Sports Poets Society

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/dear-basketball Kobe Bryant RETIRED NOV 30 2015 Dear Basketball, From the moment I started rolling my dad’s tube socks And shooting imaginary Game-winning shots In the Great Western Forum I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you. A love so deep I gave you my all — From my mind & body To my spirit & soul. As a six-year-old boy Deeply in love with you I never saw the end of the tunnel. I only saw myself Running out of one. And so I ran. I ran up and down every court After every loose ball for you. You asked for my hustle I gave you my heart Because it came with so much more. I played through the sweat and hurt Not because challenge called me But because YOU called me. I did everything for YOU Because that’s what you do When someone makes you feel as Alive as you’ve made me feel. You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream And I’ll always love you for it. But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer. This seas...

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28569694/remembering-kobe-bryant-relentless-curious-infinitely-complicated Jackie MacMullan ESPN Senior Writer We were visiting relatives on a brisk Thanksgiving afternoon on Cape Cod in 2007, and I was balancing a piece of piping-hot apple pie in my hand when my phone pinged to let me know I had a text message. It was from Kobe Bryant . "Hey Jackie, wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving," he wrote. While this was mildly surprising, as Kobe and I weren't exactly regular social correspondents, we had been emailing on and off for years for various professional reasons. This text felt a bit like an olive branch . Bryant had initially emerged from his bruising sexual assault case both angry and defiant, fully embracing his black hat and the Black Mamba mantel; but as time passed, he began repairing his relationships within the basketball community. It felt as though his Thanksgiving salutation...

https://www.velonews.com/news/how-primoz-roglic-made-the-leap-from-ski-jumper-to-grand-tour-winner/ The story of Primož Roglič’s unimaginable rise to the top of Grand Tour racing. JANUARY 27, 2020 -  ANDREW HOOD This story appeared in the January/February 2020 print issue of VeloNews. Anyone watching the podium ceremony at the end of the 2019 Vuelta a España knew it was coming. After the handshakes, the trophies, the jerseys, and yes, even an unbridled smile for what was a very tense and pressure-packed three weeks for Primož Roglič , it was inevitable. And finally there it was. Roglič spread his arms wide and split his legs beneath him like a pair of scissors. With his signature victory salute, Roglič was soaking up the moment of his incredible journey to become Slovenia’s first grand tour winner . And just as fast as Roglič could tuck his knees, someone out there on social media raced to be the first to post on Twitter, “Hey, did you know Roglič used to be a ski jumper?” Roglič’...