Tunnel Walks, More Like Red Carpets
Lights, camera, pose.
The latest form of a red carpet is becoming more popular and it is exclusively available to professional, and some, college athletes. The game day arrivals of these athletes are now known more commonly as “tunnel walks” and these players get to show off their style and give their audience a more personal connection.
Photo: Scott Cunningham via Complex
The 90s inspired this new generation of professional athletes, specifically Dennis Rodman. He was one of the first players to start the red carpet-like tunnel walk. Rodman is a former professional basketball player for the Mavericks, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs, and Pistons. His unique and flashy style grabbed the attention of many thanks to his bright green hair and women’s clothing. Rodman created a movement that is still going on today, and it is only the beginning of all the possibilities.
Photo: Scott Winters via CNN
One player who has gotten a massive amount of attention over the past few years is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow. Burrow started dressing up for the tunnel walks when he was first signed for the Bengals and he was the one who made the square rimless Cartier sunglasses popular. This was just the beginning of Burrow’s fashion journey as he is now a style icon in general, but specifically in the sports industry.
Photo: Getty Images via Vogue
These new tunnel walks are a way for the athletes to brand themselves and create an image for themselves outside of the sport they play. While professional players have been able to do this for quite a while now, college basketball players are now allowed to take sponsorships and make a profit from these pre-game appearances.
Photo: Kyle Kuzma via Instagram
The tunnel walks are also benefiting the brands that the players are wearing too. It gives them a lot of exposure and can broaden their audience to the sports industry, an audience they might not have thought to reach out to before. Kyle Kuzma is a current player for the Washington Wizards and before one of his games earlier this year he stepped out in a full Rick Owens outfit. This look was dynamic and experimental with black loose Rick Owens trousers, white and black sneakers, and a puffer jacket that broke the internet. The puffer jacket covered half of his face and looked similar to a sculpture, revealing that Kuzma sees fashion as an art and not just clothes that you put on your body.
Photo: Getty Images via Vogue
Athletes stepping into the world of fashion is something that is going completely viral with the entirety of the internet. There have been so many Instagram accounts that post what athletes are wearing before the game and who had the best looks on each of the teams. Sports Illustrated even did an article in 2019 with a Fashionable 50 List to tell the world what athletes you need to look for when it comes to style. As someone who loves both sports and fashion, it has been so fun and exciting seeing all of these players express themselves through their own kind of red carpet and show that they are more than an athlete, they are an individual.
