Celebrities Who Competed Under Pseudonyms

Harry Styles thought he was clever slipping into the Berlin Marathon as “Sted Sarandos.” But he is just the latest in a long, ignoble tradition of famous people moonlighting at sporting events under pseudonyms. From the mildly embarrassing to the cosmically deranged, here are ten of the best (or worst) examples.

1. Madonna – “Louise Ciccone from Bay City”
Back in the late ’90s, Madonna entered a Detroit bowling league under her real birth name. Teammates were baffled that “Louise” insisted the pin boys call her “Madge” and choreographed her approach to Vogue.

2. Tom Brady – “Chad Touchdown”
Unable to let go of football after retirement, Brady popped up in a Florida men’s flag football league. Nobody believed Chad Touchdown’s suspiciously perfect spiral was natural.

3. Beyoncé – “Sasha Fierce”
Yes, she actually used her alter ego to sneak into a SoulCycle charity ride. The giveaway? Sasha’s bike glowed faintly and three backup dancers materialized at every hydration break.

4. Elon Musk – “Steve from IT”
Spotted at a Silicon Valley pickleball tournament, “Steve” kept trying to pay referees in Dogecoin and insisted the lines be redrawn “for better physics.”

5. Jennifer Aniston – “Rachel Green”
In a fit of nostalgia, she entered a celebrity tennis pro-am using her Friends character’s name. The irony: Rachel Green was eliminated in straight sets by Courteney Cox.

6. Kanye West – “Ye, But Not That One”
Kanye tried to enter a Chicago rap-aerobics hybrid class under this pseudonym. Unfortunately, his motivational shouts–”I AM SPORT!”–tipped off the instructor.

7. Oprah Winfrey – “Gayle King’s Cousin”
Oprah once ran the Chicago Half Marathon incognito. Fans only noticed when aid-station volunteers offered her book-club novels instead of water cups.

8. Nicolas Cage – “John Travolta”
In a surreal Face/Off callback, Cage joined a celebrity paintball tournament wearing Travolta’s nametag. Spectators thought it was performance art until he took three shots to the face yelling, “I want to take his paint… off!”

9. Taylor Swift – “Natalie from the Choir”
Determined to stay anonymous at a Nashville fun run, Swift registered as “Natalie.” She lasted 0.6 miles before fans recognized her from the choreographed stride changes between verses.

10. Donald Trump – “John Barron”
Dusting off his old fake-name chestnut, Trump allegedly tried to join a New Jersey golf scramble as “John Barron.” He was disqualified for scoring an 18 on the front nine and calling it “the best par ever.”

Celebrities cannot resist sports. Nor can they resist pseudonyms. Styles’s “Sted Sarandos” is only the newest constellation in a galaxy of bad disguises. Somewhere out there, another superstar is oiling up a bowling ball, slapping on a fake mustache, and registering as “Chris from Accounts Payable.”

If you enjoy reading about the games and the gamesters who play them, here are more sporting life tales of gore and glory.