After NFL linebacker Aaron Maybin's playing days were over, the 29-year-old turned all of his attention to art, activism and teaching. His name hit the headlines this week for a very sad reason. That's because Matthew A. Henson Elementary, the school Maybin teaches at in Baltimore, is so severely underfunded that classrooms don't have heat. The former Buffalo Bill and [...]
At 10 years old, Lilly Biagini has already experienced so much loss in her life. Not only did she lose her legs at the age of six, but she also lost her prosthetic legs in October in the California wildfires. So, knowing her spirit needed to be uplifted, the Harlem Globetrotters stepped in. Lilly was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital [...]
Some might say Bonnie St. John has lived a life more akin to Forrest Gump. After having her right leg amputated at 5 years old, the 53-year-old became the first African American to ever medal in a Winter Olympic competition. She's a Harvard alum who won the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and was then appointed by President Clinton as [...]
The Duke faithful always back basketball coaching legend Mike Krzyzewski, but did you know that for 37 years, Coach K had a very special friend behind him, literally? Steve Mitchell occupied a seat behind the Duke bench at every home game because decades ago, Coach K invited him to sit there, knowing how special that would be. Mitchell, who passed [...]
They may send themselves crashing through tables at tailgate parties, but many Buffalo Bills fans have hearts of gold. Ask Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. After Dalton connected with Tyler Boyd on a 49-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-12 to beat the Baltimore Ravens in week 17 of the regular season, Bills fans were ecstatic because with the Bengals' win, that [...]
There's no doubt coaches can make a difference in athletes' lives. But, how about a life-saving difference? That's what University of Dubuque women's basketball assistant coach Justin Smith did for 22 players and the team's coaching staff on Sunday when he saw that the driver of their bus passed out while going 70 miles per hour, and jumped into action. [...]
If you haven't heard of Kai Jones, buckle up. He's a 10-year-old big mountain skier from Wyoming who puts on a flashy show on snow wherever he goes. Yes, you can find him skiing off cliffs, throwing backflips, sliding down park rails and launching himself off cabin roofs. Ultimately, though, he rides his sticks to squeeze every bit of enjoyment [...]
It was an incredible year for us at Purpose2Play. In April, we became a proud affiliate of FanSided, the fastest-growing digital content network in sports. With the move, the powerful and often under-the-radar sports stories we provide have flourished, and we cannot wait for 2018 and another year of telling the sports stories that deserve to be told. But first, [...]
Sure, it's never too late to go back to school. But, to go back to school and play college sports? Perhaps there's no limit to that either. Look no further than 61-year-old Don Byers, a grandfather, insurance agent and the only freshman on Bellevue University's men's golf team, making him one of the oldest college athletes in history. The college [...]
How would you celebrate your 100th birthday? If you're Delia Leal, you'd hit the road to see the San Antonio Spurs play. The centenarian traveled for three hours in cold temperatures on Thursday evening despite a health scare to watch her longtime favorite team take on the New York Knicks. Why? Well, it was on her "bucket list" to see [...]