Athletes – The Biggest Kids You Know

Strahan, host of Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards gets slimed

Athletes, no matter where they rank on the elite scale of NBA MVPs, Super Bowl Champs, Olympic Gold Medalists, X Games record-breakers and more, are a lot more like us than we think – at least off the field.

The Blonde Side was able to have a front row spot at the inaugural Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion last week, hosted by the ridiculously likeable Michael Strahan.

The first-ever awards show honored kids’ favorite athletes, the biggest teams and sports moments, incredibly slimy sports celebrations with a number of athletes in attendance including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, David Beckham, Drew Brees, Victor Cruz, Marshawn Lynch and many more.

Following on the stiletto heels of the previous nights ESPYS awards, also in Los Angeles, Nickelodeon pulled out all the stops, not only showing the athletes a great night of fun, but their little ones too. And who says kids don’t have power? It was the kids, Nickelodeon’s fiercest fans, who picked their favorite athletes from an array of 14 kid-focused categories including Favorite Male and Female Athlete, “Sickest Moves,” “King and Queen of Swag,” “Favorite Newcomer,” and “Don’t Try This at Home Award,” among others.

We stopped a handful of these playful athletes on the Orange Carpet – take a look at what they had to say about some of their favorite past-times – like their favorite cartoons and TV shows growing up and a pretty dicey question – if they could slime any athlete/team or coach, who’d they go after. Since Nickelodeon and “getting slimed” are synonymous, it just made sense.

Brandon Flowers, San Diego Chargers
Favorite show growing up: “I was a Power Rangers guy. I liked the Red Power Ranger. Lets see, what else did I like? The Rugrats. Yeah! Tommy Pickles was my boy!”
Who he’d slime: “I would slime Peyton Manning. He just gives us so many headaches and so many fits on the field I just want to get him back.”

Jennie Finch, Olympian, softball
Favorite show growing up: “Oh my gosh, I loved Alf. And Roseanne.”
With three kids of her own (18 month old, 3 year old and an 8 year old), cartoons are still very much a part of her life. Her favorite one right now? “Turtle Man – yeah it’s live action which is good – not cartoons and it’s not obnoxious but it’s good and Nickelodeon of course, I have three little ones.”
Who she’d slime: “Oh my gosh – we had a big UCLA/Arizona rivalry so UCLA would be fun – yeah probably shouldn’t say that too loud – we’re at UCLA.”

Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks
Favorite show growing up: “I’d probably say all The Munsters and the original Rugrats.”
Who he’d slime: “Let’s see – who was always on me? Probably my old coach – Scott Skiles. I’d slime Coach Skiles – I think that’d cool him off a little bit.”

Marvin Jones, Cincinnati Bengals
Favorite show growing up: “I was a Boomerang guy (classic cartoon network) so I like all the classic cartoons – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, all the Looney Tunes and stuff like that. Oh, even Scooby-Doo!”
Who he’d slime: “MJ – the great Michael Jordan. But I guess if I could slime any team…Pittsburgh Steelers or the Cleveland Browns.”

Earl Thomas, Super Bowl Champion, Seattle Seahawks
Favorite show growing up: “I liked Disney – everything that had to do with Disney. You know since my daughter has been born I’ve been on a lot of cartoons. My favorite is…what’s it called? (starts singing) Let it go, let it go…you know that song? Frozen, right? She’s one and she watches it everyday – we sing it together.”
Who he’d slime: (laughing) “I would slime Russell Wilson because…uh, nobody has anything bad to say about him so he needs to get slimed – he needs some drama in his life.”

Tom Schaar, X-Games Big Air Gold Medalist (youngest to ever win: 14 yrs old!)
Since you’re still kind of young, let’s go a different route – who’s the oldest athlete you can think of? “Here? Ummmm – Phil Mickelson?”
Do you still watch cartoons? “No. But yeah I have seen Frozen – I was forced by my mom, it wasn’t that bad.”
Who he’d slime: “Probably Kobe, just to say I’ve slimed Kobe. “

Nastia Liukin, Olympian, gymnastics
Favorite show growing up: “Rugrats. Yeah I loved Rugrats. Angelica was the little diva of the group.”
Do you consider yourself a diva Nastia? “Secretly nobody can really know that but yes I have a little diva in me.”
Who she’d slime: “That’s a tough one. I’m here today with Subway and Apolo Ohno, so I’d probably slime him because he was late and I was on time so yeah I’d definitely slime him!”

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Favorite show growing up: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles probably.”
Who he’d slime: I’d slime Chris Carter.
Fitzgerald walked the Orange Carpet with his son Devin (5 yrs old) so we asked Devin his favorite cartoon: “Curious George”

Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder
Favorite show growing up: “Tom & Jerry.”
Who he’d slime: “Blake Griffin for fun.”

Antonio Cromartie, Arizona Cardinals
Favorite show growing up: “Hmmm…Rugrats, Doug, and Real Monsters. Wait what’s that called? Aaahh!!! Real Monsters – that’s a good show. Oh, and Ren and Stimpy!”
Who he’d slime: “I would slime Richard Sherman for fun, definitely for fun!”

Jasmine Fenlator, Olympian, bobsled
Favorite show growing up: “I went through stages with cartoons, but do you remember Fraggal Rock? It wasn’t necessarily a cartoon but it kind of was. Oh I loved it! Fraggle Rock was my joint. And when it comes to Nickelodeon I loved Doug for some reason that whistle…” (imitates show tune whistle)
Who she’d slime: “I think I would slime Ochocinco because it’s not that I don’t like you – you’re a really great athlete and I highly respect you but you talk so much junk on some of us sprinters and bobsledders – until you walk on those spikes buddy I’ma slime you!” (laughs)

Matt Barnes, Los Angeles Clippers
Favorite show growing up: “That’s a tough one – Alvin & the Chipmunks or Duck Tales.”
Who he’d slime: “I’d slime Mike Brown – yes for fun, always love and fun.”

Chandler Parsons, Dallas Mavericks
Favorite show growing up: “Hey, Arnold! for sure. That was definitely my jam.”
Who he’d slime: “I would go DeMarcus Cousins. He’s testy on the court – got a little attitude.”
You know he’s just right over there (as I point down the Orange Carpet) – if you could slime him here, would you?
Parsons: “One hundred percent. I’d do it and then run really really fast.”
Think you could outrun him?
Parsons: “For sure.”

Tyson Chandler, Dallas Mavericks
Favorite show growing up: “Saved By the Bell.”
Who he’d slime: “No one.”

Nate Robinson, Denver Nuggets
Favorite show growing up: “So many! I was a big time Hey, Arnold! fan.Hey, Arnold!was my thing. Um – Rocko’s Modern Life, who else, Real Monsters, I could keep going on.”
Who he’d slime: “For fun – whoa – any athlete for fun? I’m definitely sliming Dieon Sanders – just for fun, he’s been my favorite athlete forever, and Michael Jordan.”
Nate’s nine-year old son Nahmier also walked alongside him on the Orange Carpet so we asked him who the oldest athlete he could think of was.
Nate’s encouragement: Think, think about it…”
Nahmier: “Who’s that guy – #21 from the Spurs? Tim Duncan!”
Nate: “See I didn’t even have to tell you – you know what’s up!”

This article originally ran in the sports section of CBS Man Cave Daily. Click here to see the original piece and more photos.