Send us your favorite sporting quotations.
“Nel-son! Nel-son! Nel-son!”
As apartheid fell, a uniformly white rugby crowd greets South African president Nelson Mandella, who, a new book argues, masterfully used the sport to bridge the racial divide.
"That's exactly the thing that drives the Western media crazy, because it seems sneaky."
Tim Wu, a law professor who focuses on media policy, comments on increasing tension between foreign reporters and China during the tightly controlled Games.
"The only real Olympic hero, as I said, is the individual adult male. Therefore, no women or team sports."
In a 1936 bulletin, the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, reiterated his opinion on Olympism.
"Football can teach you about life, but it is no substitute for life... for the real world, for real problems, real conflicts."
French soccer great Lilian Thuram, who recently retired, spoke out for social justice during his illustrious career.
"Sir, you are the world’s greatest athlete."
King Gustav V of Sweden gave this complement to decathlete Jim Thorpe after his performance at the 1912 Olympics. Read Austin Kelley’s decathlon preview in Play‘s viewer’s guide to the Olympics.
"I’m not going to sit here and tell you it’s not a distraction. But it’s only a distraction if we let it be a distraction."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy spins a web of odd logic in response to the odd Brett Favre odyssey.
"What we have achieved in June and July has no comparison in history."
Jaime Lissavetzky, Spain’s sports minister, comments on his country’s achievements after Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France, Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon, and Spain’s soccer team won the European Championships.
"The path to globalization now apparently travels in both directions."
Josh Childress’s agent Lon Babby describes Childress’s move from the Atlanta Hawks to Olympiakos of Greece.
"After the Olympic Games, the fight for human rights must go on."
A controversial ad for Amnesty International shows this tagline on the bottom of a picture of a beaten prisoner chained to an archery target. The ad was produced by TBWA, who ironically also produced a series of pro-Chinese Adidas ads.
“It looked like a cow udder.”
Sportswriter Bert Sugar on a pair of Babe Ruth’s underwear that he bought.
"In Euro 2008, something like a third of the goals were scored by people who had not been born citizens of the country for which they were playing..."
Slate ruminates on soccer immigration.
“I’m sure you guys are going to eat this up a lot more than I am."
California Angel pitcher Jered Weaver speaks to the press after losing to the Dodgers who failed to produce a single hit.
"After the game is before the game."
German soccer legend Sepp Herberger was a poet of the game. Read more abut soccer sayings and sticker books in Austin’s ESPN column.
"Soccer is like chess, only without the dice."
German soccer player Lukas Podolski apparently summed up the game, “Fussball ist wie Schach, nur ohne Würfel.” Der Spiegel lists the best German soccer sayings.
“It’s like taking a fighter jet down to tree level, popping the canopy, turning upside down, then going down to road level and touching your helmet on the pavement.”
Mark Miller, a competitor at the Tourist Trophy motorcycle race in the Isle of Man, describes the experience of one of the last true road races.
"Schweinsteiger comes in like a rat off a drainpipe."
ESPN soccer analyst Tommy Smyth struggles to describe the swiftness and authority of Bastian Schweinsteiger’s goal in Germany’s 3-2 victory over Portugal in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals.
"As the Prime Minister I have to be balanced and collected but on Thursday night I wanted to kill."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacts violently to the referee’s decision in the Poland v Austia Euro 2008 match, which led to a lst minute goal for Austria. Poland was eliminated from the tournament. Read Austin Kelley’s piece at ESPN.
"We get to 3km to go. This is where the final hill starts. The other guys know I will beat them in the sprint, so it is up to them to attack me.... This is where I switch into rage mode."
Cyclist David Millar describes a disappointing sprint at the Giro D’Italia on his blog.
"I've had a couple of meetings with the Glazers.... They've got balls, I can tell you."
Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that Malcom Glazer, the American owner of the team, would fight against Real Madrid, the team trying to buy United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers,” he said, “Their attitude is ‘to hell with them [Real]’. They would sit a player in the stand. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. They’d do it just to prove a point and not to give in to these people. They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.”
"I know you're going to say, Well betting's all about pitching and stuff like that -- I didn't care who was pitching for me or who was pitching for the opposition."
Pete Rose said he bet about $2,000 on every Reds’ game, no matter the circumstances, while he was manager. Does this make him seem even dumber?
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