Pete Crow-Armstrong loves playing for the Chicago Cubs. His dad loves it, too: “My dad came to me with an ultimatum.... I was only 11 or 12 and he sat me down and was like, Look, if you’re going to pick a team, now is your last chance to pick the Cubs.” playerstribu.ne/PCA
Back in 2021, Naz Hillmon got the thrill of a lifetime when LeBron James shouted her out after she dropped 50 points: “What on earth do I say back to LeBron James????? That’s seriously a lot of pressure.” playerstribu.ne/Naz
NFL linebacker Kyle Van Noy is opening up about finding his birth parents: “I’m a 35-year-old man who plays professional football for a living. I have a wonderful, loving wife, and two awesome little kids. Back in the early 1990s, when I was a newborn, I was put up for adoption.” playerstribu.ne/KVN
Mallory Swanson in 2019: “Sorry, Mom and Dad, for breaking almost everything you owned anytime an impromptu game broke out inside the house. Sorry, Mom and Dad, for nutmegging you, constantly, and without warning, when you were just trying to relax.” playerstribu.ne/Mallory
When he was a newborn, Kyle Van Noy was adopted. As his family grew, he started looking into his birth parents. What resulted was a journey that he never expected. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/kyle-van-noy-nfl-football
Hard to Put Into Words | By Kyle Van Noy
More than anything, I really just want to make sure that I’m doing whatever’s best for my wife and our children.
theplayerstribune.com
In 2023, Alysha Clark opened up about the loss of her father and the burden of grief. playerstribu.ne/Alysha
An All Star, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick for the Dallas Wings, a national champion and Drew Bueckers’s big sister. Before UConn won the national championship last year, Drew left Paige Bueckers the sweetest message. ❤️
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle didn’t care about jinxing his perfect game back in 2009. playerstribu.ne/Buehrle
Being embraced by the New York Mets and New York City meant everything to David Wright. After being diagnosed with spinal stenosis, he officially retired from baseball, but not before one last goodbye. playerstribu.ne/Wright
In a letter to her younger self, Brandi Chastain wrote about the 1999 World Cup final: “That goal will change your life. You’ll make history. And headlines.” playerstribu.ne/BrandiChastain
Alexis Mac Allister: “If you play perfectly for 80 minutes, but you don’t know how to suffer for the last 10, then you are never going to be a champion. As a country, I think that’s our secret. Maybe we even enjoy the madness a little bit, no?” playerstribu.ne/MacAllister
Rodri in 2024: “Pure joy. With all due respect to books and economics and accounting…. There is only one thing that touches the heart like that. Only football can do it. Thank God for our parents for making us study, eh? Thank God for football for making us dream.” playerstribu.ne/Rodri
As Alexis Mac Allister fulfills his lifelong dream in his second consecutive World Cup final, the Argentina midfielder’s father leaves him a special message. 🩵
Back in 2021, former England manager Gareth Southgate wrote: “When you go out there, in this shirt, you have the opportunity to produce moments that people will remember forever. You are a part of an experience that lasts in the collective consciousness of our country.” playerstribu.ne/Southgate
Ernie Clement went from a fourth-round draft pick to a starter in the All-Star Game. To put it simply, the Toronto Blue Jays second baseman just loves playing baseball. playerstribu.ne/Ernie
Rodri in 2024: “I watched the final, surrounded by Americans who didn’t care about what was happening. When Iniesta scored, I literally started screaming and I ran outside and sprinted around the lake.” playerstribu.ne/Rodri
Dani Olmo is happiest with a ball at his feet: “My very first memory is of me and my older brother, Carlos, playing in these mini goals my parents put up on our terrace. I was like two years old and Carlos would put me in position between the posts and just shoot at me!” playerstribu.ne/DaniOlmo
Before he won a national championship with Michigan and was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, Yaxel Lendeborg’s goal was to make his mom proud. playerstribu.ne/Yaxel
Ilkay Gündoğan on his former Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland: “He’s never satisfied. I feel like there are no limits for him. Messi and Ronaldo are the only comparison for the level he could reach.” playerstribu.ne/Guendogan
Kevin De Bruyne in 2019: “I’ll tell you the story, but please understand that talking about myself is pretty much the hardest thing in the world for me. Football? I could talk to you for hours about it. But anything personal, it’s tough for me.” playerstribu.ne/DeBruyne
Kylian Mbappé in 2020: “We played for this €2 trophy like it was the Jules Rimet Trophy. That’s just how it was.” playerstribu.ne/Mbappe
In 2024, Kelsey Mitchell opened up about the loss of her dad and how she continues to feel his presence. playerstribu.ne/KelseyMitchell
Harry Kane in 2018 on turning doubt into motivation: "It was like I could see my childhood dream, and it was right there in front of me … but it was just out of reach. I was waiting for somebody to hand it to me. But life never hands it to you, does it? You’ve gotta grab it." playerstribu.ne/HKane
Today we revisit Eric Cantona’s reflection on the meaning of life and football’s place in it: “Football gives meaning to your life. I really believe this.... Football gives meaning to life, yes. But life also gives meaning to football.…" playerstribu.ne/Cantona
Alexis Mac Allister is not afraid of the world's stage. Last year, he reflected on Argentina's historical World Cup victory: "Ángel’s face was the face of the country. There was so much pain mixed in with so much joy." playerstribu.ne/MacAllister
Hello! Bonjour! It’s Ismaël here. Thank you for the words of support, and for making me feel a part of this. Canada, this is for you. https://playerstribu.ne/Kone
A Letter to My Canada Football Family | By Ismaël Koné
'The thing I couldn’t stop thinking about, it’s how disappointed I was not to get to help our team on the field anymore, while we’re on this mission together.'
playerstribu.ne
In 2022, Granit Xhaka reflected on the lessons that built him into the resilient leader he is today: “Any time I had a problem in my career, and I wanted to give up, [my dad] would say the same thing. “Never walk away.” Never." playerstribu.ne/Xhaka
