George Best: The Best to Never Play the Game

We take a look back at perhaps the best football player never to win the World Cup. In fact, he never even played in the tournament.

Florence Griffith Joyner: Fastest Woman on Earth

Florence Griffith Joyner was one of the most talented and colorful athletes of the 1980s. On her birthday, we take a look back at the record-setting sprinter known as Flo-Jo.

Sir Stanley Matthews, Wizard of the Dribble

The only soccer player to be knighted while still playing.

Walter Payton's Sweet NFL Career

On Nov. 1, 1999, the NFL lost one of its all-time greatest players, running back Walter Payton .

Buck O'Neil Loved Baseball

Baseball legend Buck O'Neil would have been 100 years old today. He may not be quite as well known as Jackie Robinson, but he was every bit as much a barrier-smasher...

The Whole World is Watching

During the tumultuous , 1968 stands out as a turning point, with new modes of political action actively courting television news media.

World’s Greatest Athletes: Lottie Dod and Babe Didrikson Zaharias

We’re remembering two remarkable women who would give any athlete – man or woman – a run for their money when it comes to all-time greatest: Lottie Dod and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Smokin' Joe Frazier

When we think of boxing superstar , a few legendary fights immediately come to mind.

London 2012: Remembering Summer Olympians

We look back at the great athletes of the summer Olympic who died in 2011 - 2012.

Althea Gibson, Tennis Trailblazer

In the 1950s, Althea Gibson joined the ranks of trailblazers like , and when she became the first Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour. Her 1956 Grand Slam win was a crucial step in ushering in the integration of professional sports.

Flo-Jo: Fast and Flashy

People spoke about Florence Griffith Joyner like an expensive car: sleek, gorgeous, and above all, fast.

Fanny Blankers-Koen: The Flying Housewife

Dutch track athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen (1918–2004) ran so fast she was called "The Flying Housewife." She was so fast she was given a bicycle to encourage her to slow down. She was so fast she was the first woman to win four Olympic gold medals and the first to do it at one Olympics. She was 30 at the time, the mother of two, and .

Joe Frazier Still Swinging in Philadelphia

won a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics.

Wilma Rudolph, La Gazzella

She was La Gazzella Negra , the "Black Gazelle," the fastest woman on Earth...

Yogi Berra (1925–2015), iconic Yankees catcher

New York Yankees catcher and cultural icon.

The Lou Gehrig Grand Slam

In 1938, Lou Gehrig was having a difficult year. He was weary, a little weak, dragging his feet occasionally. “I tired mid-season. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get going again,” Gehrig explained. The Yankee’s stats were starting to sink (though they were still good — even as he slowed down, he played better than the average major leaguer), and his friends and teammates were noticing a change in him, early signs of the mysterious disease — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS — that would soon take his life.

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016), boxing legend & cultural icon

Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing champion named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated magazine, died June 3, 2016. He was 74.

Arnold Palmer (1929 - 2016), golf legend

Palmer won 62 titles on the PGA Tour between 1955 and 1973. Part of the “Big Three” alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, he helped popularize and commercialize professional golf as a televised sport.

Gardnar Mulloy (1913 - 2016), tennis champion

Gardnar Mulloy, a former No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States, died Nov. 14, 2016, in Miami, Florida, according to multiple news sources. He was 102 and would have celebrated his 103rd birthday next week.

Jackie Robinson's Firsts

Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest trailblazers in sports history. He’s well known for a certain iconic “first”—but his entry into Major League Baseball was just one of many things Robinson did before anyone else. As we celebrate Robinson by remembering all of his historic firsts, we’ll start with one very famous fact.

Remembering Arthur Ashe (video)

A video tribute to the tennis legend.

Arthur Ashe: A Timeline of Triumph

On the anniversary of his death, we are celebrating Arthur Ashe with a timeline of his athletic triumphs.

Piet Keizer (1943–2017), Dutch soccer star

International soccer star played for Ajax Amsterdam.

