most famous speeches in sports history

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Famous Sports Speeches

Famous sports speeches highlight some of the greatest speeches about sports in the history of athletics. From famous speeches by athletes to legendary speeches by coaches, many of the most memorable sentiments in sports history are here on this sports speech list. This list includes motivational speeches for athletes, pump up speeches, and just the most all around famous sport speeches.

If " great moments are born from great opportunity ," then these famous sports speeches helped those opportunities become great moments by providing the motivation to achieve the impossible. What are the most famous sports speeches? From the pre-game pump-up speeches by coaches before championship games to the reflection speeches given after great careers, these famous sports speeches are some of the best ever.

What are the greatest speeches in sports? While sports movies like Any Given Sunday  and Hoosiers give plenty of fictional inspiring speeches , these speeches took place in real life and inspired generations to come.

Jimmy Valvano

Appearing at the first ESPY Awards on March 3, 1993, former North Carolina State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano gave an emotional and motivational speech while accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. Valvano was suffering from cancer at the time, announcing The V Foundation and urging everyone to laugh, think and cry everyday, words that also appeared on his tombstone after he lost his battle with cancer less than two months later.

Showing strength and optimism in the face of adversity, baseball legend Lou Gehrig gave the famous "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech during a New York Yankees game on July 4, 1939, which was also deemed Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.

Only days earlier, the six-time World Series champion had retired from the game after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans... So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

Herb Brooks

Speaking to his players prior to a game at the 1980 Winter Olympics, legendary hockey coach Herb Brooks inspired his squad to complete the impossible and beat the dominant Soviet team. They did just that, completing the "Miracle on Ice" and went on to win the gold medal.

Though the original speech was done in a private locker room, in the 2004 film Miracle , Kurt Russell recreated the speech.

"Great moments are born from great opportunity, and that's what you have here tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game; if we played them ten times, they might win nine. But not this game, not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight we stay with them, and we shut them down because we can. Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players—every one of you, and you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it!"

Muhammad Ali

Prior to fighting George Foreman on October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali read this poem as part of the build-up for the fight known as "The Rumble in the Jungle." Ali won the fight in the eighth round, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing.

Frail and in pain from nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth made one last appearance at Yankee Stadium for "Babe Ruth Day" on April 27, 1947, to give his farewell speech. The Bambino addressed the sell-out crowd of over 60,000 by reflecting on his journey to the big leagues and inspiring generations to follow in his footsteps.

"Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.

You know how bad my voice sounds -- well it feels just as bad.

You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys.

And after you're a boy and grow up to know how to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing themselves today in your national pastime, the only real game -- I think -- in the world, baseball.

As a rule, some people think if you give them a football, or a baseball, or something like that -- naturally they're athletes right away.

But you can't do that in baseball.

You've gotta start from way down [at] the bottom, when you're six or seven years of age. You can't wait until you're fifteen or sixteen. You gotta let it grow up with you. And if you're successful, and you try hard enough, you're bound to come out on top -- just like these boys have come to the top now.

There's been so many lovely things said about me, and I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to thank everybody.

Vince Lombardi

Easily considered one of the best National Football League coaches ever, the great Vince Lombardi gave this final speech to his players on the Green Bay Packers prior to Super Bowl II on January 14, 1968. Lombardi's team defeated the Oakland Raiders 33-14 to win their second-consecutive Super Bowl. His legacy was later honored with the Super Bowl trophy being renamed the Lombardi Trophy.

Michael Irvin

Following a career with a few speed bumps, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver reflected as he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 4, 2007. "The Playmaker" was emotional during the speech as he talked about mistakes he made, his relationship with his family and why no one should ever give up.

"I doubted I would ever have the chance to stand before you today. So when I returned home, I spoke with Michael and Elijah . I said, That's how you do it, son. You do it like they did it. Michael asked, he said, Dad, do you ever think we will be there? And I didn't know how to answer that. And it returned me to that threshing floor. This time I was voiceless, but my heart cried out. God, why must I go through so many peaks and valleys?

I wanted to stand in front of my boys and say, Do it like your dad, like any proud dad would want to. Why must I go through so much?

Knute Rockne

Immortalized in the college football movie "Rudy," Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne is remembered for two notable sports speeches. In addition to his "win one for the Gipper" speech, Rockne gave this memorable and motivational speech during his time coaching the Fighting Irish from 1918 to 1930.

During his time with the team, Rockne led Notre Dame to an incredible 105-12-5 record and five national championships.

"Well, boys, I haven't a thing to say. Played a great game ... all of you. Great game. I guess we just can't expect to win 'em all. I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years. None of you ever knew George Gipp. It was long before your time. But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame. And the last thing he said to me, 'Rock,' he said, 'sometime, when the team is up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock,' he said, 'but I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

"And don't forget, men — today is the day we're gonna win. They can't lick us — and that's how it goes… The first platoon men — go in there and fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! What do you say, men!"

On September 17, 2001, less than a week after the country was shook by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck recited a heartfelt poem to the crowd at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Titled For America , Buck read the emotional poem to open the game, which was the first since the attacks.

Two years before he'd lead the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup Championship at the age of 37, National Hockey League goaltender Tim Thomas gave this motivational speech at the NHL Awards on June 18, 2009, while accepting the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the league.

His rags to riches story was told in the emotional acceptance speech and remembered as one of the best sports speeches of all time.

"I never really allowed myself to believe that I might win because it seemed like such a faraway dream. When you look at the names on the Vezina Trophy, they're legends, and it's humbling to even be mentioned in the same sentence. I've been more worried about getting my name on a roster than I have been about winning the Vezina Trophy... Throughout my career, there were so many times when I got my hopes up and had them come crashing down behind me."

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The Greatest Motivational Speeches in Sports History

It's Ray Lewis' birthday, so in honor of the future Hall of Famer, we look at some of the greatest speeches ever given in the history of sports.

In sports, the mental game is half the battle of any victory. You can train all you want, practice all you want, and run through every single play, but you still won't come out with the win if you and your teammates aren't mentally prepared. Great coaches all know this, from guys like Vince Lombardi to Jim Valvano . Being a great coach isn't just about managing personalities and laying out schemes, it's also about being a master motivator. 

Of course, moments of great motivation in sports don't have to just come before, during, or after a game. They can happen in moments of honor or awards or vulnerability. As Kevin Durant 's MVP acceptance speech proved to us last week, an individual award can also be a platform for recognizing an entire team, and the sacrifices made by loved ones for the good of another human being. It's times like these that sports inspire, motivate, and energize all of us. 

So, since it's Ray Lewis'  birthday today, and the former Baltimore Ravens All-Pro linebacker is one of the greatest emotional leaders in all of sports, we put together  The Greatest Motivational Speeches in Sports History for you to sit through and enjoy. Feeling like you need an extra push to get to the weekend? Sit back, and take a listen. After hearing one of these, you'll feel like you can climb Everest. 

15. "I'm Hurt, Dawg."

Speaker : Ed Reed Date : 10/13/2001 Team : Miami Hurricanes Situation : Halftime of the 2001 Miami-Florida State rivalry game

Sometimes, a motivational speech doesn't have to be long in order to be effective. A moment that is short and sweet can easily be just as inspirational as long-winded oration, and with a man who is as soft-spoken as All-Pro safety Ed Reed, it shouldn't be surprising that his speech would go straight to the point. Back in his senior season with the Miami Hurricanes, Reed and his teammates found themselves down 21-13 at halftime against their rival Florida State, putting their perfect season in jeopardy.

However, as they were readying themselves to head back out onto the field, Reed delivered a few choice words to let his fellow 'Canes know that they needed to step it up. "I'm putting my heart in this shit, dawg," he screamed. "Let's go, man!" Thankfully, Reed's teammates heard him. The Hurricanes would score 27 points in the third quarter en route to a 49-27 victory. 

14. Who Am I?

Speaker : Coach Flowers Date : Unknown Team : Leland High School JV football team Situation : Pre-game address for JV conference championship

In terms of intensity and preparation, Coach Flowers of the Leland Chargers takes the cake on this list. Firstly, he has his players ready to respond with the "I am a champion" remark. Secondly, he has a script in hand. Thirdly, he's playing music from The Last of the Mohicans in the background.

Honestly, the entire affair is borderline insane—especially when you consider that this was for a JV football game—but you have to love his commitment to the production, and if this doesn't get you motivated or pumped up in the least bit, then you should consider getting your pulse checked.

13. We Are BC

Speaker : Steve Addazio Date : 8/31/2013 Team : Boston College Eagles Situation : Pre-game address for Boston College's season opener

In his first season as the head football coach for the Boston College Eagles, Steve Addazio wanted to let his players know that they were part of something bigger than one season or one team. " We’re BC," he told them. "It’s not just about 11 on the field at one time...T his program is built on the whole family."

