Quotes About Athletics

Everything is so much more stacked than it was even five or 10 years ago. There are so many more good players, so many solid players. The level doesn't really drop from around 100-500. It's really tough to make it, but I just have to work as hard as possible.

I started surfing when I was working on 'The Hunger Games,' out on the north shore of Oahu, so about four years ago. I used to skateboard as a kid, kind of religiously, until I broke my leg riding in a pool when I was about 14 and I couldn't play football that fall.

A couple of years ago I ran in the LA Marathon.

It probably won't sink in until I've retired from running but I'm a much better athlete than two years ago.

My body's feeling it a little bit. But one good thing, my back is in good shape, and that's my main concern. I know that my legs are going to take awhile to get back to where I was a few years ago, but as long as my back is solid, I feel that I can play many years.

If you look at the sponsors who were in the sport 15 years ago compared to now there are a lot fewer. Why? Because those runners who took drugs tainted the sport. They tainted all of us in it.

I have had two knee surgeries on my right knee: that was my jumping leg that I jumped off for years and years.

Playing on Saturdays, seeing 75,000 people yell your name, 88, ASJ, and all of that stuff is great.

I had a chance to work with Cain Velasquez, Mike Kyle and this was great. And I remember how Bob Cook all the time he did conditioning, yell all the time, 'You have to do better.' He pushed me all the time so I really appreciate him. It was a great experience for me.

You can actually get calls by yelling, 'And one!' as you release.

Imagine being a running back or a receiver. You get tackled, and then when you get up, you're surrounded by a bunch of guys, and they're all screaming and yelling at you... Mentally, it wears on you, like, 'God, how long can I do this?' It's a mental thing.

When you have 20,000 people yelling and screaming at you, four other guys can concentrate on the floor. So every time I touch the basketball and everyone is yelling and chanting and doing things towards me, well, four other guys can concentrate.

I get excited after I dunk. I yell and scream, but it's not yelling and screaming at other players to show them up. It's the way I play. What I do is have fun on the court.

Golf, tennis, I think we respect one another and the crowd. If you see golf tournaments, as well, on the side, no one's yelling, no one's talking. There's a lot of quiet there before someone is hitting the swing or stroke. So is tennis. It's a very respectful sport.

You don't normally get to hear that, you don't normally get to hear your coaches yelling at you from the sideline when you got fans there.

I won 34 Tour stages by winning sprints, in the mountains, in time trials and going on the attack on the descents. Let's not forget the five yellow jerseys I've got at home plus the 96 days I wore it. Does that not seem much?

Thank God there was no yellow card in basketball because I would get a red card every game.

Every time Wimbledon is on, I am thinking, 'Yes, I could do the same and get out the racket.' Sadly, not the same results.

Have I ever left the field with a broken nose, black eye? Yes, numerous times. I've had a broken nose and a few black eyes. It's part and parcel of the game, really.

When you're out there in the octagon and you've got thousands of people, millions across the world, either cheering for you to win or cheering for you to get knocked out, the adrenaline is going, so it doesn't hurt while you're out there. Now fast forward to about an hour and a half to two hours after the fight? Oh yes. It's pretty painful.

Yes, I started by running barefoot. My feet used to slip in canvas shoes. So we put them aside and ran barefoot.

Yes, at times in front of goal a fog descends. Perhaps the speed of my feet doesn't match up with that of my mind.

Yes, I mean, I used to be into the big bulk thing, and that's why my legs look like those of a cyclist instead of a shooter's, but I think there is a point to where too much is not a good thing. I think I try to lower my center of gravity by doing a lot of legs.

I can remember the day I decided I would retire from competitive athletics as vividly as if it were yesterday.