Best Motivational Quotes from Famous Athletes

The Playopoly review team have curated the best in motivational quotes from famous athletes. We hope you find something that really speaks to you in that moment you need it most.

1) “If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”

- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

2) “Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed.”

- LeBron James

3) “You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.”

- Michael Phelps

4) "You must not only have competitiveness but ability, regardless of the circumstance you face, to never quit."

—Abby Wambach

5) “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. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

—Michael Jordan

6) “It’s going to be a journey. It’s not a sprint to get in shape.”

—Kerri Walsh Jennings

7) “Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t pretend that you do and, and some point, you will.”

—Venus Williams

8) “Champions keep playing until they get it right.”

– Billie Jean King

9) “It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.”

– Mia Hamm

10) “If you persevere long enough, if you do the right things long enough, the right things will happen.”  

- Manon Rheaume

11) “It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s all a matter of discipline.”

- Wilma Rudolph

12) “The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you.”

— Jackie Joyner-Kersee

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Grapefruit and cactus: The story behind baseball’s spring training season

Baseball has many quirky traditions, even when the sport isn’t even in season. Right now, Major League Baseball teams have all migrated south – well, the ones that aren’t located there in the first place that is – for spring training.

Spring training is a tradition that is over 100 years old with the theory that training and preparing for the new baseball season, which is traditionally starts in early April, in warmer climes was beneficial to the players.

With the number of teams travelling to states such as Florida and Arizona beginning to grow at the start of the 20th century, they began to play exhibition games against each other and these quickly morphed into mini pre-season tournaments.

One such tournament is known as the Grapefruit League and takes place in Florida. The Grapefruit first came about in 1914 as teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians began to regularly travel to the state for spring training. Now the League features 15 teams, including two who already based in the Sunshine State.

For this teams who don’t base themselves in Florida during the early spring months, Arizona is the favored state for spring training. The Cactus League was born in the 1940s as the state became a popular destination for Major League teams and now around 15 of them base their pre-season preparations there.

Spring training often coincides with spring break for school kids, which allows them to get a close-up glimpse of their heroes without having to worry about seeking out much sought-after tickets for big games.

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The weird and not-so wonderful of Olympic sports

While athletes from a range of different sporting disciplines will be busy training and preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 2024 Games in Paris were brought into focus recently by the news that one of the sports being considered for admission into the programme is breakdancing.

It’s not uncommon that new sports jockey for a place at the Olympics, but with all events in Tokyo now locked down, attention for this fringe sports has turned to Paris.

For many people, the notion that breakdancing is a competitive sport seems a bit far-fetched, but it is not unprecedented that the modern Olympic Games have facilitated some weird and wonderful events. Here are just a few examples of the strangest ‘sports’ to feature at the Olympic Games.

Club swinging

Basically, competitors had to stand still and swing wooden clubs around in some sort of routine to gain point from judges. The way the clubs were looked very much like they were about to be juggled, but competitors kept a hold of them throughout. Club swinging appeared at two Olympics – 1904 and 1932 – but was phased but many believe it was a precursor to rhythmic gymnastics.

Tug of War

This event has its roots in the ancient Games and was a regular of the first few Games of the 20th century. Two teams of eight people pulled a six-foot rope to see who could pull it over their mark first. Last seen at the 1920 Olympics.

Jeu de Paume

A form of indoor tennis played with the hand, opponents hit the ball over a velvet rope in a large indoor court. Only appearance was at the 1908 Games.

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Top three greatest Super Bowl victories

With Patriots victory over the Rams, Super Bowl fever is starting to fade away for another year. Though the Patriots managed to secure yet another victory, was it one of the greatest Super Bowl victories? Here is a rundown of the top three greatest Super Bowl victories.

1. Super Bowl LI

In 2017 the New England Patriots met the Atlanta Falcons in a game that was full of thrills spills and had one of the greatest comebacks in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were trailing by 25 points, but Tom Brady rallied his team and threw 466 yards giving the Patriots a final score of 34 and the Falcons 28.

2. Super Bowl XXV

In 1991 the Super Bowl was in Tampa, Florida, and it saw the New York Giants meeting the Buffalo Bills. The final score was Giants 20 to Bills 19 – something that was down to Scott Norwood missing a field goal for the Bills. It was not only a tense game, but also the start of the Bills four-year failed run at the Super Bowl title.

3. Super Bowl XLIX

In 2015 the New England Patriots met the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona. This Super Bowl was one that saw the worst call in Super Bowl history – the Seahawks deciding to pass instead of run at the Patriots’ 1-yard line allowed Malcolm Butler to intercept. Tom Brady once again led his team to victory in a game that finished Patriots 28, Seahawks 24.

For more about sporting victories, visit www.playopoly.com where you will find more about sports teams, victories and stories to satisfy even the most rabid of sports fans.

Best fictional sports

There are some nuances to world building that get overlooked by some, but others take it to a whole new level, inventing not only languages but sports as well. Here’s our rundown of the top three fictional sports to come out of movies, books and web series.

Death Race

From the movie of the same name, the game of Death Race is simply. Get as many points as you can by running over people and killing them with your car, then live to see the end of the race. The world’s best drivers all compete in this cross country race and some people are only too happy to throw themselves under the wheels of the racers to help them try to win.

Quidditch

There are many magical things about the world of Harry Potter, but one of the best things to come out of the wizarding world is the game of Quidditch. Played on brooms, the teams have four balls to deal with. The chasers (three on each team) try and get the quaffle (the big red ball) into one of the three hoops that are guarded by the opposing team’s goalkeeper. The beaters try to knock the chasers, goalkeeper and seeker (we’ll get to this in a moment) off their brooms by knocking two bludgers about the field, and the seeker tries to catch the tiny and elusive golden snitch that is worth 150 points and ends the game.

To find more of the best from the sporting and fictional worlds, check out www.playopoly.com where you’ll find even more sporting moments, victories and the best that fiction can offer.

The Dream Double: The men who have won Super Bowls as head coach and player

It’s considered the pinnacle of any professional football player’s career, but winning a Super Bowl as a head coach is an equally special achievement. A lot of things have to come together to create a championship-winning team, great players, a flawless system, a game plan and no small amount of luck either. Pulling it all together is the head coach’s job and when it comes off, the rewards are great.

However, for those people who have managed to slip on a Super Bowl ring as a player and head coach, that unique double is something to savour.

Only three men have managed to pull off the feat of both playing for a championship winning team and coaching another to the ultimate accolade in the game.

Fiery Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka has his own place in football folklore after building an all-conquering Bears team which took the Vince Lombardi trophy for the first time with an emphatic win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Ditka had previously played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys in their victories in Super Bowl VI and XII.

Tom Flores was an assistant coach to the great John Madden when the Oakland Raiders won Super Bowl XI, but was head coach when the Raiders won again four years later. He had previously been a Super Bowl winning player with the Kansas City Chiefs when they won Super Bowl IV.

Tony Dungy created history when became the first black head coach to lead a team to Super Bowl glory when he was the man in charge for their Super Bowl XLI triumph over the Chicago Bears. He had already bagged a Super Bowl ring as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XII.

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