Addazio was speaking of the entire Boston College football legacy, a lineage that spanned back for decades, and one that those players were now members of. And in his first game with the team, Addazio's players did well to represent that history, defeating the Villanova Wildcats 24-14.

12. Pissed Off For Greatness

Speaker: Ray Lewis  Date:  5/28/2012 Team:  Stanford Cardinal men's basketball team Situation:  Pre-game address for the 2012 NIT semifinals

We've seen it countless times before throughout Ray Lewis' storied career: the Baltimore Ravens defensive leader acting as the team's emotional compass. However, we'd never really seen Lewis provide these services for another team until the Stanford Cardinal men's basketball team brought Lewis into their fold for the 2012 NIT tournament.

The NIT may not be that prestigious anymore, but that wasn't going to stop Stanford from making it a once-in-a-lifetime moment. With Lewis' help, the Cardinal learned they needed to be "pissed off for greatness." And clearly, they were. The team would go on to defeat their opponent, UMass, by a score of 74-64 before winning the entire tournament in the next round.

11. I Know Your Heart

Speaker : Derrick Moore Date : 9/1/2007 Team : Georgia Tech football team Situation : Pre-game address for Georgia Tech's season opener

As the team chaplain, Derrick Moore had a close relationship with the members of the 2007 Georgia Tech football team. And when the squad was getting ready to start up their 2007 season, he let those guys know how much it meant to them. 

"It has truly been an honor to know each and everyone one of you by name," he began. "I know your heart." Delving into this relationship, Moore continues his speech with an evangelical fervor, letting each and every player know that they have what it takes to succeed. On that day, the Yellow Jackets proved Moore correct. They squashed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 33-3. 

10. Manic Aggression

Speaker : Paul O'Connell Date : 2/11/2007 Team : Ireland rugby team Situation : Pre-game address for Six Nations Test versus France

Rugby players are a different breed, as they willfully put their bodies on the line for every test without any of the protection that an American football game can offer. However, it's not just the physical differences that separate rugby players from the rest. It's also the mental aspect, as you'll see from Paul O'Connell's stirring, but intimidating, pre-test speech for Ireland's Six Nations test against France. 

O'Connell wants his teammates to "put the fear of God" in their opponents, among other, equally intense objectives. Since the speech, O'Connell has admitted that he's now  "embarrassed"  about the moment (perhaps because Ireland ended up losing the test), but we believe that he still deserves recognition for rallying his teammates no matter how over-the-top his methods may have been.

9. We Got 30 Minutes For the Rest of Our Lives

Speaker : Tim Tebow Date : 1/8/2009 Team : Florida Gators Situation : 2009 BCS National Championship Game

With his Florida Gators knotted with the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, Tim Tebow wanted his team to come out of halftime ready to win. After a lackluster first half, the game was tied at just 7-7. However, Tebow declared that it wouldn't stay that way for long. "We get the ball, I can promise you one thing," he said. "We're gonna hit somebody, and we'll take it downfield for a touchdown." The Gators would make good on his guarantee, edging out the Sooners 24-14.

8. It's Not Going to Come Easy

Speaker : Vince Lombardi Date : 1/14/1968 Team : Green Bay Packers Situation : Pre-game addess for Super Bowl II

Vince Lombardi is the kind of legendary figure in sports whose presence and poise often meant more than his words. As the head coach for the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi led his team to the first two Super Bowl titles in NFL history, first over the Kansas City Chiefs, and then over the Oakland Raiders. However, in Super Bowl II, there were some who felt that the Raiders would have a chance to defeat the Packers after the hard-fought game Green Bay had endured against the Dallas Cowboys in the previous round.

Sensing a possible letdown, Lombardi let his team know what they needed to do in a succinct, but inspiring, pre-game speech. "Just hit, just run, just block, and just tackle," he told them. And it was as simple as that. Green Bay would go on to win 33-14.

7. It's About Us

Speaker : Drew Brees Date : 12/26/2011 Team : New Orleans Saints Situation : Post-game address after the Brees broke Dan Marino's single-season passing record

It isn't often that you see a player go out of their way to thank every member of the organization or the team that they're a part of after they've earned an award or broken a record. However, after breaking Dan Marino's long-standing record for most passing yards in a single season back in 2011, Drew Brees made sure that everyone in the locker room knew how much they meant to him when he was given the game ball by the coaching staff.

"It's about us," Brees said, as he thanked the equipment managers, the owners, his teammates, and seemingly everyone he could think of. At the end of the speech, it should be clear to everyone why the New Orleans Saints have enjoyed all the success they've earned with Brees at the helm: his unshakable belief in the concept of teamwork.

6. This Is Your Everest

Speaker : Jim Telfer Date : 6/21/1997 Team : British & Irish Lions Situation : Pre-game address for test against the Springboks

With the British & Irish Lions playing the underdog during their 1997 tour in South Africa, assistant coach Jim Telfer knew that he needed a way to properly inspire his Lions players to victory. And as they were readying for their first test against the Springboks, Telfer succeeded in his mission. 

"You have an awesome responsibility on these eight individual forward's shoulders, an awesome responsibility," Telfer began. "This your f***ing Everest boys. Very few ever get the chance in rugby terms to get to Everest, the top of Everest. You have the chance." The Lions would seize the opportunity, winning their test series 2-1 in a considerable upset. 

5. You're the Real MVP

Speaker : Kevin Durant Date : 5/6/2014 Team : Oklahoma City Thunder Situation : His acceptance speech for the 2013-14 NBA MVP Award

Last week, in what was one of the longest and greatest acceptance speeches ever, Kevin Durant gave an off-the-cuff and passionate explanation of what winning the NBA MVP Award meant to him, and how exactly he got there. Many were touched by the words he said about his mother, thanking her profusely for everything he gave him and the rest of their family.  "When you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You're the real MVP," he said.

However, it wasn't just the love for his mother that grabbed everyone's attention. It was also the fact that Durant wanted to thank every single one of his teammates, especially his superstar counterpart Russell Westbrook, when detailing how he managed to earn the prestigious award. 

For years, Durant had been labelled as "too nice," a sort of backhanded compliment that he finally managed to shed this year by ruthlessly dominating teams night in and night out. However, in his most vulnerable moment yet, everyone was glad to see that KD could still be the nice guy when the time called for it. KD's words motivated the Thunder to a 112-101 victory over the Clippers the following night.

4. It Ain't About One Play

Speaker : Ray Lewis Date : 1/22/2012 Team : Baltimore Ravens Situation : Post-game address for the 2012 AFC Championship Game

After a tough loss to the New England Patriots in the 2012 AFC Championship Game, the Baltimore Ravens weren't feeling good about themselves. A stripped pass in the end zone had prevented the Ravens from scoring the winning touchdown in the closing minute, and a missed field had kept them from tying it at the last second. However, Ray Lewis wasn't about to listen to anyone who wanted to moan about the loss or a single play.

"We fought as a team," he said in the locker room. "The fact is, we gotta come back and go to work." They certainly did. The Ravens would avenge their AFC Championship Game loss in the next season against the Patriots before capturing their second Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLVII. 

3. This is Our F***ing City

Speaker : David Ortiz Date : 4/20/2013 Team : Boston Red Sox Situation : Pre-game address to Boston fans

After the 2013 Boston Marathon tragedy, the city of Boston was in need of a boost to their morale. So, with the city turning out in huge number for the April 20 game against the Kansas City Royals, star player David Ortiz knew that he needed to bring up the crowd's spirits. It wasn't a long, eloquent speech, but it was incredibly effective. 

First, Ortiz let them know that the Red Sox represented the city of Boston, and not just the franchise. After that, he thanked the Boston mayor, the Massachusetts governor, and all the public service employees who had helped Boston citizens during the horrific incident. Then, out of nowhere, Ortiz said his now-famous line: "This is our fucking city. And nobody gonna dictate our freedom. Stay strong." Mind you, this happened on live television.  However, given the gravity of the moment, it's hard to believe that anyone would complain about Ortiz's sentiments. 

2. Leave No Doubt

Speaker : Billl Stewart Date : 1/2/2008 Team : West Virginia Mountaineers Situation : Pre-game address for the 2008 Fiesta Bowl

Interim head coach Bill Stewart took over the West Virginia football team at a tumultuous moment. Former head coach Rich Rodriguez had just left the team to take the job as the Michigan Wolverines HC, leaving his Mountaineers players without their offensive mastermind and leader. However, Stewart wasn't willing to let his players get too down about it. With the Oklahoma Sooners waiting, Stewart needed his guys to be ready to play.

"Let 'em know," he told them. "Leave no doubt tonight! They shouldn't have played the old Gold and Blue!" He was right. The Mountaineers would dominate the Sooners by a score of 48-28, making the loss one of the worst in Bob Stoops' career as the Oklahoma head coach. 

