Asthma can cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Those symptoms might seem incompatible with elite sports, where athletes push their cardiovascular and respiratory systems to extraordinary levels.
Yet some of the most recognizable athletes in soccer, basketball, football, and Olympic swimming have competed while living with asthma.
David Beckham, Dennis Rodman, Jerome Bettis, and Amy Van Dyken are examples of athletes whose careers demonstrate an important point: having asthma does not automatically mean giving up exercise or competitive sports.
In fact, asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction are relatively common among athletes, particularly those participating in sports involving intense or prolonged exercise.
Here is a closer look at four famous athletes with asthma.
David Beckham and Asthma
Few soccer players have achieved the worldwide recognition of David Beckham.
The former England captain played for some of the most famous clubs in the world, including Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.
He was known for his exceptional passing, free kicks, crossing ability, and remarkable fitness.
What many fans did not know for years was that David Beckham has asthma.
His condition received widespread attention after he was photographed using an inhaler during his professional soccer career.
That surprised many people because professional soccer requires enormous cardiovascular endurance. Players repeatedly alternate between jogging, running, and sprinting for an entire match.
Beckham’s career provides an excellent example of how well-controlled asthma does not necessarily prevent someone from participating in endurance-intensive sports.
Does David Beckham Really Have Asthma?
Yes. Beckham has been publicly identified as having asthma, including by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
For patients—especially children—seeing an internationally famous athlete with asthma can help dispel the misconception that asthma means they should avoid sports.
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Dennis Rodman and Asthma
Dennis Rodman is one of the most recognizable basketball players in NBA history.
Known for his rebounding, defense, colorful personality, and constantly changing hairstyles, Rodman became a major part of the Chicago Bulls teams that won championships alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
Rodman also played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks.
Despite competing in one of the most physically demanding professional sports, Dennis Rodman has been identified as an athlete with asthma.
During the 1990s, Rodman even participated in public education efforts involving asthma and exercise.
Basketball can be particularly challenging for someone with exercise-related breathing problems because it involves:
- Repeated sprinting
- Rapid changes in direction
- Continuous movement
- Short recovery periods
- High-intensity bursts of activity
These conditions can substantially increase ventilation and potentially provoke respiratory symptoms in susceptible athletes.
Rodman’s ability to compete at the highest level reinforces the fact that asthma does not automatically prevent elite athletic performance.
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Jerome Bettis and Asthma
NFL Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, better known as “The Bus,” is another famous athlete who has publicly lived with asthma.
Bettis became one of the most productive running backs in NFL history and is best remembered for his years with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At more than 250 pounds during his playing career, Bettis combined size, strength, balance, and surprising speed.
Football presents a different respiratory challenge than endurance sports.
Instead of continuous exercise lasting many minutes, football consists of repeated short periods of extremely intense exertion followed by brief recovery.
A running back may sprint, block, absorb a collision, return to the huddle, and repeat the process within seconds.
For an athlete with asthma, repeated high-intensity exertion can potentially provoke coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath if the condition is not adequately controlled.
Bettis has spoken publicly about asthma and has participated in asthma-awareness efforts.
His story is particularly useful for young athletes because football is sometimes viewed as incompatible with respiratory disease. Bettis demonstrated that appropriately managed asthma does not necessarily prevent participation at the highest level.
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Amy Van Dyken and Asthma
Amy Van Dyken became one of the most successful American swimmers of her generation.
She won multiple Olympic gold medals and became especially famous after winning four gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Her swimming career is especially relevant when discussing asthma because respiratory problems are surprisingly common among competitive swimmers.
Elite swimmers spend thousands of hours training while moving enormous volumes of air through their lungs.
Swimming pools also contain chlorine and chlorine-related compounds that may irritate the respiratory tract in susceptible individuals.
Research has found that competitive swimmers have increased rates of airway hyperresponsiveness and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction compared with many other athletic populations.
Van Dyken’s career therefore highlights an interesting paradox:
A sport that demands extraordinary lung function can still be performed successfully by an athlete with asthma.
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Why Is Asthma So Common in Athletes?
Many people assume elite athletes should have exceptionally healthy lungs and therefore should rarely develop asthma.
The reality is more complicated.
Athletes—particularly endurance athletes—move very large quantities of air through their lungs during training.
During intense exercise, breathing can increase dramatically compared with breathing at rest.
That means athletes may inhale larger amounts of:
- Cold air
- Dry air
- Pollen
- Air pollution
- Smoke
- Dust
- Chlorine-related chemicals
- Other respiratory irritants
Over years of intensive training, repeated airway exposure can contribute to bronchial hyperresponsiveness in susceptible athletes.
Asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness have been repeatedly documented among Olympic and elite athletes.
What Is Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction?
People frequently use the phrase exercise-induced asthma, but physicians now often prefer the term exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, or EIB.
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction refers to temporary narrowing of the airways associated with vigorous physical activity.
It can occur in someone who already has asthma.
However, EIB can also occur in people who do not otherwise have chronic asthma.
Symptoms of Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction
Symptoms may include:
- Cough during or after exercise
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Reduced exercise tolerance
- Difficulty recovering after intense activity
Symptoms often appear during intense exercise or shortly after exercise has stopped.
Why Can Exercise Trigger Asthma Symptoms?
During normal breathing, the nose helps warm and humidify inhaled air.
During vigorous exercise, however, athletes breathe much faster and frequently switch to mouth breathing.
Large quantities of relatively cool or dry air can then enter the lower respiratory tract.
This causes water loss from airway surfaces.
In susceptible people, changes in airway temperature and moisture can contribute to airway narrowing.
This is one reason cold, dry environments can be particularly difficult for some athletes with asthma.
Can You Exercise if You Have Asthma?
For most people with appropriately controlled asthma, the answer is yes.
