Breaking down the best beards in professional sports today

You can’t have great sports without great beards. Whether it’s the traditional hockey playoff beard, the baseball hitting streak beard or the good luck beard for whatever achievement the team is striving for, beards and sports are synonymous.

From the perfectly curled mustache of Rollie Fingers in the 1970s, to the #getbearded and #fearthebeard campaign of the Boston Red Sox during the 2013 World Series, great facial hair can always be found and respected in almost all sports.

Here is a list of the top five beards in today’s sporting world:

5. Ryan Fitzpatrick: the Harvard educated beard

Fitzpatrick’s beard is unkempt, wild and grizzly, but he came into the NFL in 2005 a clean-shaven and baby-faced rookie whose look fit the golden boy Harvard image to a tee.

If beard growing ability was directly related to the ability to play quarterback, Fitzpatrick would be the most sought after passer in the league, leaving the neckbearded Andrew Luck in the dust. His beard should come in handy when Fitzpatrick takes the Big Apple by storm in hiss first season with the New York Jets this fall.

4. Danny Espinosa: the mustached man

The Fu Manchu style mustache Espinosa brought to spring training during the Washington Nationals is too good to leave off this list. Uthe thin and wiry Fu Manchus we are used to seeing in classic kung-fu movies, Espinosa’s has the thick fullness of a mountain man.

The ‘stache fueled Espinosa to have a turn-around season in what had been an underwhelming career so far. His batting average is up 50 points and has already nearly matched his homerun total from last year in one-third the amount of at-bats.

Espinosa’s combination of mustache and red National’s cap has a striking resemblance to everyone’s favorite princess-saving plumber. If that doesn’t make you an Espinosa fan, I don’t know what will.

3. Brent Burns: the toothless beard

Burns has an impressive beard. That beard is amplified by a combination of long hair and a toothless grin only a mother could love.

Burns has been referred to as “the hairiest man in hockey” and “Chewbacca on skates.” The image fits his persona. Burns is known as a hard-hitting defenseman that isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty and back up his teammates.

Adding to the intimidation of the toothless beard is his six-foot-five, 230-pound, frame. The beard propelled Burns to a career high in points this season.

2. James Harden: the everything is bigger in Texas beard

Harden comes in at number two on the list, but may have the most recognizable beard. Harden is the biggest star on this list and plays in a sport with no helmets or hats covering the head.

Harden and his beard have pushed the Houston Rockets to the NBA Western Conference Finals this season on a team that has been hampered by injuries.

His beard has been feared by defenders around the league for years now and hopes to join the great beards of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as an NBA champion this season.

1. Brett Keisel: THE beard

There is no beard in professional sports today that compares to that of Keisel’s. Length, thickness and sheer manliness, this beard has it all.

Not only is Keisel’s beard one that would make Grizzy Adams’ facial hair quiver in fear, but it is also humanitarian.

According to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown, Keisel’s beard raised $67,000 for the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital at the fifth-annual Shear Da Beard event in February.

The beard has become part of the personality of the 13-year-veteran defensive end. Keisel is nearing the end of his career, and it will truly be a sad event when the best beard in all of sports calls it quits.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense will surely look less intimidating after cutting the longtime fan favorite in March.  Hopefully the fanbase of whatever team picks up the free agent will openly embrace the player with the biggest baddest beard in the sports’ universe.