1. Don't Ever Give Up

Speaker : Jim Valvano Date : 3/4/1993 Team : N/A Situation : The 1993 ESPY Awards

With cancer ravaging his body, former NC State men's basketball coach Jimmy Valvano was determined to make one last stand to the public, delivering a speech at the inaugural ESPY Awards that would come to define his legacy. 

During his speech, Valvano candidly explained the consequences of his illness, but still bravely rallied support for his cause, and remained adamant that no one give up hope. " I just got one last thing," he said. "I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have." And on a closing note, Valvano famously expressed, " Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever."

Valvano would succumb to cancer on April 28, 1993. However, the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research lives on to carry his name. 

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A List of 10 Greatest Sports Speeches of All Time

By: sven eggers, staff writer june 17, 2022.

What’s the main purpose of speeches in sports? In most cases, speeches are given to boost motivation. This is an effective tool that can lift spirits and improve mood, inspiring sports people to win no matter how big the price is.

How sports speeches work

First of all, sports speeches change your perspective. They alter the way you approach certain issues and offer a different way of seeing things. After listening to a powerful speech, you can transform hurdles into challenges.

What’s more, it’s a proven fact that a nice speech may improve task performance. Why? Because motivation determines the quality of your work, according to psychologists. On top of that, a speech can provide you with real-life examples and tips that can improve how well you operate.

A good speech can also reduce your fears in sports. You might know that feeling when you are afraid of doing something new and being more open-minded. If you want to change that, listen to a motivational speech given by somebody who managed to overcome their fears. Someone’s successful experience can make your life way easier.

Where to find great speeches?

Today, the Internet is full of amazing speeches on different topics. You can read them in online magazines or watch them on YouTube. Depending on your goal, you can find a nice speech on special websites or even order speech writing services tailored for your tone from professional writers. Luckily, there are a lot of experts that offer speeches crafted according to your needs. Maybe, words formulated by an experienced writer will change something in you and you’ll achieve greater success in what you do.

The greatest sports speeches

Below, you can find the best speeches on sports in history. Check them to get more inspiration!

1. Apollos Hester’s Postgame Interview

Apollos Hester is admired by many for his incredible speed and agility. However, those are not the main features of this sportsman. Apollos is also known for his optimistic attitude. He believes in life’s limitless potential, which helps them give amazing motivational speeches.

2. Dave Belisle’s Little League World Series Speech

In his famous speech, Dave Belisle literally gave a masterclass on how to handle disappointment. His words turned listeners’ tears of sadness into tears of joy. For sure, he knows how to help people keep their “heads up high.”

3. Darrel Green’s NFL Hall of Fame Speech

If you want to learn acceptance, you should listen to the speech of Darrel Green given at the NFL Hall of Fame. Many people remember it as one of the most passionate speeches of all time. What’s more, it is full of excellent advice.

4. Kevin Durant’s MVP Speech

Another beautiful and touching motivational speech was given by Kevin Durant at the 2013–14 NBA MVP. He acknowledged all the hard work and sacrifices he endured on his way to success. Durant also credited all the people, including friends, coaches and, who helped him a lot along the way.

5. Jim Valvano’s ESPY Awards Speech

As you know, sports can teach life’s greatest lessons. And Jim Valvano believes in that too, according to his 19943 speech at the first ESPY Awards. In his speech, Valvano gives simple yet wise tips for a fulfilling life: laugh, think, and cry every day. That’s it! And many people believe it really works.

6. Tony Romo’s Press Conference About Dak Prescott

Unfortunately, life was not kind to Tony Romo as he had a serious back injury that resulted in lots of missed time. Even though he lost his dream job of an NFL quarterback, Romo handled it with grace. Instead of complaining about his problems, he is grateful to people for their help.

7. Tony Arcuri’s Speech

Another legendary speech was given by a famous coach Tony Arcuri to the high school football team. His aim was to give a bunch of important lessons to teenagers and he did it quite successfully. Thanks to Arcuri, many players overcame their fear of strong opponents.

8. Drew Brees’ Speech

After breaking Dan Marino’s record in 2011, Drew Brees gave a powerful speech. It motivated not only his teammates but also coaches. It was not only incredibly inspiring but also quite humorous. Check it yourself!

9. Muhammad Ali’s Speeches

Even if you are not familiar with the world, you’ve certainly heard Muhammad Ali ’s quotes, His words inspire millions of people all over the world, making him a star. Muhammad Ali is almost unbeatable when it comes to motivational speaking.

10. Michael Irvin’s Speeches

Michael Irvin, a former NFL wide receiver, was not only a highly professional player but also a great public speaker. He is known for his openness and honesty that are rare in the sports industry. If you feel you can’t keep going towards your goal, remember his words: "Look up, get up, and don't ever give up.”

Author’s BIO

Sven Eggers is a sports coach and motivational speaker. He works mainly with college students, helping them prepare for local and national competitions. Sven has a talent for writing motivational speeches, so he does it for top athletes all over the world.

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5 of the Best ESPY Awards Speeches of All Time

Revisit the most impactful speeches from sports' biggest night

Athletes have always represented more than just who they are in uniform: They give people hope, they inspire generations — they become our heroes.

Every year at the ESPY Awards, athletes, coaches and fans celebrate sports excellence in all forms. Whether it's from breaking records or showing immeasurable courage, stars in sports have earned awards and subsequently given speeches that have inspired all of us to be our best, and to live every day to the fullest.

Ahead of the 2021 ESPY Awards, hosted by Anthony Mackie and airing Saturday night, July 10, on ESPN, take a look back at some of the show's best speeches of all time.

"Don't ever give up." — Jim Valvano

The late Rutgers point guard, head coach at North Carolina State University and broadcaster recieved the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the very first ESPYS in 1993, following his terminal cancer diagnosis. He brought the crowd to tears with what ended up becoming one of the most quoted speeches of all time .

Valvano died two months after receiving the award, and the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, given to a member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through persistence and determination, was created in his honor.

"So, live. Live. Fight like hell." — Stuart Scott

The longtime ESPN anchor was honored with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award in 2014 for his own battle against cancer. He died less than six months after receiving the honor at the age of 49. In his speech, Scott spoke about giving life all that you've got — and when you've given your all, you can lean on those you love. "When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer," he famously said. "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live."

"Find the meaning behind whatever it is you're going through because everybody's got something." — Robin Roberts

The audience rose to their feet as soon as the journalist hit the stage in 2013 to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Roberts, who was one of the first female sports anchors on ESPN and current cohost of ABC's Good Morning America , had beaten breast cancer years before she was diagnosed again — this time with a bone marrow disorder called MDS.

In her speech, she recalled being at the first ESPYS and listening to Jim Valvano's call to action about supporting cancer research to save future lives. She spoke about how meaningful it was to be up on stage, 20 years later, accepting the same award and having benefited from his important message. "Because of everyone who has responded to his challenge, because of all the donations, research and support, mine has been one of the lives that's been saved," she said.

"Your truth does matter. You matter. You are not alone." — Aly Raisman on behalf of the Sister Survivors

In 2018, more than 100 survivors of former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University team doctor Larry Nassar 's sexual abuse took the stage to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. (Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison that same year.) "All those years we were told, 'You are wrong. You misunderstood. He's a doctor. It's OK. Don't worry, we've got it covered. Be careful. There are risks involved.' The intention: to silence us in favor of money, medals and reputation," Olympic gold medal gymnast Raisman said. The speech is one of the most gut-wrenching, powerful displays of courage and strength that will live on as a haunting warning to never let history repeat itself.

"Trans people deserve something vital: They deserve your respect." — Caitlyn Jenner

The former Olympian made her first major appearance since coming out as transgender at the 2015 ESPYS to accept the Arthur Ashe Courage Award . With her children Burt, Brandon, Brody, Kendall and Kylie Jenner , along with stepdaughters Kourtney, Khloé and Kim Kardashian , in the audience for support, Jenner made an impassioned speech that touched on what the trans community needs and deserves.

The 2021 ESPY Awards will air Saturday, July 10, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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Top 10 incredible speeches given by athletes.

Sports are about hard work, determination, commitment, teamwork, practice and a little more hard work. To succeed in the world of sport an athlete must be both physically and mentally strong, and this

Sports are about hard work, determination, commitment, teamwork, practice and a little more hard work. To succeed in the world of sport an athlete must be both physically and mentally strong, and this means that all athletes should have an incredibly high drive and strong work ethic. They have all had to sacrifice and work hard to get to where they are today, with many of them going on particularly difficult journeys to become professional athletes. This makes them fascinating, inspirational and motivational individuals, and over the years there have been many of them which have delivered incredible speeches which have inspired, moved or entertained sports fans around the world.

