100+ People- Part 6

While there is little doubt that sports is big business, a big part of our societies today, and many athletes are living in the limelight (like it or not), but there are lots of athletes that are playing their sports for the love of the game. How many kids have played sports in their neighborhoods and schools? Sports has the dynamics of of indivituals competing against each other driving to succeed, people coming together and playing as a team, and bringing people together that are fans of the sport. Schools have found that sports are a way of getting students, parents. alumni, and fans to be more active in supporting the said school and building a community around the school. Some sporting events are watched by millions of people around the world. There are so many stories around sports that people can relate to from the Cinderella player or team that comes out of nowhere to play in the championship, to that winning team or athlete that is trying to extend their time in the limelight and success past when logic says that should probably quit. Sports has given us all kinds of motivation and inspiration that people have tried to harness in other aspects of life.

Athletes

• Few people would question you if you were to say that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. Nike would not doubt admit that his line of Air Jordon products helped to make them the successful athletic apparell company that they are today. I didn't find a website, Twitter account, or Facebook and MySpace sites, but did find a Wikipedia entry.

• Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. While at the moment his name has often been mentioned for his extra-marital acitivies, you have to believe that people will eventually be talking about him again for what he is doing or has done in the world of golf. Until the scandal broke, he was an advertiser's dream, representing Nike, Buick, and many other products. It will be interesting to see what develops, how he is able to get beyond where is now, and what lessons we can learn from him. I didn't find a Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace sites, but he does have a Wikipedia entry.

• Before Tiger, there was Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear. He has won tons of golfing tournaments, designed golf courses, and in general been a wonderful ambassador for the world of golf. I didn't find a Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace accounts, but he does have a Wikipedia entry.

• I lived in Dallas during much of Troy Aikman's professional football career with the Dallas Cowboys and it was exciting to see him lead the team to those Super Bowl wins. I didn't find a Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace accounts, but he does have a Wikipedia entry.

• Admiration of my grandfather (in large part), made me a Dallas Cowboys fan from an early age on, so there is probably little doubt that I would come to admire what Roger Staubach accomplished in his years with the team. I didn't find a Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace accounts, but he does have a Wikipedia entry.

• Not long before Jordon, the Magic Johonson-Larry Bird rivalry was good for the sport of basketball. The two first became famous meeting in the NCAA basketball championship game with Magic and the Michigan State Spartans, beating out Larry Bird and his Indiana State team. The two of them helped to define the Laker-Celtic rivalry. I didn't find Twitter acccounts, nor Facebook and MySpace sites but Magic and Larry Bird both have Wikipedia entries.

• During Steve Yzerman's playing career at the Detroit Red Wings, the Stanley Cup came back to Detroit, and the city was often referred to as Hockeytown. The Red Wings were a shining star, a real bright spot for Detroit. Steve has left the ice and is now the general manager at the Tampa Bay Lightning. I didn't find a website, Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace sites but did find a Wikipedia entry for him.

• Gordie Howe is a hockey legend. In 1998, The Hockey News, placed Gordie third on their List of Top 100 NHL Players of All Time. He played hockey from 1945 to 1998, not too many atheletes can play the sport that they love for such a long period of time. His jersey was retired by the Detroit Red Wings. I didn't find a website, Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace sites but did find a Wikipedia entry for him.

• Wayne Gretzky, "the Great One", was rated number one on the List of Top 100 NHL Players of All Time mentioned previously. He is often atributed with one of my favorite quotes that you miss one hundred percent of the shots that you don't take. I didn't find a Twitter account, nor Facebook and MySpace sites but did find a Wikipedia entry.

• Lance Armstrong first caught my attention when I heard that he was recovering from cancer and determined to keep cycling. His 7 victories in the Tour de France, might just be one of those unbreakable records. He started the Lance Armstrong Foundation with a website called Live Strong "to improve the lives of people affected by cancer". Although I didn't notice any Facebook or MySpace sites, he has a Wikipedia entry and a very active Twitter account.

• Reggie Jackson reportedly got his nick name of "Mr. October" because of how he seemed to come alive during the playoff chase in Baseball. He won the World Series three times in Oakland and twice with the Yankees. Although I didn't notice any Facebook or MySpace sites or Twitter account, he does have a Wikipedia entry.

• Sparky Anderson is the first coach to win the World Series in both the National and American Leagues. He led the Cincinati Reds to two World Series wins and led the Detroit Tigers to their 1984 World Series win. Although I didn't notice any website, Facebook or MySpace sites or Twitter account, he does have a Wikipedia entry.

Stay Tuned

So far we've met some Internet Stars; Leaders in Motivation & Inspiration; Authors; Actors, Directors, and Comedians; Musicians; and Athletes, who'll be next? Be sure to look for 100+ People That I Want to Meet Part 7 and the rest of the series and you can read the intro here. Feel free to subscribe to this blog via email or your rss reader, there are several options available in the upper righthand corner of this blog.

Photo credit: "Tribune 1" courtesy of gesinek.