a wrestling match. You can practically hear her partner’s head crunch as it drops to the ice. Ouch! Accidents happen all the time. Even if you know what you’re doing, you’ll still make mistakes, just like this one.

Basketball, despite its complexity, is a lot of fun to play and watch. Although the game is physically demanding at times, it is a game that brings out the best in people. The sport promotes teamwork in its players and respect from its fans. Win or lose, any match is a thrill to see.

Needless to say, taking hold of your opponent while playing football is already challenging and exhausting. But did you know that things could only get worse when your helmet suddenly flies off?

It’s amazing to witness professional baseball players looking so confident when they step up to the plate. It must be scary to have a fastball flying at your head, don’t you think? There are times when their gut feelings kick in and players avoid the ball, which is what appears to be what’s going on to Chase Headley in this image.

Being focused in the middle of a game is one of the core strengths of any professional athlete. However, let’s not forget that keeping your concentration when you’re in the middle of a game is no easy feat. That is indeed true for this hockey player, who couldn’t give sufficient consideration to turn his water bottle the correct way.

It cannot be denied that Ben Zobrist is an extraordinary baseball player. But this photo will show you his other side that you wished you knew sooner.  While playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, the second baseman/outfielder looks completely ill-equipped to catch the baseball that is apparently flying right at his head.

Did you know that spectators are allowed to catch balls that are hit out of the limits of the field? Yet, it appears one of these fans got excessively thrilled for the chance of taking a ball home. While outfielder Scott Podsednik was attempting to catch the ball for himself, he was smacked in the face by an over-enthusiastic fan.

We appreciate the fact that this professional figure skater was clearly enjoying his music in his exhibition. While his dance moves were unquestionably deserving of a standing ovation, unfortunately, his look was not.

This photograph isn’t for laughs actually, yet you can’t resist the urge to giggle at the height distinction between these two basketball players. At 7 feet, 7 inches, Manute Bol was regarded as one of the tallest players to play in the NBA.

From the vibes of this photograph, it appears to be that the goalkeeper just halted the soccer ball from heading into the goal. Yet, the feeling of affection and profound respect in his eyes as he gazes at the ball is certainly deserving of a laugh.

Baseball is considered as one of the limited-contact sports which means rules are set to avoid intentional or unintentional contacts between athletes.  Nonetheless, it cannot be avoided as players do encounter a couple of unpleasant bumps with one another. In this photograph, baserunner Jonathan Villar crashes into the second baseman, Brandon Phillips.

We’re amazed that photographers have mastered the art of taking photos at the perfect moment. Take this image as an example. Clearly, this basketball player tumbled to the ground and lifted his head not realizing the collision that was about to happen.

Truth be told: there are countless things that need to initially take place before this hilarious photo can be captured. Obviously, these football players with these last names play for the same team. In an unexpected yet hilarious moment, they ended up sitting close to one another on the bench.

Soccer games couldn’t be more intense and this photo is clear proof that players can be a tad aggressive when trying to bring home the bacon. This soccer player was clearly attempting to hold his opponent back from getting the ball. In any case, his blocking strategy was too forceful.

We appreciate the fact that basketball players from different leagues manage to help each other especially when the going gets tough. After this player dunked the ball, his rival was clearly attempting to hold him back from descending from the hoop right on top of him.

Reality check: football players can confront a wide range of breakdowns with their gear. For this situation, the football player lost his face mask and his shoulder pads, likewise pulling his shirt up over his head.

Are there exceptions to the saying “You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you cannot pick your friend’s nose”? The image below makes it appear that the basketball player was picking the nose of his opponent who was trying to shoot the ball.

Bullfighting is a known sport in different parts of the world, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries. Unfortunately, this bull was clearly not in the mood to play the game. Instead of waiting for a matador, this bull decided to chase and hit the first person he saw.