Normally, listening to athletes being interviewed after games is a dull, predictable affair where they rehash the same old clichés of “giving 110%”, but under circumstances such as award acceptances, retirement announcements and Hall of Fame inductions there have been many brilliantly written or improvised speeches which will be forever remembered. Although constantly in the public eye, athletes rarely get the opportunity to fully express themselves, as their only opportunities arise after a grueling match where a microphone and camera are thrust in their face, or through 140 characters on Twitter, neither of which are the ideal platform to fully express ones thoughts and opinions.

Of course not all athletes are able to articulate their thoughts and many of them are not particularly reflective, but when some athletes get the time and space to express themselves then you will be taken back by what they have to say. We all know that coaches and characters in sports films are able to deliver rousing speeches which can inspire, fire up, move and motivate those that hear them, but what about the athletes?

Here are the top 10 speeches of all time delivered by athletes.

10 10. Tim Thomas

Tim Thomas’s acceptance of the 2009 Vezina award was very humble and Thomas was clearly moved as he delivered his speech. It was a short but sweet speech, but he managed to win everyone’s hearts when he modestly claimed that he had been “more worried about getting my name on the roster than I have been about winning the Vezina Trophy”. Thomas famously struggled to get on a team for many years, so to be voted the league’s best goalie just a few years later it was a truly inspiring story.

He was clearly grateful to be where he was, and does his best to acknowledge those that have stood by him. He would lead the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup a couple of years later. Generally speaking, athletes are arrogant and egotistical, so to see such a humble, heartfelt speech was refreshing to see and helped Thomas stand out from the crowd.

9 9. Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis could have had his own top 10 list, as he has delivered an enormous amount of inspirational speeches over the years. He delivers the kind of speeches you find in Hollywood films, and could certainly have a career as a motivational speaker. This speech was delivered to his teammates following the Ravens loss in the AFC Championship game to the Patriots, a time in which most would feel despondent.

Lewis rallied his troops by stating how the taste of defeat would make them stronger, but also how there is more to life than sports as football offers an escape for those who are going through real pain. “This right here makes us stronger. Let’s understand who we are as a team, let's understand who we are as men, and let's make somebody smile when we walk out of here.”

8 8. Dennis Rodman

Although he struggled to get through his speech from the get go, there are not many speeches given by athletes as heartfelt as this one. The Worm let out his true personality to show that his eccentric outfits and wild lifestyle was just a cover, and he was in fact somebody with many flaws. By the end of the speech Rodman used the platform to reach out to his family and how he how wishes he can be a better father to his kids.

Although not the most eloquent, it was clearly a cathartic moment for Rodman and a touching speech which gave us an insight into the real Dennis Rodman. “I didn’t play the game for the money. I didn’t play to be famous. What you see here is just an illusion; I just love to be an individual that’s very colourful.”

7 7. Muhammad Ali

Although not a retirement or Hall of Fame speech, it is impossible to leave off Muhammad Ali when it comes to athlete speeches. He had an incredible way with words like no other athlete, and listening to him speak is as entertaining as watching him in the ring. Before his shock victory over George Foreman in 1974 in a fight dubbed The Rumble in the Jungle, Ali delivered a fantastic poem which epitomises his cheek, flair and confidence.

This poem is packed full of lines which the top rappers would be proud of. “For this fight I’ve wrestled with alligators, I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning and thrown thunder in jail”, as well as the excellent line, “I’m so mean, I make medicine sick”.

6 6. Darrell Green

Darrell Green’s Hall of Fame speech was the perfect blend of humour along with heartfelt emotion, which endeared him to the entire crowd and made sure that he wasn’t the only one crying by the end. He spoke from the heart about both of his parents who are deceased, but made sure not to miss anyone out who had helped him along the way. He delivered the speech in an engaging fashion and had everybody hanging on his every word, and it was a speech that was fitting for such an incredible athlete. His opening line set the tone for the rest of the speech, “Deacon Jones said I would cry. You bet your life I’m going to cry”.

5 5. Ted Williams

Ted Williams used his baseball 1966 Hall of Fame induction as a platform to urge for the addition of black players to Cooperstown. Williams said “I hope that one day Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson will be voted into the Hall of Fame as symbols of the great Negro players who are not here because they weren’t given a chance”. Paige and Gibson were inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years later.

His speech also served as a love letter to the game of baseball and why it is one of the top American sports. This along with him voicing his opinion made his speech a lot more engaging than the majority of speeches which act as a long thank you list.

4 4. Curtis Martin

Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame speech dealt with heavy subject matter and it clearly helped Martin to articulate his thoughts. His honesty surrounding the abuse his mother suffered at the hands of his late father make for a difficult watch, but it became clear how this became a pivotal moment in his life. His difficult upbringing, death of family members and near death experiences led his mother to tell him to do something after school so that he would be safe.

Despite not being a fan, Martin chose football as his hobby. He excelled at football, and would soon meet a much needed positive male role model, coach Bill Parsons, who helped him to become a successful athlete and man. It is a fantastic, moving and at times disturbing speech, and a terrific insight into the difficult journey that Martin went through to reach the Hall of Fame.

3 3. Michael Irvin

Off-field legal issues surrounded Michael Irvin’s playing career and life after the Dallas Cowboys, but instead of hiding from these dark times during his Hall of Fame induction speech, Irvin tackled them head on. The emotional, brave speech had everyone, including Irvin, in tears, and it was clearly a cathartic moment for the former wide receiver who has battled many demons. No one could question his talent, but many had questioned his character over the years, but this heartfelt speech moved even those who questioned him and people were taken back by his honesty. This speech will be best remembered for the inspiring line “look up, get up and don’t ever give up”.

2 2. Kevin Durant

Whoever wins MVP this season is going to have a hard time topping this speech. Kevin Durant’s MVP acceptance speech stunned the entire world and left even the toughest of people claiming they had something in their eye. Durant is a quiet athlete, which made his near half an hour speech even more gripping and heartfelt. Being the great person that he is, Durant went on to individually thank just about everyone at the Thunder franchise and those that have helped him along the way.

The real beauty of this speech however was when he talked about his upbringing and his mother, who sacrificed so much for Kevin and his brother when they were both young. Durant went on to claim to his mom that “you the real MVP”, which has since become a popular saying. This inspiring and touching speech was amazingly open and genuine, and certainly one for the ages.

1 1. Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig’s speech will go down as not only one of the greatest sports speeches of all time, but one of the greatest speeches in American history. Gehrig was one of the best to play the game and a class act, but in 1939 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is now commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This quick and aggressive disease forced him into retirement, and it would claim his life just a few years later.

An appreciation day was put on by the Yankees in his honour, and it was here that Gehrig delivered his world famous speech to a packed Yankee Stadium. The entire speech is something to behold, with the opening of the speech being enough to send chills down the spines of many; “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

5 Best Sports Speeches of All Time, Ranked

Sports speeches have the power to unite, inspire, and motivate people to achieve greatness both on and off the field. From coaches rallying their teams to victory, to athletes sharing their personal struggles, the power of words moves us more than any physical feat could. In this article, we’re ranking five of the best sports speeches of all time !

The Best Sports Speeches

#5 – jim valvano’s 1993 espy awards speech.

Valvano, a beloved basketball coach for NC State, delivered a heartfelt and courageous speech as he battled cancer. He shared his perspective on sports and life, emphasizing the importance of cherishing every moment and never giving up. In the address, he says, “I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have to spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going, to be enthusiastic every day.” From a man fighting terminal cancer, Valvano’s speech was moving yet inspirational, making this one of the best sports speeches ever recorded. He ended his heartfelt speech with these words: “Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind. It cannot touch my heart. And it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.”

#4 – “The Greatest” by Muhammad Ali

Ali, known for his prowess in the boxing ring as well as his activism outside of it, gave this speech before one of his most highly anticipated fights against Sonny Liston in 1964. In this speech, Ali confidently claims that he is the greatest boxer of all time , captivating the audience with his charisma and self-assuredness. But what makes “The Greatest” memorable is Ali’s ability to address larger societal issues. He challenges the status quo and encourages standing up against racial injustice. Ali’s powerful words and unwavering self-belief made him not just a sports figure, but also a cultural icon and symbol of the civil rights movement.

“Don’t count the days; make the days count.” – Muhammed Ali

#3 – “The Pyramid of Success” by John Wooden, 1974

The speech was intended to provide Wooden’s players with a blueprint for success, both on and off the court. Wooden’s approach was centered around the concept of a pyramid, with each block representing a different element of success. The blocks included industriousness, friendship, loyalty, enthusiasm, skill, and cooperation , among others. Wooden emphasized the importance of focusing on the process, rather than the outcome, and encouraged his players to strive for personal growth and improvement. He also emphasized the importance of character and integrity, stating that those who conduct themselves with honesty and responsibility will ultimately achieve success. “The Pyramid of Success” is still widely taught and referenced by coaches worldwide.

