Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.
I was especially impressed with Pauley Pavilion [at UCLA campus ]. The floors hadn't been laid down yet, when they gave me the tour, each new room got my heart thumping. They even had a surgical operating room in case an athlete was severely injured.
I've always been very impatient. At age 10 I frankly found life boring, and I can remember age 9 having the awful thought, as it seems now looking back on it, A war! That should liven things up a bit!
You can be an ordinary athlete by getting away with less than your best. But if you want to be a great, you have to give it all you've got-your everything.
Olympians are the product of the Movement, and to get them to the stadiums, pools and playing fields, it takes the actions of legions of people who might not be Olympians.
Do your best. . . really that's all you can ask for from an athlete.
My brother David was a great athlete and I knew there was no way I could live up to that.
The athlete makes himself, the coach doesn't make the athlete.
Every professional athlete owes a debt of gratitude to the fans and management, and pays an installment every time he plays. He should never miss a payment.
An athlete must have ability to reach the top, but many who have ability and who do not live clean lives never have and never will be champions for obvious reasons.
For an athlete, there's no time off until it's over.
It has been said that the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games is something that an athlete will remember for the rest of their life. It is true. That moment when you walk into the Olympic Stadium as part of the Australian Olympic Team, is a moment that I will never forget.
Everybody used to say that baseball players can't dress and athletes can't dress. You know, a lot of athletes now are trying to prove everybody wrong, though there are some athletes that try too hard and try to do over-the-top things. But me, I try to be simple and just make whatever I'm wearing look good.
It`s interesting about people who choke. I`m, believe it or not, a good athlete. I`ve watched people choke over the years.
We have seen some of the greatest athletes fall because they have tried to take shortcuts. I'm not going to call any names but we talk about guys that was like at the top of their game that people just idolized. They looked in awe and all of a sudden you see them just come tumbling down because they want to take shortcuts. I think it's more rewarding when you do it the old fashioned way.
Barry Sanders, by far. Not only one of my favorite Lions, but one of my favorite NFL athletes. It's all about highlights for me, I'm a receiver! Sanders is like the NFL version of an And1 mix tape.
I'm sick of the media making female sports athletes into supermodels, when they're clearly sixes at best.
The bottom line is that these athletes tend to be safer investments because they really value their marketing opportunities. They don't make as much money as during their active careers.
So many people get caught up in being a pro athlete and think they are better. I don't feel like I've ever changed or acted any differently because of the situation I'm in or that status I have.
These athletes can be considered the gods in certain ways and the fans can be considered parishioners.