In fact, physical activity is generally encouraged.
David Beckham played professional soccer.
Dennis Rodman competed at the highest level of professional basketball.
Jerome Bettis became an NFL Hall of Fame running back.
Amy Van Dyken became an Olympic champion.
These examples help demonstrate that the goal of asthma management should usually not be to eliminate exercise.
The goal is to achieve enough asthma control that exercise can be performed safely and comfortably.
Which Sports Are Most Associated With Asthma?
Asthma and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction can occur in virtually any sport, but certain environments appear to create higher respiratory stress.
Swimming
Competitive swimming involves prolonged high ventilation and exposure to the swimming-pool environment.
Studies have found elevated rates of asthma and airway hyperresponsiveness among elite swimmers.
Long-Distance Running
Distance runners repeatedly inhale large quantities of outdoor air and may be exposed to pollen, pollution, dry air, and temperature changes.
Cycling
Cyclists may train for hours while breathing large quantities of outdoor air, sometimes near heavy traffic.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing combines high ventilation with cold, dry air and has been strongly associated with exercise-induced airway problems.
Soccer and Basketball
Both involve repeated running and sprinting with relatively little prolonged rest.
David Beckham and Dennis Rodman demonstrate that athletes with asthma can nevertheless compete successfully in these sports.
Football
Football involves short bursts of intense physical activity rather than prolonged continuous exercise.
Jerome Bettis demonstrates that asthma can also affect athletes participating in strength- and power-oriented team sports.
Does Being Short of Breath During Sports Mean You Have Asthma?
No.
This is an important distinction.
Not every athlete who becomes short of breath during exercise has asthma.
Possible explanations include:
- Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction
- Poorly controlled asthma
- Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction
- Poor conditioning
- Anemia
- Respiratory infection
- Cardiac disease
- Dysfunctional breathing
- Other respiratory conditions
Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction can be particularly confusing because it may produce noisy breathing and shortness of breath that resemble asthma.
Objective testing may therefore be needed rather than diagnosing asthma based only on symptoms.
How Is Exercise-Induced Asthma Diagnosed?
Evaluation often begins with spirometry, a breathing test that measures how much air a person can exhale and how quickly.
If baseline testing is normal but exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is still suspected, additional testing may be considered.
Depending on the circumstances, testing can include:
- Exercise challenge testing
- Bronchial provocation testing
- Additional pulmonary function testing
An athlete’s symptoms alone may not reliably predict whether exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is actually present.
Allergies Can Also Affect Athletic Performance
Asthma and allergies frequently occur together.
An athlete may perform well during one season but experience coughing, wheezing, congestion, or reduced endurance when pollen levels increase.
Potential allergic triggers include:
- Grass pollen
- Tree pollen
- Weed pollen
- Mold
- Dust mites
- Animal allergens
For someone with allergic asthma, controlling the underlying allergies may be an important part of controlling respiratory symptoms.
Asthma Triggers Athletes Should Know About
Athletes with asthma may notice symptoms triggered by:
- Exercise
- Cold air
- Dry air
- Pollen
- Air pollution
- Wildfire smoke
- Respiratory infections
- Chlorinated swimming environments
- Sudden weather changes
Triggers vary substantially from person to person.
Identifying the individual trigger pattern is one reason an allergy and asthma evaluation can be helpful.
When Should an Athlete See an Allergist?
Consider an evaluation if exercise repeatedly causes:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty keeping up despite otherwise good conditioning
- Prolonged coughing after exercise
- Symptoms during pollen season
- Symptoms in cold weather
- Frequent need for rescue medication
An allergist can help determine whether symptoms are caused by asthma, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, environmental allergy, or another condition.
Severe breathing difficulty, inability to speak normally, bluish discoloration, fainting, or symptoms that do not respond to prescribed rescue treatment require urgent medical attention.
Four Famous Athletes Who Show Asthma Does Not Have to Stop You
The careers of David Beckham, Dennis Rodman, Jerome Bettis, and Amy Van Dyken span four very different sports.
Yet each illustrates the same important message.
Asthma does not automatically prevent someone from becoming an elite athlete.
David Beckham reached the highest levels of international soccer.
Dennis Rodman became one of the NBA’s most recognizable championship players.
Jerome Bettis became a Hall of Fame NFL running back.
Amy Van Dyken became a multiple Olympic gold-medal swimmer.
Their stories can be especially meaningful for children with asthma who worry that a diagnosis means they must stop running, swimming, playing football, or participating in competitive sports.
With proper diagnosis, trigger identification, appropriate treatment, and good asthma control, many people with asthma can remain highly active.
Frequently Asked Questions About Athletes With Asthma
Does David Beckham have asthma?
Yes. David Beckham has publicly been identified as having asthma and has been photographed using an inhaler during his professional soccer career.
Does Dennis Rodman have asthma?
Rodman has been identified in sports-medicine literature and asthma-awareness material as an athlete with asthma.
Does Jerome Bettis have asthma?
Yes. Jerome Bettis has publicly discussed having asthma and has participated in asthma-awareness campaigns.
Did Amy Van Dyken have asthma?
Van Dyken has been widely identified in asthma education material as an Olympic athlete who competed while dealing with asthma.
Can people with asthma become professional athletes?
Yes. Many professional and Olympic athletes have asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
Is exercise bad for asthma?
Not generally. Regular physical activity can be beneficial. The important issue is ensuring that asthma is properly diagnosed and controlled.
Why do I cough after running?
Possible causes include exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, asthma, allergies, airway irritation, respiratory infection, or exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction. Recurrent symptoms warrant evaluation.
Can allergies make exercise-induced asthma worse?
Yes. Pollen and other environmental allergens can worsen asthma symptoms in people who are allergic to them.