Even in the heat of competition, there are acts that go beyond good sportsmanship. Look no further than what Robert Gomez, 34, did for 23-year-old Jesse Orach during Saturday's Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Orach, who was leading his division, ran one helluva race until he collapsed from heat stroke about 100 yards from the finish line. [...]
Alan Ruschel was one of just six people to survive the plane crash in November that claimed the lives 71 people on board, including 19 Chapecoense soccer players and staff. For the first time since the tragedy, the 27-year-old who had surgery to repair a spinal cord injury, returned to the field against Barcelona SC on Monday night. Ruschel played [...]
In 2015, Mieko Nagaoka became the first person 100 years or older to swim 1,500 meters in a race. Now 103, the athlete from Japan is still training hard for her races. She may need a helping hand to get in the water, but Nagaoka, who started swimming at 82 in physical therapy, trains four days per week. “I’m fit [...]
By Julia Kennedy Most professional athletes aren’t shy about name-dropping their favorite basketball player or football player while they were growing up, citing them as their inspiration and role models for how they got to the professional level of sports. But not Malcolm Jenkins. The Philadelphia Eagles safety stopped to talk about inspiration, giving back and why sports create such [...]
Photo courtesy of Beth French Beth French entered the water to show her 8-year-old son, Dylan, what was possible. She got out to show him he's more important than anything else. The 39-year-old single mother from England, had her sights set on being the first person to complete the Ocean's 7 Challenge in one year. For those unfamiliar, [...]
If you’ve ever been in the ocean, you inherently know the unbridled power of a wave. It’s both indiscriminate and authoritarian. It’s a wild beast begging to play, practically goading you to tame it. But you don’t because you’ve been punished before for such foolishness. Unless you’re Bianca Valenti. And then it’s just another daily commute, a method of deliverance [...]
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette believes in the power of hard work and setting new goals. That's the lesson the former LSU star and fourth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft is passing down to younger generations. Partnering with MET-Rx, Fournette, 22, agreed to have more than 700 of his trophies melted down in order to turn them [...]
Editor’s note: Because Purpose2Play has been telling the stories of athletes, coaches, and fans for more than three years, we figure it’s about time to catch up with some of them to find out where they are now. As you’ll see, they’re still inspiring others and making the world a better place to live in. Where Are They Now? Catching [...]
It was a huge month here at Purpose2Play. We talked with a homicide detective who lost his leg, but found his way out of a dark hole. We covered the ESPY Awards and Air Force Sgt. Israel Del Toro's big win. We also reported on a mother who set a new world record for pushing a three-child stroller in a [...]