In reality, we can prove that the incidents of drug, alcohol abuse and violence have dropped dramatically among professional athletes - but the problem is it would be impossible to convince than fans, because of what they read on the AP wire.
I think a lot of people have the idea that all I do is dunk and all I do is make layups.
People think I'm into sports because I'm a man. But I'm not into sports. I like Gatorade, but that's about as far as it goes. By the way, you don't have to be sweaty and play basketball to enjoy Gatorade. You can just be a thirsty dude. Gatorade forgets about this demographic!
I never wanted to be a cheerleader; I wanted to play football.
You walk into a room and there's already judgment. You know, like football players can't act or you're going to come in and be stiff.
But yet I don't think I should be labeled just a black quarterback, because it's bigger things in this sport that need to be accomplished.
Warren Moon and Doug Williams really didn't run that much. That's the negative stereotype when it comes to African-American quarterbacks, that most of us just run. Those guys threw it around. I like to think I can throw it around a little bit.
Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out.
Soccer is a man's game, not an outing for mamby-pambies.
I've beaten two of the best players in the world, and if that doesn't say that women can't play darts I don't know what can.
I think when coaches look at me, they don't see a prototypical running back.
I'd love to be a NASCAR driver because they're, like, in their forties and fifties.
Scottish football is full of hammer throwers.
I think sometimes there's this perception that players are supposed to be robots.
I'm not a fan of everyone treating you different because you play a sport.
Most people compliment me on maintaining my femininity while I'm on the court. People like the fact that I model. My fans or little girls always say they want to play sports, but also want to be a model like me and I think that's great.
I don't think you have to be this macho man all the time, just because you play sport.
If we, as a group, can change people's view from thinking they're watching football as opposed to women's football, then I think we've been successful.
You could ask any position player and they'll tell you: pitchers aren't athletes.
There's always that stigma of, 'Women shouldn't box,' or stereotypes of what a female boxer should look like. I don't think the men really have to deal with that - to tell people they're a boxer.
Figure skaters have awful perceptions of hockey players.
Quarterbacks can still have good bodies. I'm always conscious of the stereotype. I want to change what people think. There's a lot more to it than what you see on the field.
I think rather than further the stereotypes of me going into the league and being 'the Harvard guy,' I shattered those when I was a rookie and I couldn't call a play in the huddle.
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.
Before Babita and my win at the CommonWealth Games, nobody used to take Indian women wrestlers seriously.