Remembering Althea Gibson (video)

has been called the of tennis. She broke through the color barrier in 1950 and within a few years became a dominant force, winning back-to-back Wimbledon and U.S. National Championships. She is regarded as one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time. Because tennis was an amateur sport, she never made much money playing it, so she turned to golf and repeated her pioneering achievement, becoming the first Black woman on the LPGA tour. Today she’s remembered for inspiring and paving the way for other Black tennis greats like and Venus and Serena Williams.

Raymond Kopa (1931–2017)

Former soccer star made legendary plays with France and Real Madrid.

Remembering the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (video)

A video tribute to women who played professional baseball.

Remembering Olympians

As the 2018 Olympics get underway, we're taking a moment to remember winter Olympians who have died this year.

25 Best Baseball Players of All Time

Springtime means opening day of the Major League Baseball season—just thinking about it, you can practically smell the hot dogs and hear the crack of a bat as the crowd erupts in cheers. Baseball has been called America's favorite pastime, but it's worth remembering that the greatest baseball players of yesteryear used to be America's favorite popular heroes, too. In this gallery, we take a fond look at 25 of the most beloved top baseball stars of all time who are no longer with us, from Mickey Mantle to Ernie Banks and more.

Kobe Bryant (1978–2020), basketball legend

Kobe Bryant wasone of the greatest players to put on an NBA uniform.Bryant played all 20 of his seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to five NBA titles.Wearing his familiar number 24, the shooting guard was an 18-time All-Star and a two-time NBA finals MVP.An unstoppable scorer from outside and inside, he averaged 25 points a game in his career. Bryant was the NBA's fourth highest scorer of all time and the league's first guard to play 20 seasons. When he started with the Lakers in 1996, Bryant was the youngest person ever to play in an NBA game mdash he skipped college in favor of going pro, and he was just 17 when he signed with the Lakers and a little over 18 when he played his first game. Bryant won two gold medals for Team USA in the Olympics, in 2008 and 2012.

Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens was one of the greatest track stars—and one of the most beloved Olympians—of all time. In a year when hate threatened to overshadow the Olympic Games being held in Nazi Germany, Owens delighted the free world by winning four gold medals and destroying Adolf Hitler's notion that his Aryan athletes were superior to black competitors. The photos taken of Owens at those 1936 games, and in the years before and after, depict an amazing athlete who has inspired generations of people of all races. In honor of Owens, we present a photo celebration of his life and legacy.

Looking Back at Joe DiMaggio

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, aka "The Yankee Clipper," was one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball. He led the New York Yankees to an unbelievable nine world championships in 13 seasons and had a record-setting 56-game hitting streak, a feat still unmatched over 70 years later. We look back Joe DiMaggio, the man and the myth, with some of our favorite videos and photos.

Mickey Wright (1935–2020), LPGA legend who won 13 majors

Mickey Wright was a professional golfer who is widely considered one of the best in LPGA history. Playing professionally from 1955 until her 1969 retirement, Wright won 13 major championships and 82 LPGA Tour events, including winning four consecutive majors in 1961 and 1962. She was known for her fluid and powerful swing, which some called the best they’d ever seen from any golfer, male or female.

Diego Maradona (1960–2020), soccer legend

Diego Maradona was one of the greatest soccer players of all time, leading Argentina to a World Cup win in 1986.

Rafer Johnson (1934–2020), Olympic decathlon legend

Rafer Johnson won the decathlon gold medal at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome and was the first Black American to be the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team.

Negro League Stars

We take a look back at the stars of the Negro Leagues and their incredible achievements on and off the baseball diamond.

Joan Joyce (1940–2022), softball legend and LPGA record-holder

Joan Joyce was the longtime head softball coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), as well as a record-setting golfer and basketball player.

Greg Foster (1958–2023), world champion hurdler 

Greg Foster was an American hurdler. He is the only person to win three consecutive World Championship titles in the sport.

Bob Richards (1926–2023), first athlete featured on Wheaties boxes

Bob Richards was an Olympic gold medalist in pole vaulting who became the first athlete featured on the front of Wheaties cereal boxes.