#2 – “The Miracle on Ice” by Herb Brooks

“The Miracle on Ice” was delivered by coach Herb Brooks prior to the matchup between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics. This speech is hailed as a defining moment in sports history, and here’s why:

The United States hockey team was considered a massive underdog against the dominant Soviet Union team. Brooks had the difficult task of inspiring his team and instilling belief that they could defeat the Soviets, who were heavily favored to win. Brooks emphasized the importance of playing as a cohesive team, and on the pride that would come from representing the United States with honor and determination. The “Miracle on Ice” game resulted in a stunning victory for the United States. The speech has become legendary due to United States’ incredible, unexpected win, solidifying it as one of the greatest sports speeches ever.

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#1 – “Luckiest Man” by Lou Gehrig 

During 1938, baseball legend Lou Gehrig began experiencing fatigue and physical difficulties while playing. When his condition worsened, he visited the Mayo Clinic and received the diagnosis of ALS. ALS would eventually take Gehrig’s life, but in his iconic speech delivered July 4, 1939, despite his body ravaged by the crippling disease, Gehrig states, “For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” What is the reason for Gehrig’s optimism? Gehrig credits the amazing people in his life , including his mother-in-law, parents, and wife, who was “a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed[.]” He closed his speech, “So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for.”

These top five best sports speeches have become iconic for their ability to capture the essence of sports and the human spirit. Because in the end, it’s not just about the games we play or the victories we achieve, it’s about the lessons learned, the relationships formed, and the impact made.

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We hold speeches from the world of sports deep in our hearts and minds as timeless moments that continue to bring us inspiration, historical context, empathy, education and more. Welcome to It Was Said: Sports, a documentary podcast that guides you through six of the most impactful and timeless speeches in sports history, including Jack Buck’s “For America” poem following the 9/11 attacks, Muhammad Ali protesting the Vietnam War, Billie Jean King championing equal pay, Tim Tebow’s promise, Hank Aaron’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech, and co-captain Harry Flournoy’s powerful statement on race during Texas Western's Basketball Hall of Fame induction. From the team that brought you the Webby Award-winning Best Series of 2021, It Was Said, comes the sports version of the franchise. Narrated by NBA legend Doc Rivers and written by Pulitzer Prize winning and best-selling historian Jon Meacham. It Was Said: Sports is an Audacy original presented in partnership with Shining City Audio.

It Was Said: Sports Audacy

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• OCT 21, 2023

Introducing About A Boy: The Story of Vladimir Putin

In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master. But to anyone who’s ever lived in the Soviet Union, Putin is something else entirely: a street kid. Join journalist Julia Ioffe as she explores how Putin’s childhood taught him lessons that shape his thinking and actions to this day. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• OCT 13, 2021

The Championship That Changed Everything: Texas Western’s 1966 NCAA Title

In an historic moment in college sports, Texas Western becomes the first team to start five black players in the 1966 NCAA national championship. Their defeat over the University of Kentucky marked a victory over racial discrimination and changed college sports forever. Sportscasters Michael Wilbon and Verne Lundquist join Doc Rivers to look back on this historic moment in sports history. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• OCT 6, 2021

Henry Aaron’s Quiet Grace

It’s the Atlanta Braves versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on a warm spring day in 1974. One pitch changed everything when Hank Aaron’s milestone home run broke Babe Ruth’s legendary record. Major League Baseball manager and former player Dusty Baker joins Doc Rivers to talk about Hank Aaron’s achievements and his election into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. They discuss the adversity Aaron faced as he was forced to confront racism in his pursuit to become one of the most accomplished baseball players of all time. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• SEP 29, 2021

Tim Tebow’s Promise

In 2008, expectations were running high for Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. The previous year, the Heisman Trophy winner set many major SEC records and was expected to continue leading the team to success. Tim Tebow joins Doc Rivers to discuss his humbling speech after the Florida Gators took a shocking loss to Ole Miss in 2008. Football coach Urban Meyer and sportscaster Verne Lundquist look back on Tebow’s college career and inspiring moments. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• SEP 22, 2021

Billie Jean King and the Fight for Justice

In 1973, Billie Jean King wins the Battle of the Sexes, defeating her male opponent on the tennis court. And off the court, she uses her talent to make sea changes in the broader world, opening the way for female athletes to reach an entirely new level of public fame and fair compensation. In this episode, Billie Jean King joins Doc Rivers to talk about how she uses her voice today as a vibrant force for equality and opportunity for women in sports--and beyond. Plus, decorated athlete and trailblazer, Ann Meyers Drysdale, joins the conversation about gender equality in sports. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• SEP 15, 2021

Muhammad Ali and the Making of a New World

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was perhaps the most famous man on Earth, and not only for his epic skill in the ring. In this episode, Doc Rivers is joined by legendary sportscaster Al Michaels and longtime sports journalist Michael Wilbon to discuss Ali’s powerful and revolutionary words about race, politics, culture, and sport, especially during the height of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. His words made their mark then--and live on now.    To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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He did not win the 1963 Triple Crown. He was the home run and RBI leader but he did not leave the league in average.

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What are the greatest speeches in sport? – open thread

Barack Obama's rousing victory speech was greeted by a series of whoops and hollers last night. The full transcript of the speech shows that Obama had to pause and wait for the crowd to stop cheering and applauding 60 times. The re-elected President knows how to work an audience, but he is not the only man capable of bringing down the house.

All inspirational speeches have to be compared to the mighty 'game of inches' oration delivered by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday. Pacino had the assistance of a Hollywood scriptwriter, but the same cannot be said for Muhammad Ali , Michael Irwin, John Sitton, Paul O'Connell, Ian McGeechan and Neil Warnock. Perhaps some of them could have benefitted from some help.

Here are some of the best – or at least the most memorable – speeches in sport history. Share your favourites in the comments section below.

Muhammad Ali – The Greatest

Michael irwin – hall of fame, john sitton – sacking players at half-time, paul o'connell – manic aggression, ian mcgeechan – everything to play for, neil warnock – any injuries, al pacino – game of inches.

Share your favourites in the comments section below

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Best 10 Motivational Sports Speeches in History

By Jesse Long

Updated on: September 20, 2021

Sports are an important part of the human experience. They create competition, but they also provide many life lessons.

Sports are more than playing games, they involve learning how to win graciously and lose with the mindset of a champion. Athletes learn how to dig deep inside and come together in victory and defeat alike.

Sports are a great source of inspiration for many people, and some of the motivational speeches  are full of lessons that can apply to all aspects of life. Here are the best 10 motivational speeches in sports history.

Table of Contents

#1. Jim Valvano 1993 Espy Awards

In 1993, the beloved basketball coach for NC State was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage & Humanitarian Award at the Espys. His speech was inspirational and brave, as he gave his point of view on sports and life. He was battling cancer at the time.

He starts off by saying that the way to get through hard times is to laugh, you should think, and you should cry. He tells a great story about his first coaching job, and he says that the way to get where you want to be is by having enthusiasm for life.

He talks about his family and how important they are, and he goes on to say that he plans to spend the rest of his life raising money to fight cancer. He encourages everyone to join him in this battle. His speech is the epitome of courage, and it leaves you feeling inspired.

#2. Herb Brooks 1980 Olympics Team USA Hockey

In 1980, the United States Hockey Team was getting ready to face the USSR in the Olympics. They were not expected to win. Their victory is considered one of the greatest wins by an underdog in all sports. Herb Brooks was the head coach, and he gave the team a motivational speech that is considered one of the greatest of all time.

He started by telling the team that great moments are born from great opportunity, and he was able to motivate the team by getting them to live in that moment no matter what else might happen another day. This is a great example of how a legendary coach can motivate his team and get the best out of them.

#3. Lou Gehrig Luckiest Man Speech

Lou Gehrig’s final appearance at Yankee Stadium was one of the most emotional ever. He was ill, and the Yankees celebrated him with members of the famous 1927 Yankees team and more. With over 60,000 fans in the stands, Lou stood on the field and listened to legends such as Mickey Mantle sing his praises.

When it was time for Gehrig to speak, he was too emotional. However, hearing chants of the crowd asking for him, he gave in. He was sick and dying of what is now called Lou Gehrig’s disease , but he begins his speech, “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Even as his health was failing, Gehrig teaches us that there is always something to be grateful for.

#4. Knute Rockne Notre Dame Coach

This speech by legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne is a great example of his pep talks to the team. In 1928, the team was having what would have been Rockne’s only losing season, and Walter Cronkite got this recording for his CBS-TV series titled “Twentieth Century.” It shows his style.

