Sports

Alon Mandel at the Beijing OlmypicsSomething inspiring happened at the Water Cube at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and it had nothing to do with Michael Phelps. In a men's 200 meter butterfly preliminary heat, Israeli swimmer Alon Mandel stepped up to the blocks, blocked out all distractions, focused all his energy, and dove into the water. He proceeded to swim faster than any Israeli had ever swam the 200 meter butterfly. What's inspiring is that Mandel, a junior at the University of Michigan, did it with a heavy heart. His father, Kostya, passed away just two days before the opening ceremony.

New York Giant’s receiver David Tyree made one of the greatest catches in history during Super Bowl XLII. Tyree snatched a high pass out of the air and pinned the ball to his helmet as he plunged to the ground.

Every young football player dreams of one day suiting up for their favorite professional team, and starring in the NFL. In order to get there however, athletes must go through a long, draining, testing process, which kicks off with the NFL Combine. It’s here that tomorrow’s stars are formally introduced to NFL scouts, and the world.

One of the first scenes in the 2004 movie Friday Night Lights is a high school football player taking a swing at his teammate. In that one punch lies one of the messiest issues in sports: inter-team violence. The issue is as big or small as you want to make it, however.

Violence among teammates on a small level is not an uncommon occurrence. Scuffles and fights at practice and in the locker room occur all the time, and are nothing to worry about, espn.com writer Wayne Drehs says.