People want athletes to cater to their image of what an athlete should be, but they also want them to fail so they can feel like their screwups are all right. If I make a priority shift, I'll make it because it's best for me.
Half of the basketball world thinks I'm this hothead, dirty player who can't get anything under control and probably thinks I'm arrogant and a selfish guy.
I see myself as an athlete and just try to market myself as a feminine athlete.
I don't think we know who a lot of these athletes are. We think we do, but they're never allowed to be themselves. Because the minute they try, people are saying, What's wrong with him? Why is he drawing attention to himself?
There's definitely a whole double standard. I don't understand it. A guy can be sexy and good-looking, and it totally just enhances his credibility as an athlete.
When I went to the Olympics, I had every intention of shaving the mustache off, but I realized I was getting so many comments about it - and everybody was talking about it - that I decided to keep it.
A ballplayer has two reputations, one with the other players and one with the fans. The first is based on ability. The second the newspapers give him.
I think I'm pretty misunderstood, because I'm not just about football.
The problem, as a female athlete, is that you don't want to come across as negative and moaning.
People watch me because I am a footballer, not because I wear a nice watch.
The whole narrative of the 'Return to the Land' was completely PR spin. Fans ate it up because it painted LeBron as the hero coming back to save Cleveland from obscurity.
I was just starting out acting [doing "Airplane"] and wanted to be taken as a professional, not as an athlete doing a cameo.
Even before I came out, looking at me, I've probably looked a little gay. I had short hair, and, you know, it wasn't a huge surprise to people. But some athletes have this image to uphold and may feel like sponsors won't want them if they're gay.
I am here to put out a positive athlete.
A lot of guys are known for the stuff they do off the golf course and who they like to hang around. It's pretty obvious who's doing that and who isn't.
We're often portrayed as rich, spoiled athletes who play a game for too much money.
The guys that are serious serious about football - your Peyton Mannings, your Tom Bradys - I'm not saying don't advertise or do endorsements dollars. But there's a time and a place for everything.
I think many people think competitive eating is a really disgusting sport, so people think they look bad normally. But I care about what I'm wearing. I don't want to be someone who is doing something that is considered gross and then also look like a slob.
People still think I'm a bit of a buffoon - not really an athlete.
When you talk about professional footballers, rightly or wrongly, people often already have an idea in their head about what they're like; they'll paint a picture before they've met them.
You kind of have to be secretive about what you're doing post-football because if you're really outward and everyone knows about it while you're playing football then the rap on you is, 'Oh, you don't care about the game.'
Footballers do get a hard time, and there is a lot of generalization going on. When you get to meet players and know them as lads, it's always a bit different.
I think that when you look at a guy like Luke Harper you can see that he does in fact smell.
I think it's very easy for people to stereotype athletes, good and bad.
I see so many guys, really athletic guys, wearing pleats and I just shake my head. Like, Tiger Woods used to wear pleated pants! I'm like, 'C'mon, Tiger!'