He spoke in staccato and emphasized the key points. His intonation sends the message as much as his words. Later on, in the movie, “Rudy,” Rudy delivers part of this speech in the Notre Dame locker room. Not only did Knute Rockne inspire his teams to win games, but he inspired a kid to pursue his dream of playing football.

#5. Jack Buck’s 9-11 Poem

The terror attacks on the United States left an entire nation stunned yet resolved to rise up again. Jack Buck, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, wrote and delivered his poem, “ For America,” on September 17, 2001 to a crowd of 32,000 baseball fans.

Jack Buck retired from announcing in 2000, but he made one last appearance to deliver this poem at Busch Stadium. The poem is short and to the point, but it is inspirational and gives people hope. Baseball was living proof that the terrorists couldn’t take away the American dream, and Jack Buck knocked this one out of the park.

#6. David Belisle 2014 Little League World Series

When his team was eliminated from the Little League World Series by just one run, he gave a speech to his team of 11- and 12-year-old boys that helped them rise up from their disappointing loss. The boys didn’t have a meltdown; he points out how well they played and the little things that really matter.

He tells the boys to hold their heads up high because everyone is proud of them, and he tells them to celebrate before returning home to a parade for their accomplishments. His words are truly inspirational, and this speech had a huge and lasting impact on those boys and anyone who listens to it.

#7. Ray Lewis Hall of Fame Speech (NFL)

If anyone can preach, it’s Ray Lewis. His presentation is enough to inspire anyone to believe in their dreams. He tells a story of how he wasn’t supposed to survive, but here he is. His speech is all about his career, and he relives moments and tells how he overcame adversity.

When he talks of his injury and how he promised to come back, and he did. He says he is living proof of the impossible. He talks about working through pain and bouncing back from it. He truly embodies an athlete who will never let anything get in his way.

He speaks to kids who might be at home and thinking of joining a gang, and he shows them that he is living proof that you have to chase your dreams. He grew up in the projects, too. He has strong faith, and he attributes his strength to his mom.

#8. Kevin Durant 2013-2014 MVP Speech

When Kevin Durant accepted the 2013-2014 MVP, he gave an incredible speech on how he got there. He talks about tough times growing up and how he never imagined he would go to college much less play in the NBA. He gets quite emotional as he tells everyone what the people who are close to him meant to his journey.

This speech is inspirational for anyone who is struggling with adversity. He not only tells how he made it to this place in spite of incredible adversity, but he mentions everyone who played a role along the way. He is truly a humble and grateful person who made it to the top of his sport, and he acknowledges what a huge role his family, mentors, and friends have played along the way.

#9. Al Pacino’s “Inch by Inch” Speech

In the 1999 film, “Any Given Sunday,” Al Pacino plays the football coach, and he gives a powerful talk to the team about the importance of inches. Not only are his words true and applicable to just about any situation in life, but they fire the team up and lead them to victory.

A great coach needs to motivate the team to fight for the win, and in this movie, Al Pacino does a brilliant job of inspiring his team with this speech. Everyone can learn from this speech. The “inches” are the little things in life that add up to keep you on your path. It is true of all sports and all life experiences.

#10. Rocky Balboa “It Ain’t About How Hard You Hit”

This is another great motivational speech from a movie. When Rocky’s son is letting him know how hard his life is because of his father, Rocky gives him a lesson on life. In a speech from the heart, Rocky lets his son know how much he loves him and believes in him before schooling him on his insecurities.

It’s a simple lesson, and it relates to boxing as well as life. He says, “It ain’t about how hard you hit.” Then he explains that it’s about how many times you can get hit and keep going in life. The point is that life is hard, and you have to be tough enough to go after your dreams without letting any excuses get in your way.

Final Words

Sports provide a lot of material for motivation. While sports is about winning, athletes and coaches know that you can’t win every game. Your failures make you better, and your teammates, coaches, family, and mentors help you achieve your dreams. Winning is a result of coming together for a common goal, and life works the same way. These are truly great examples of how to learn to stand up strong, rely on family and friends, and believe in yourself.

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16 Of The Greatest Motivational Sports Speeches In History

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Top 10 iconic moments in baseball history

By Carter Williams

Friday marks the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest speeches in baseball history as Lou Gehrig sadly announced his retirement from baseball.

The “Luckiest Man” speech isn’t just one of — if not the greatest — speeches in sports history, it’s one of the most iconic moments in baseball history. Seventy-five years later, it makes fans appreciate what’s given in life, and not what’s taken away.

In honor of the 75th anniversary of this iconic speech, let’s take a look at 10 of the most iconic moments in baseball history.

No. 10 – “The Flip” (2001)

I believe this moment will only grow with time. Derek Jeter is still making memories, but when we reflect on his career, this play will resonate even further. When his career does end, we’ll go back and think, “Why was Jeter there?”

Jeter should’ve, by all means, been on the other side of the field, but was there to pick up two cutoff men on an overthrow to the plate and, in one stride, flip the ball from his position on the first base line to Jorge Posada at the plate to nab Jeremy Giambi at the plate. Of course it’s a fantastic, unbelievable play, but even more so in a one-run playoff like it was.

It’s one of those plays Jeter made that’s what made him the Hall of Famer he will be. Though he has more hits than any Yankee in history and has multiple World Series rings, it’s a play like this that separates him into another level. It’s also a moment that reminds all players to pay attention to what’s going on at all times.

No. 9 – “Touch ’em all, Joe” (1993)

It’s special anytime you can end a World Series with a walk-off home run, and Joe Carter did just that in the 1993 World Series. Carter’s blast off Mitch Williams to give the Blue Jays back-to-back championships is one of the greatest endings one can ask for.

As Carter joyously skips around the bases with his arms held high, broadcaster Tom Cheek makes his famous “Touch ‘em all Joe, you’ll never hit a bigger home run” call on the radio. It’s a moment that’s fit for a Hollywood script ending.

No. 8 – Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off (1960)

Much like Joe Carter, Bill Mazeroski ended the World Series with one swing of the bat. Unlike Carter, Mazeroski’s was in the decisive Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. In one of the wildest postseason games in history, the Pittsburgh Pirates trailed the New York Yankees 7-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, when the Pirates scored five runs to take a 9-7 lead into the final inning. However, the Yankees scored two in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 9.

Mazeroski then led off the bottom of the ninth with his walk-off shot to win the World Series for the Pirates. In doing so, he became the first player in baseball history to end a World Series with a walk-off home run. (Carter being the only other to do so).

No. 7 – Carlton Fisk’s 1975 home run (1975)

When Carlton Fisk hit this, Boston was still in the middle of its championship curse. So when the ball was headed for foul territory, Fisk was willing to do anything for the ball to land in fair territory. It did, although it wasn’t enough to snap the curse. However, it did create a moment so iconic that every baseball fan knows this moment.

No. 6 – Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig’s record (1995)

When Cal Ripken played his 2,131st consecutive game, baseball seemed to stop to take notice. The B & O Warehouse, a building behind Camden Yards, was lit with 2,131.

He, of course, did what he also did best that day, he hit a home run .

Who knows if Ripken’s streak will ever be broken.

No. 5 – “The impossible has happened" (1988)

Perhaps no baseball moment is re-enacted more in beer league softball games than Kirk Gibson’s fist pump as rounded the bases on one of the most improbable home runs in baseball history. Gibson, with two bad legs, couldn't even come out to be introduced to start the World Series game. However, he came on to pinch-hit with two outs in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series and smacked a walk-off home run to right anyway.

Legendary broadcasting voices Jack Buck and Vin Scully’s call added to the drama of the event. Buck's “I don’t believe what I just saw” line might be one of the best in baseball broadcasting history.

No. 4 – The shot heard ‘round the world (1951)

This is one of the greatest moments in baseball history. The New York Giants were the ultimate underdogs heading into a best of three with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant. That’s because before that, the Giants were down by more than 10 games in the standings in August, but stormed back to force the pennant playoff by the end of the season.

The teams split the first two games of the series and the Giants entered the bottom of the ninth down 4-1, but managed to pull within two runs by the time Bobby Thompson approached the plate. Thompson then launched a three-run home run to cap one of the greatest comebacks in professional sports history.

An unforgettable scene ensued, with the team carrying Thompson off on their shoulders. At the same time, Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges was yelling at the top of his lungs “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” It’s moments like that that make baseball magical.

No. 3 – Babe Ruth's called shot (1932)

If Kirk Gibson’s fist pump isn’t the most re-enacted moment from baseball’s fans, then Babe Ruth’s legendary “called shot” has to be. It’s debated whether it actually happened or not , but as the tale famously goes, Ruth pointed to the outfield bleachers at Wrigley Field, and then jacked a homer in that direction on the next pitch.

