Professional Sports Career Quotes

As a kid growing up in Canton, Ohio, you never see yourself in a position to play in the NBA, much less have somebody pay you to wear shoes.

I got into pro ball at 18 and played until I was almost 39, non-stop.

My durability is just something I took a lot of pride in, that I was able to play 70 games over and over and over and they add up to 1,200-and-something games, plus the playoff games, plus whatever.

When I was a child, it was my dream to be a professional footballer. When I was 14 I visited Milan's San Siro stadium and remember thinking how unbelievable it was. From then onwards I vowed that one day I would be playing there - and I am very proud that I achieved this and also for everything else I have managed to achieve in football.

Unfortunately I couldn't play as much as I wanted in Los Angeles, because I was playing behind an All-Star.

As long as I feel like I can win majors and contend, I'll continue to play.

I worked hard at becoming a professional football player, just like society says you should. It said you had to be fierce. I was fierce. Tough. I was tough.

Playing 13 years is a long time, but I feel really good. It's not like I'm [old]. I'm just thankful.

The pro athlete is a sad tale. He signs a big contract and thinks he's set for life. I didn't think I was set for life, and I don't now. As athletes, we are important, celebrities, in demand and rich. Then we are out of the game and we are not important, not celebrities, not in demand and not rich.

Of course, in college, you're traveling, especially when you're with Duke basketball, but in the NBA, it's on a whole entire level.

When I was younger, to be honest, watching Bo Jackson, I dreamed of playing both sports. But as I got older, the opportunities were much better in hockey than baseball.

People think I played 10 years. I only played 68 games.

I'm 23, and I have played in the Premier League, in La Liga and in Italy.

I got injured when I was a kid, and it prevented me from becoming a footballer.

Since coming to the major leagues, my passion toward baseball had started to decrease.

It's pretty simple, the way I look at it. I became a Hall of Famer here (in New York), with my numbers here and what I've done here, and hopefully three-hundred will be another big part of that. When (former Red Sox general manager Dan) Duquette said that I was done, if I'd have taken his advice and went home, I wouldn't have been a Hall of Famer. So it's a no-brainer. It's definitely pretty easy. Reggie (Jackson) spent five years here, and this will be five for me.

I was keenly aware when I was drafted, when I signed my first contract; immediately, I was thinking about the end.

Former Olympians also get paid to make appearances. Many of them won their medals in an era when Olympic success didn't go hand-in-hand with financial success.

By that time I was thinking a little about pro ball and hopeful that someone would draft me.

You know, when you first come up, and you get called up to the big leagues, all you want to do is just, you just want to have a career, a nice career. You want to make a living at it.

Just knowing your dad is a professional basketball player, it just makes you feel like you're destined for.

Even Rod Woodson will tell you his best year he had as a professional was when he was 36 years old. If you think about why, you're much wiser.

Going out there as a forward can shorten your career somewhat, whereas if you go out as a back, you will be OK.

Of course I would have liked to have spent my whole life at Real Madrid, but if it cannot be, it cannot be, and you have to move on.

I played over 130 matches, including four finals, so there have been many great moments.