Perhaps given his notorious drug of choice, you wouldn’t expect Bob Marley to be much of an athlete. He was legendary at table tennis, but despite the needed reflexes, that still seems plausible.
More surprising is what Marley’s son Stephen told The Huffington Post about his famous father’s other sport of choice, following a conversation about Stephen’s new album, “Revelation Part II: Fruit of Life.”
Advertisement
The 44-year-old said that he remembers Bob’s ping-pong skills, but the thing that really sticks out in his memory:
Stephen’s father was a lover of running.
Bob Marley, the man that, according to myth, smoked about a pound of weed every week, “used to sprint.”
“He was very fast,” said Stephen. “He was a very fast runner. I remember that we used to run races. I used to think that, ‘Oh, I can run faster than my dad.’ But wow, that man was fast.”
Advertisement
Stephen recalled his father would make a weekly running event for the family.
“We would go into the country [in Jamaica], we had some property in the country there,” explained Stephen. “We would go on Sundays and we would race. We would have relays. He would beat everybody.” The musician began laughing in recollection, adding that Bob was “very” athletic.
Ziggy Marley, another son of Bob’s, has said in the past that his father would go on morning runs, but didn’t mention that Bob would go so far as to organize family races.
Bob’s athletic ability actually shouldn’t be too, too confounding, as much more is already known about Bob’s love of playing soccer. He had similarly perplexing heightened abilities in the game and the official Bob Marley website now has a whole extensive photography section devoted to pics of him playing.
Bob once told a journalist, “If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and [his band] the Wailers.”
Despite how pop culture has probably twisted your perception of the musician over the years, perhaps you should start thinking of Bob Marley as a sportsman. Still, Stephen is proud that his father has become so ubiquitous of a symbol, no matter the form. “You can’t keep a good man down, you know,” said Marley. “It’s always humbling and inspiring and keeps us focused when we see the image of our father all over the place.”
Advertisement
Here’s footage of Bob Marley playing soccer:
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.