Now sure, this moment is more mythical than anything else, but almost every kid that played Little League or sandlot ball imitated this moment at least once. It’s also been exaggerated in various movies and TV programs throughout the years.

Nothing beats a good mystery, and that’s why this moment, whether it happened in the 1932 World Series or not, is where the legend of Babe Ruth grows beyond his almighty statistics.

No. 2 – Lou Gehrig’s speech (1939)

Could you imagine one of the best baseball players in history to suddenly announce his retirement halfway through the season? How about if said player did it while still one of the biggest stars in the game? That’s exactly what Lou Gehrig did, and he did it in a time when nobody really knew the severity of the disease he had even though he truly didn't realize the full impact of it either.

A couple of weeks after officially retiring, Gehrig returned to Yankee Stadium to deliver one of the saddest, yet most genuinely special moments to happen on the diamond. “I truly consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth” is not just arguably the greatest line from any baseball speech, it’s also one of the greatest lines in American history, especially knowing what he was up against.

ALS was an uncommon disease at the time. Gehrig was baseball’s “Iron Horse” and seemingly indestructible. In all reality, Gehrig probably even played his final year or two as a player with symptoms of ALS. But what made his speech so remarkable is how he knew what was ahead of him, but spoke about all the great things he was given. His words still give goosebumps to this day — 75 years later.

No. 1 – Jackie Robinson breaks the major league color barrier (1947)

There is a moment that’s debated if it actually happened, but Dodgers’ Pee Wee Reese wrapped his arm around Jackie Robinson as fans were berating Robinson. Whether it happened or not, it’s the symbolic moment when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.

Robinson opened the door for all diverse players to enter the majors for years to come.

10 Most Inspiring Sports Movie Speeches of All-Time

"There's no crying in Baseball"

In practically every sport's movie, there comes a pivotal moment in the plot where a certain player, coach, or team needs to step up and make a passionate speech to inspire others. It's a necessity, and for many of these films it is the most memorable part.

RELATED: 10 Best Sports Movies to Watch if You Don't Like Sports

These speeches range from making you want to cry, to making you want top run through a wall. From Al Pacino 's "Inch by Inch" speech in Any Given Sunday (1999), to Rocky's emotional speech to his son in Rocky Balboa (2006), sports movies have some of the best speeches across film, and it makes them fun and iconic.

'D2: The Mighty Ducks, "Ducks fly together"

Gordon Bombay ( Emilio Estevez ) returns to Minnesota after a career ending injury with a chance to coach a United States team at the Junior Goodwill Games. He collects most of his previous Mighty Ducks squad, with a couple new additions. Bombay is not the same coach, frustrated with his own life, he runs the kids into the ground, and it effects their play.

Eventually, he is able to see what he is doing to the kids and gives a rousing speech during the championship game against Iceland, who beat them badly in the early part of the tournament. They swap out their Team USA sweaters for new Mighty Ducks ones and go on to win in a shootout.

'Remember the Titans' (2000), "You Blitz all night"

When the newly integrated Titans reach the State Semi-Finals, Coach Yoast ( Will Patton ), the former Head Coach, is told by the school board he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame once the Titans finally lose. This will also get Coach Boone ( Denzel Washington ) fired.

When the game starts, the refs are calling everything against the Titans, prompting Boone to lose his cool. It's obvious the game is rigged against them. Yoast recognizes what's happening, and rallies his defense, instructing them to "Blitz all night." In reality, not the best defensive scheme, but it works for the Titans, and this moment sends chills down your spine.

'Coach Carter' (2005), "Our deepest fear"

The only speech of these movies that has the player getting everyone else emotional. After Timo Cruz ( Rick Gonzalez ) is dismissed from the team and then reinstated, the team locks themselves in the gym with desks to prove to their coach that they can achieve the required grades to play.

Cruz drops an absolute gem of wisdom here, in an emotional speech in front of his teammates, and thanks Coach Carter ( Samuel L. Jackson ) for saving his life. "Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." A lot of knowledge from a high school basketball player.

'Field of Dreams' (1989), "People will come"

After finally building the field, and having all these legendary baseball players, Ray ( Kevin Costner ) is pressured to sell his farm and the field, or the bank will foreclose him. His daughter Karin ( Gaby Hoffmann ) and Terence Mann ( James Earl Jones ) insist that people will come to watch.

Mann tells Ray that they'll be enthralled with recapturing their childhood innocence, and they won't think twice about handing over $20 to explore the grounds and take in a baseball game in the middle of Iowa. People love a good baseball game.

A League of Their Own (1992), "There's no crying in Baseball"

This isn't a very nice exchange, but it absolutely belongs on here. Jimmy Dugan ( Tom Hanks ), the broken alcoholic manager of the Peaches, really gets after Evelyn ( Bitty Schram ) when she makes a mistake on the field that gives the opponent the lead.

After he berates Evelyn, she starts to cry, which causes a mix of disgust and confusion in Dugan, prompting the line "There's no crying in Baseball!" Dugan then makes an inappropriate comment to the Umpire after he tells Dugan to treat the players like he'd treat his mother, which causes a big laugh for the Peaches and breaks the tension.

'Hoosiers' (1986), "I don't care what the scoreboard says"

Coach Dale's ( Gene Hackman ) pregame speech to the Hickory Huskers may be a bit cheesy, but it inspires young athletes to play for pride and as a team to this day. No matter how big and scary the opponent is or however long the odds are, you play for the person next to you.

It is a true movie moment that can resonate in real life all these years later. The slow clap is probably the cheesiest part, but that's ok, too. And of course, although they seem to be outmatched, Hickory comes away with the victory.

'Rocky Balboa' (2006), "It ain't about how hard you can hit"

Retired from boxing, in his 50s and now a widow, Philadelphia legend Rocky Balboa ( Sylvester Stallone ) enjoys managing his Italian restaurant named after his late wife, Adrian. However, a new Heavyweight champ, Mason "The Line" Dixon ( Antonio Tarver ) is criticized for having not beat a true contender.

When ESPN runs a simulation of Dixon and Rocky fighting in their prime, Rocky wins by knockout, inspiring him to renew his boxing license, which makes headlines. The two heavyweights set up an exhibition match , but when Rocky's estranged son Robert ( Milo Ventimiglia ) tries to deter him from fighting, pointing to his own failings as a consequence of Rocky's career, Rocky delivers this profound monologue about never giving up.

'Friday Night Lights' (2004), "Being perfect"

At halftime of the Texas State Championship for the Permian Panthers, Coach Gaines ( Billy Bob Thornton ) redefines how he views perfection to his team. For the entire movie, this Texas high school football team has been tasked with the weight of their entire community on their shoulders, expecting perfection.

Here, Gaines lets these kids know that this may be the last two quarters of football they ever play. He tells his team that perfection isn't about winning, it's about knowing you tried everything you could. That you could look your teammate in the eye knowing there wasn't anything else you could do, and that's ok. It is an emotional speech that sets up an emotional ending.

'Any Given Sunday' (1999), "Life is a game of inches"

Another football speech, this time for the underrated film Any Given Sunday. Coach D'Amato (Pacino) tells his team about his failures, and tells them they're in hell - but it's up to them together to drag themselves up and out. Comparing life's ups and downs to football, with inches of difference all around them that can decide an outcome.

Fighting for every inch, in life and in football, matters. And it's important to fight for what you want and what you have. It is truly one of the most riveting monologue that has ever been put to film. And among all of Pacino's performances, this speech really stands out.

'Miracle' (2004), "Great moments come from great opportunity."

The 1980 Olympics Gold Medal game between the USA and USSR lives on today as probably the greatest upset in sports history. Amateur USA players against professional Hockey players on Russia's side. Coach Herb Brooks ( Kurt Russell ) gives the greatest sports movie speech of all-time, pre-game to the Gold Medal match.

He tells his players they were born to be hockey players. That if they "played the Soviets 10 times, they might win nine," but that doesn't matter. All the matters is that for tonight, one game, they are the "greatest hockey team on the planet." Bone chilling speech and inspirational.

KEEP READING: 10 Movies That Will Make You Want to Join a Sports Team

Tennis news by We Are Tennis

Top 10 : the most memorable speeches in the history of grand slam tournaments.

Jan 25, 2017, 2:18:17 PM

It’s the official protocole : after each final, the winner, as well as the loser, both have to pick up the microphone and give a small post-match speech. An exercise in which some champions appear to be best public speakers than others…

It’s the official protocole : after each final, the winner, as well as the loser, both have to pick up the microphone and give a small post-match speech. An exercise in which some champions appear to be best public speakers than others…

The most « tough love » : henri leconte at roland-garros in 1988.

