The Players’ Tribune

After a season-ending knee injury, Texas RB CJ Baxter is dedicated to being the best teammate he can be. He wrote this for his Texas football family: “Sometimes there isn’t a good explanation for why bad things happen, but what’s in your control is how you react.”⁠ Read the full story: playerstribu.ne/CJBaxter

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman in 2021: “I could tell you 100 ways that I understand how special this place is, that I understand this football team, and that I know what it takes to win a National Championship.⁠ ⁠ But I’ve learned something valuable in my career as a coach: It isn’t always about what you say. At the end of the day, it’s about the impact of what you do and how you make people feel....⁠ ⁠ I’m going to care about these young men, and what we’re building together here, with all I’ve got....⁠ ⁠ Another thing I know about these players — they’re smart, and they’re independent. That’s the deal when you’re a student and a player at a prestigious school like this. From the minute you wake up at 6:00 a.m. to the minute you go to sleep, you don’t have a choice to turn it off, to relax. If you don’t compete, and you’re not a tough-minded individual from the minute you get to class, then you’re not going to have success here. That’s just a hard fact.⁠ ⁠ And when you get up every day with that mentality, eventually it just becomes who you are.⁠ ⁠ That’s why you’re seeing us out there playing our best ball at the end of the season. Because this is what our guys know how to do.⁠ ⁠ It’s not a grind, it’s not a drag. It’s what we do.⁠ ⁠ And that’s what makes the Notre Dame football player different.” Read the full story: playerstribu.ne/Freeman 📸: Michael Reaves

A letter to my kids Sometimes, it’s hard to find the right words, especially when you try to explain something to your kids. Right now, some things are beyond their understanding, but it is still important that they understand it at some point. When I met with The Players’ Tribune, I felt like it was a great chance to write down much of what is on my mind - starting from what they mean to me - to everything that I’ve experienced so far and how this brought me to where I am today. The birth of a child changes your life. And for us, it was a very particular experience, a quite dramatic one. Never have I felt so much fear and joy at the same time. During a routine check some week before his designated birth date, Rome’s heartbeat was very slow. We had to rush to the hospital and do a C-section to save him. Being so young, he had to stay in intensive care for some weeks before we could finally take him home with us. This came at the same time when I was without a club for the first time in my career. I made this decision intentionally to find the best environment for our family, but suddenly, it was October, and I was still without a club, starting to get nervous. I’m very glad that with PSV Eindhoven and Roger Schmidt, I found the right club and the right coach for my career, which also allowed me to return to an ambitious club in the Bundesliga two years later. Frankfurt is the place where Rome has his first real memories and where Gioia was born - making our family complete. At Eintracht Frankfurt, I have a new role as a soccer player and mentor to the younger players. And I’m enjoying every moment on and off the pitch. It’s been a long journey so far, with ups and downs, but the ups definitely prevail. Most importantly, it’s my own story - my life that I’m more than happy with and thankful for. And I’m looking forward to telling my kids everything about it. Read the whole letter on Players Tribune.

You think the University of Florida women’s basketball team was fired up for the new season? The Players’ Tribune followed the Lady Gators through a whirlwind weekend surrounding their media day and we’re still out of breath. Barely pausing between practices and photo shoots, the players found time to get their hair and nails done and rock some custom outfits and jewelry, before, in at least one instance, putting their feet up. Equipped with a TPT camcorder and disposable cameras, they also joined in on capturing the kickoff to their season. See it all and more: playerstribu.ne/FloridaWBB 📸: Katie Klann/The Players’ Tribune

Adriano invites you on a ride to Vila Cruzeiro to show why this is his special place in the world: “Today you will understand what Adriano really does when he is with his buddies in a very special place. No b.s., or fake newspaper headlines. The real deal. The truth.”

Derrick Henry on his grandmother: “You were always there to remind me what was most important. Later on down the road, when I eventually lived my dream and won the Heisman in real life, you were too sick to be there with me. The bad cough that first put you in the hospital turned into a respiratory infection that just continued to get worse. By that time, you had a breathing tube in your throat and you weren’t able to talk. So when I got back to Yulee, you couldn’t even tell me how proud you were, or remind me to do my lessons. But you didn’t have to tell me all that. I already knew. Since you weren’t able to speak, we wrote a lot of notes to each other. I remember the last time I came and saw you at the hospital, right before I reported back to Tennessee for the 2016 season. We just sat there together, passing notes back and forth like two kids in the back of class, just saying how much we loved each other. You kept telling me how you wanted to get out of that hospital — just get in the car and go for a ride. And even though you stayed strong throughout everything, it killed me to see you like that — hooked up to all those tubes and machines. I wanted to get you out of that place, too … just bring you home and take care of you. But I couldn’t. I went back to Tennessee and went back to work. And a few weeks later, when Aunt Latrease called me up and told me things didn’t look good, it killed me that I couldn’t be there with you. Then, when I got the call on September 13, 2016, that you had passed, it was like my whole world crashed down. You took a piece of me with you when you passed, Grandma. Life just hasn’t been the same since you left. I know you were tired and you were ready to ‘go home,’ as we’d always say. I just wish we would have had more time. I wanted to take care of you. Show my appreciation for everything you did for me.... I guess I just want you to know that I love you and I miss you, and I’m doing all the right things. I’m keeping God first, like you always told me to. I’m working hard every day.... I can feel your spirit. I can hear you singing. You did a good job raising me, Grandma.” Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/ec5Cd77f 📸: Cooper Neill

The Players’ Tribune original podcast, Sometimes I Hoop, has won Silver in this year’s Signal Awards for the “General-Interview or Talk Show (Sports)” category for an incredible achievement and recognition as a standard-bearer of excellence in the audio medium. In 2024, The Signal Awards are recognizing the podcasts that define culture: The shows that have changed our habits, rewritten the script and sculpted our perspectives. The Signal Awards set a standard for editorial excellence by honoring the organizations, artists, mavericks, brands and storytellers who are shaping the podcast industry.

From 11 games under .500 in June ... to two wins short of the World Series in October.⁠ The loss still stings — but Mark Vientos has a message for New York Mets fans:⁠ “We’re building something special.”

After an 18-year career, Rudy Gay announces his retirement from the National Basketball Association (NBA): “I’m just feeling extremely grateful for all the love, wisdom, and friendship that I’ve experienced in the game of basketball.”

In pinstripes, Jazz Chisholm Jr. found his joy in baseball again. He’s ready to become a New York legend in his own way with the New York Yankees. See more: playerstribu.ne/Jazz 🎨: Chris Visions for The Players’ Tribune