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15 Most Famous Failures in Sports, Business and Entertainment

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” This famous quote is used as a pre-cursor to show that with great and successful stories if you dig deep enough, you will see that these individuals encountered some roadblocks which served as failures for them. Another quote reads, 鈥淭he one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure, but rather the ear of not trying.鈥� This is to mean that in life, generally failures should be embraced as a stepping stone to what鈥檚 next.

In the fields of sports, business and entertainment, we have individuals who have served as examples of encountering failures in their journeys, but they didn鈥檛 stop there, as they proceeded to emerge on the other side of success and hence why they made the cut for this article. Let鈥檚 delve into the stories of 15 of the most famous failures in sports, business and entertainment.              

1. Stephen King

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Stephen published his first book, Carrie, in April 1974 after being rejected 30 different times by different publishers. In fact, Stephen King once said, “It’s not failure, it’s unfinished success.”

King was unwavering and continued writing and eventually became a stellar example of a person who didn’t let failure define him. King achieved success by the simple fact of never giving up. Here are more intriguing facts about King also known as the master of horror. 

2. Michael Jordan

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Prior to being the great sports legend that we know Michael Jordan to be, he encountered major stumbling blocks in his journey. Jordan encountered failure early in his life when he was cut off from his high school basketball team. This setback, however, only pushed him to work harder and perfect his skills.

Michael Jordan is quoted for famously stating that he has failed numerously in his life. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.鈥� Michael however stuck to the game and is a basketball legend of our time.

3. Walt Disney

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Currently, Walt Disney鈥檚 story looks successful but it was equally plagued with painful events and failures. Walt Disney faced numerous rejections early in his career, with some people claiming he lacked imagination and had no original ideas. Disney also encountered bankruptcy which led to a mental breakdown. He however persevered and built the famous Disney empire.

Speaking about these failures he encountered in life, he stated, “All the adversity I鈥檝e had in my life, all the troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

4. Oprah Winfrey

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Oprah Winfrey is termed the talk show queen and one of the biggest media personalities worldwide. Her story however is riddled with bouts of failures all the same. 

At first, Oprah was fired from her Tv presenter job after which she went on to start her own network named the Oprah Winfrey Network. OWN, initially struggled to attract viewers and faced major financial difficulties. However, it eventually found its footing and became one of the biggest media empires.

5. Thomas Edison

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As the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison made over 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

During the late 1880s, Edison was very concerned about the cost of iron, which was impacting the price of some of his inventions, like the electric generator. After some research, he believed he found a solution which really backfired on him to the extent of him losing so much money and his processing plant. This, however, didn鈥檛 stand in the way of him becoming the great inventor we know him to be. Read more surprising Facts about Thomas Edison. 

6. Elon Musk

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Elon Musk who is the entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX faced numerous failures and setbacks throughout his career. In the early days of  SpaceX, three rockets exploded. And even after getting major support from NASA and Facebook, some of these rockets failed. 

Elon Musk’s journey didn鈥檛 end in his failures and he serves as an example of the power of perseverance, resilience, and visionary thinking. Elon is so successful, he has been ranked as the richest man on earth for the past successive years to date.

7. Henry Ford

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Before founding the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford’s first two automobile ventures failed.  His investors also pulled out last minute over Ford’s meticulousness, and he was unable to find solid financial backing for the automobile in his first two ventures.

Ford didn鈥檛 stop there but in fact, learned from these failures and went on to revolutionize the automotive industry.

8. Cristiano Ronaldo

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Cristiano Ronaldo who is debatably the greatest footballer of our time, encountered many failures and set back very early on in his career. At the age of 14, Ronaldo made a big decision to drop out of school and pursue football as his lifetime career. 

A year later, he was diagnosed with a racing heart. Under this, his heart raced faster even when he was not running or playing. Christiano was able to seek medication to manage this and still pursue his passion for football to become one of the world鈥檚 greatest athletes. 

9. Albert Einstein

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Albert Einstein was thought to be a complete failure in his childhood. He didn’t learn to speak until he was 4 and at the age of 16, Albert failed to pass the entrance exam into the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School located in Zurich where he was applying for teaching positions. Einstein didn鈥檛 let this get in the way and he went on to revolutionize the world of physics with his ground-breaking contributions. 

10. The Beatles

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The Beatles, one of the legendary bands faced rejection from several record labels early in their career. In fact, their early career was actually a series of failures starting with their unsuccessful audition with the leading record company of their era, Decca Records.

This particular failure nearly caused the band to break up. their persistence and hard work aided them immensely. They went on to become one of the most influential and successful bands in history. Read more fun facts about The Beatles. 

11. Bill Gates

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One of the most successful entrepreneurs in history, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation failed at his first business. Before founding Microsoft, Bill Gates had a failed business venture called Traf-O-Data. 

However, Gates learned valuable lessons from that experience, which he applied to the success of Microsoft. Bill Gates is also ranked as one of the wealthiest men and has been for the past successive years.

12. J.K. Rowling

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J.K. Rowling, famously known as the author of the Harry Potter series faced rejection from multiple publishers before finally finding success. In the period when she was writing the Harry Potter series and The Philosopher’s Stone, she was a single mother, unemployed and depressed. 

She however didn鈥檛 let this define her and she forged on in her writing.  Her books have since become a global phenomenon, selling millions of copies worldwide.

13. Elizabeth Holmes

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Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford at 19 to start the blood-testing startup Theranos. The technology was praised as revolutionary and Holmes was hailed as the next Steve Jobs. 

Theranos’ value grew to $9 billion until flaws in the technology were exposed and the company was shut down with Holmes being charged with fraud. Read more on 20 Famous People Who Are Still In Prison. 

14. Lance Armstrong

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Lance Armstrong was one of the most successful road racing cyclists in history. The Lance Armstrong doping case was a major doping investigation that led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven consecutive Tour de France titles, along with one Olympic medal, and his eventual admission to using performance-enhancing drugs.

15. Bernie Madoff

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Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, which likely ran for decades, defrauded thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars. Investors put their trust in Madoff because he created a front of respectability.

His returns were high but not outlandish, and he claimed to use a legitimate strategy. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Read about The Bernard Madoff Scandal in 15 Facts. 

In conclusion and from the majority of stories highlighted, from Michael Jordan to J.K. Rowling and the Beatles, we can see that failure is only a natural path to success if only you stick to the course and perfect your craft. However, for some people who think the shortcut to success is through scamming people like the likes of Bernie Madoff, the rule of law quickly caught up with them.