American football •
John Butler (American football coach) (born 1973), American football assistant coach since the 1990s •
John Butler (American football executive) (1946–2003), general manager in the National Football League •
John Butler (defensive back) (born 1965), National Football League player with the San Francisco 49ers •
Johnny Butler (running back) (1918–1963), National Football League player from 1942 to 1945
Association football •
John Butler (footballer, born 1937) (1937–2010), English footballer •
John Butler (footballer, born 1962), English footballer •
John Butler (footballer, born 1969), Scottish footballer
Other sports •
John Butler (cricketer) (1863–1945), English cricketer •
John Butler (athlete) (1871–1959), British Olympic athlete •
John Butler (baseball) (1879–1950), catcher in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1907 •
John Butler Jr. (born 2002), American basketball player •
Johnny Butler (1893–1967), baseball player •
John Butler (rugby league) (born 1949), English rugby league footballer • John Butler, rider in the
1847 Grand National steeplechase ==Other fields==