Sports Quotes

Sports compress the entire human drama — triumph, failure, teamwork, rivalry — into a format with clear rules and a definite ending. These quotes come from athletes, coaches, and fans who understand that games reveal character.

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“If your man is a sports enthusiast, you may have to resign yourself to his spouting off in a monotone on a prize fight, football game or pennant race.”

— Marilyn Monroe

More Sports Quotes

“Sports and entertainment are the only places where inner-city kids see themselves being able to succeed. Their intellectual development is something they don't relate to.”

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“I've always been a guy who wants to play sports, not watch them.”

— Shaun White

“I remember when I was growing up, I always wore glasses and so if I was on-stage or just being able to move around playing sports, I was never really able to because I had glasses holding me back. Wearing contacts has just been very helpful.”

— Joe Jonas

“I'm really into extreme sports and just having fun.”

— Kellan Lutz

“The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the sports pages.”

— Esther Williams

“Bobby Knight told me this: 'There is nothing that a good defense cannot beat a better offense.' In other words a good offense wins.”

— Dan Quayle

“Golf is a game in which one endeavors to control a ball with implements ill adapted for the purpose.”

— Woodrow Wilson

“I've been a sports fan all my life, and like most other actors, I'm convinced I could have been a pro athlete if Hollywood hadn't come calling.”

— Jamie Foxx

“Three events. Three gold medals. I was news, big news, in the sports world.”

— Esther Williams

“I was sports editor for my high school newspaper, but I think I shied away from journalism.”

— Jenna Bush

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

— Hank Aaron

“Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.”

— Billie Jean King

“I grew up being into sports and I wasn't trained to move my body in the right way for dancing. I'm the last one to get any moves correct. In rehearsals it's always, 'OK, one more take for Zac.'”

— Zac Efron

“When my TV show, 'Sports Jobs with Junior Seau,' assigned me to be a 'Sports Illustrated' reporter for a weekend, I didn't realize I'd have to squeeze it in around another sports job. I had planned to retire from the NFL to enjoy the cushy lifestyle of a full-time reality TV star, but I wound up getting run over by a bull.”

— Junior Seau

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