Willie Mays Quotes

I played professional level sports. When you're playing for money, it's a whole other level.

Sport must be amateur or it is not sport. Sports played professionally are entertainment.

You can be one inch from the national team and the opportunity to make so much money and a life out of it. That's why people hang on so long.

I was a judo athlete, while taking modeling as my side job, before I eventually quit my professional sports career over a knee injury.

I hated baseball. I really didn't like baseball at all until someone decided they were going to pay me... Every year I played in the big leagues, the day the season ended, I called my buddies in West Virginia and said, 'I'll be home tomorrow.'

Many players want to make as much money as they can and change teams for ten grand. How is that going to make much difference to their lives?

I almost didn't turn pro at all. I was tempted to be a career amateur. I worked as an investment banker for nine months after I got out of school, and the money was fantastic and promised to get even more lucrative.

I was an All-American in wrestling in high school, was National Champion in Chinese kickboxing in 1999 and have spent a lot of time around professional athletes, which includes my eight-plus years as CEO of a sports nutrition company.

You know, my role as Vice Chairman is a lot less tiring than playing matches every three days.

I did not come into football to make money. I had already made millions.

Even though I play a professional sport now, I love college baseball.

I think professional sports, football, to use it as an example, it's fundamentally a form of entertainment.

They're still considered Olympic eligibles, so there's never an issue whether they're going to turn pro or not. When they get to that level, money is never an issue. They make so much money now.

It's no surprise that I ended up in sportscasting. I lived this world with my father, Mike Storen. Dad was a sports executive for most of my childhood.

Sports is all about money.

Until my senior year, baseball and basketball were my best sports; and even when I was a senior, I still wanted to play baseball professionally. But the family wanted me to go to college, and I guess I agreed with them, or else I would have accepted some of the offers I got.

I went to Dartmouth College, graduated, and had the opportunity to play two professional sports - I played for the New England Patriots in the NFL and professional lacrosse for the Boston Blazers. I had an injury, so I had to stop so I could heal. But when I was playing football, I wasn't making a lot of money; I wasn't a superstar.

It's great to be able to continue my career in Chicago. Playing with the best organization in sports and the best fans in the game is a blessing.

People turn professional and they are not running as fast as they did in college because it is a lot different, but I wanted to make sure that I didn't have that kind of transition and always stayed on top.

When I was younger, I thought I would finish in my mid-30s because that is normal for most players.

I've always dreamed of being a professional athlete.

I was on my way to becoming a Hall of Famer and having my name in the rafters, but three surgeries in 14 months, that is not good. I wasn't the same player.

We all play football to get money.

I've given it all from my combine to my pro day to my meetings with teams.

I don't get a lot of enjoyment out of sitting there for an hour and a half watching a game like we saw between Ireland and England last Sunday.