Rahul Dravid
India Test and one-day international cricketer, 1996–2012; later India head coach
One of the biggest challenges that the game must respond to today, I believe, is charting out a clear road map for the three formats. We now realise that the sport's three formats cannot be played in equal numbers - that will only throw scheduling and the true development of players completely off gear.
Recorded
Bradman Oration, Anzac Hall, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ESPNcricinfo, 14 December 2011
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Megan Rapinoe
United States international footballer, 2006–2023
I can understand if you think that I'm disrespecting the flag by kneeling, but it is because of my utmost respect for the flag and the promise it represents that I have chosen to demonstrate in this way. When I take a knee, I am facing the flag with my full body, staring straight into the heart of our country's ultimate symbol of freedom — because I believe it is my responsibility, just as it is yours, to ensure that freedom is afforded to everyone in this country.
Recorded
First-person essay, The Players' Tribune, 6 October 2016
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Reinhold Messner
Mountaineer; first to climb all fourteen eight-thousand-metre peaks
I was very well organized in my things. I am an exceptional worker, not only a risk taker. And I was not in competition with anybody. Many people died because they were in competition.
Recorded
Academy of Achievement interview, 22 August 2018
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If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during pregnancy and afterward. It's one example of a sports industry where the rules are still mostly made for and by men.
Recorded
Opinion piece, The New York Times, 22 May 2019
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Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions. In any other line of work, you would be forgiven for taking a personal day here and there, so long as it's not habitual.
Recorded
First-person cover essay, Time, 8 July 2021
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I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don't think it's fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be writing this because I'd be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.
Recorded
First-person essay, Vogue September 2022 issue, 9 August 2022
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