Best Recent Local TV Commercials by Athletes

Ah, yes, the price of fame.

While playing a sport for a living has to be an amazing feeling, when an athlete gets asked to film a TV commercial, it's validation that he or she has "made it," giving local audiences a chance to see a fan favorite.

There have been some good, bad and ugly ones over the years, but this is a tribute to the newest ones that pass the test, as these are the best recent local TV commercials starring athletes.

Anytime you get a behemoth man like Seattle Seahawks defender Michael Bennett riding around on a bicycle, you've got my attention.

Described as a "Sack Master" in this ad, Bennett leisurely rides around on a tandem bike with another dude, clearly having a good old time as they take in the gorgeous scenery around them.

It might appear to be selling bikes, but Bennett and his buddy are actually trying to sell cars with this commercial, only making it even more awkwardly brilliant.

There's a reason why soccer is the most popular sport on the planet—because so many people love to watch it every single day.

So, with the announcement that BT Sports would be the new home of the Champions League for this 2015 season, the network had some fun with some of the biggest stars in the sport by bringing them in to make the announcement.

With confetti, the Champions League theme and an unimpressed Jose Mourinho, this one is pretty good.

Quarterbacks are supposed to be the leaders of their team, by both leading by example and stepping up and vocally giving directions to teammates.

It doesn't look like this 1st Mariner Bank commercial believed that, though.

Getting Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to star in it, the Super Bowl-winning signal-caller doesn't actually have a single line, only doing what he does best—throwing footballs—to announce a special signing bonus deal with the bank.

Again, it's cheesiness at its finest, making this oh so good.

This one is so bad, it's good, as Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov tries his hardest to sell some alcohol to the good folks of Northeastern Ohio.

Wearing a backward jersey—presumably because the restaurant Mozgov is repping didn't want to pay to use the Cavs logo—the commercial gives me a funny feeling while watching it because it's so low-budget.

With Mozgov's Russian accent, the aforementioned Kriss Kross look and the fact it's all to sell booze, this is just perfect.

Who wants to go drink now?

Who better than one of the greatest women's soccer players ever to endorse your product, right?

In another example of a pro athlete not saying a single thing in an ad, a lighting company hired Abby Wambach to shoot the lights out during this commercial, hoping that her magic touch could help change lighting forever.

The entire concept is a little much to handle, but it's pretty cool to see Abby hit the lights on her first try before flipping the switch to the entire indoor arena she's in.

I'm not any more inclined to buy lightbulbs, though. Sorry.

Chances are we all remember Matthew McConaughey in a certain car brand's commercial, so what better way than to have the Baltimore Ravens kicker, Justin Tucker, do his own take on the thing?

Channeling his inner McConaughey, Tucker did a local ad for a company called CarBiz.com, where he did a spot-on impression of the Academy Award-winning actor.

Who knows if this will actually help sell more cars, but it will definitely become an Internet sensation.

What happens when you put two of Boston's biggest sports stars on screen together? Absolute magic.

While Dunkin' Donuts might be a national brand, ask anyone in Beantown who loves it most and they'll defend it till the death.

So when Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski performed a few musical numbers for the brand, you just knew the duo was going to kill it, as they proved with a pair of catchy tunes.

Living in Seattle, you just knew I was going to save my personal favorite for last, right?

While other pro athletes might be looking for millions of dollars from big brands to appear on camera to endorse a product, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch isn't like most athletes.

Beast Mode helps keep things real for those of us in the Pacific Northwest, reminding us to stop freakin' and call Beacon for all of our plumbing needs. The commercials are as cheesy as you would expect—but they're incredible.