Paris. 1988. Henri Leconte had just been defeated in three sets by Wilander, who he first praised in his own way («  Mats made me play badly, it’s his great strength  »). The moment which remained in the history books came just after : his knee bent against the balustrade, he talked directly to the crowd, who gave him a bit of a hard time during the fortnight and also during the previous editions. « I hope that you’ve finally understood my game », he said, defying the crowd, and receiving a few boos as a response. When the circuit’s big mouth took the mic, to stand up to the Roland-Garros crowd, which has always been known to be a little difficult, obviously, things had to spark off…

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The most Christlike : Michael Chang at Roland-Garros in 1989

The tradition states that after a final, both opponents usually pay each other an hommage. Except that the winner of the 1989 edition in the men’s circuit - Michael Chang - wasn’t really used to giving speeches. After having thanked his parents, the 17 year-old kid decided to pay a very peculiar hommage to…Jesus Christ, who, he said, he wouldn’t be anything without. Praises he said with a trembling voice, before handing back the microphone without saying a word about his opponent Stefan Edberg, or even looking at him once. It’s not important Michael, God forgives.

The best effort : Jim Courier at Roland-Garros in 1993

After two victories in a row during the previous editions, Jim Courier had just lost against Sergi Bruguera ? A disappointment ? Certainly, but at least, the American was now prepared to capture the support of the crowd. If the Spaniard made the effort of speaking in French, so could the American. Even if he was less than comfortable with the idea of speaking in French, Jim decided to give it a try and had fun with his own approximations. «  Well okay, last year I spoke like a Spanish cow, and this year I played against a Spanish crowd  », before turning serious again. «  No, that’s not funny  ». Yes, yes, it is !

The most comfortable with speeches : Marat Safin at the Australian Open in 2005

At the start of the 2005 season, Marat Safin won his second - and last - Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open. Under the Melbourne sun, the Russian felt relaxed. Three years earlier, after his defeat against Thomas Johansson, he had amused the crowd by thanking his « cousins » present in his box, who turned out to be pretty groupies…This time, he talked to the crowd as the champion. His girlfriend was there so the great Marat was on his best behavior, but still very at ease to thank everyone, from his opponent Lleyton Hewitt to the sponsors without forgetting his team, everyone received a nice message, with a little pun each time. Rarely had we seen the Melbourne Park crowd laugh so much.

The most outlandish : Mary Pierce at Roland-Garros in 2005

Thanking the sponsors is pretty usual in Australia, but a little less in France. Mary Pierce found out the hard way when, a few months later, she gave her post-match speech after being defeated by Justine Henin, five years after her triumph against Conchita Martinez. Strangled by emotion, supported by some « Mary, Mary ! » coming down from the stands, she awkwardly launched herself in a series of hommages, from the official transportation company to the ballboys, without forgetting, obviously, the sponsors. A few whistles and boos were heard before the Franco-Canadian decided to finish her speech in English to thank her family. Outlandish.

The most moving : Roger Federer at the Australian Open in 2009

The greatest champions rarely turn out to be the beautiful losers. It’s also the case with Roger Federer, who had a tough time accepting his defeat in the final in Melbourne in 2009 against Rafael Nadal. Powerless, he started his speech with a « God, it’s killing me » followed by a few some tears which he couldn’t hold back. The moment was solemn, as the giant Federer’s armor was cracking. In the stands, Mirka looked shocked, as well as Nadal, more serious then ever, who applauded. The following ovation was long, as Federer, who was incapable of saying another word, handed back the microphone. Emotion in its purest form.

The most helpless : Andy Murray at the Australian Open in 2010

A year later, King Roger’s answer was expected : he won his fourth (and last, to this day) Australian Open, after dominating a helpless, and amazingly honest Andy Murray in the final. «  I hope that I can come back here one day and win it  », he said, without hiding his emotion, before giving his opponent a nice little nod : «  I can cry like Roger but it’s frustrating not to be able to play like him.  » The Scot has played five finals in Melbourne and has lost all of them. 

The most expected : Andy Murray at Wimbledon in 2013

Thankfully for the current world number 1, there have been happier speeches. The most memorable one was certainly the one he gave in 2013 when he won Wimbledon, at home, after dominating Novak Djokovic. Entirely committed to his champion, the crowd hung on each of his words. «  I know how much you wanted a British player to win, so I hope you enjoy !  » Rarely had a post-match ceremony showed an intense communion between the winner and the crowd.

The most accomplished : Li Na at the Australian Open in 2014

When she won the Australian Open in 2014, Li Na didn’t know that she was only a few months from retirement. After a perfect fortnight, she gave a speech full of spontaneity and humour. Sounding very sincere, the Chinese had prepared a few punchlines to pay an hommage to her agent («  you made me rich, thank you very much  ») and her husband («  you’re famous in China now,  (…)  thank you, you’re a nice guy, and you’re lucky to have found me !  »). As her husband was crying out of laughter, the crowd looked seduced.

The most professional : Roger Federer at the US Open in 2015

If there was a prize for the best public speaker of the circuit, it would certainly be awarded to Roger Federer. The force of habit, certainly…his last speech given during a Grand Slam occurred after his lost final at the US Open against Novak Djokovic. He gave everything in a little less than two minutes : a nice way of speaking, hommages payed to everyone involved, a little emotion, a little humour…An example of a good speech which could feature in communication lessons for tennis players.

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10 most inspiring sports movie speeches.

Some of the most motivational speeches in film history come from iconic sports movies that instill crucial lessons in life both on and off the field.

The most inspiring sports movie speeches of all time light a fire under every sports fan's heart. They are typically given by head coaches of underdog teams who need a pre-game or halftime locker room pick-me-up to encourage the pursuit of victory against a challenging opponent. They can also arise in other unique ways that encapsulate the feelings of sportsmanship, teamwork, and a love of the game that reminds every athlete, coach, and fan why they play ball.

The timeless tale of inspiring underdogs in sports movies is the culmination of blood, sweat, and tears as well as fearlessness in the face of a formidable opponent. The best speeches in sports movies often remind those it is intended for to keep up their determination and maintain their belief in themselves. The most inspiring moments in sports movies come from the mutual desire to become greater than the sum of any given team's parts and often speak to notions of greatness and achievement that transcend the court or playing field.

RELATED: 12 Awesome Sports Movies Not Based On A True Story

10 Hoosiers - “I Don’t Care What The Scoreboard Says”

In the 1986 classic basketball film Hoosiers , Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) delivers a passionate speech to his Hickory High School Huskers varsity team. Dale walks into a timid locker room in a make-or-break moment that will determine how the Indiana team will approach their big game. Dale's speech denounces the common anxieties that come with pre-game jitters, reminding his team not to focus on winning a distant state championship but to instead remember that the road to victory begins with one step. Dale encourages his team to forget about the crowds and the scoreboard, which leads to an iconic slow clap that fires the Huskers up before they hit the court.

9 Remember The Titans - “Leave No Doubt”

Remember the Titans is full of inspiring moments, but none capture the same intensity of the mid-game motivational speech given by Coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton). During the Northern Virginia Regional Championship Football Game, Yoast pulls his defensive players aside and reinforces their main objective, telling them to blitz the opponent's quarterback all night. After one of his star players quits during the game, Yoast improvises by subbing in back-up Alan Bosley (Ryan Gosling) and delivered the legendary line "You make sure they remember, forever, the night they played the Titans. Leave no doubt!"

8 Glory Road - “Take It”

The most motivational speech in the basketball film Glory Road is delivered by head coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) to his Texas Western basketball team as they are just two minutes from winning a national championship. In the huddle during a timeout, Haskins reminds his players that the key to winning a championship is about heart and which team wants to win the most. His inspiring speech encourages the underdog basketball team to take the victory from the established favorites since they will not hand it over simply. The speech is a declaration of the required willpower that turns competitors into champions.

7 Field Of Dreams - “People Will Come”

James Earl Jones delivers one of the most iconic speeches in all sports movies in Field of Dreams . Terence Mann (Jones) paints a portrait of what the baseball filed will inspire if Ray (Kevin Costner) builds it in his cornfield. The speech intercuts with Ray's contemplation of whether he should sell his property to ensure that he won't lose all of his financial assets. The inspirational speech creates the vision of a magical baseball field that will captivate every fan and player's attention and will ultimately prevent Ray from having to sell his beloved property. Mann memorably reminds Ray that if he builds the field, people will come.

6 Friday Night Lights - “Perfect”

Before the popular Friday Night Lights television series began, a 2004 movie of the same name starred Billy Bob Thornton as Coach Gary Gaines. Gaines delivers a brutally raw and honest speech to his team of football players that reminds them of the fleeting nature of life, encouraging them to seize the opportunity to win while they still have it. Gaines reiterates to his team at their most crucial and vulnerable moment that his notion of being "perfect" is not about winning the game, but about becoming good, reliable people through the game. It's a poignant speech that dives into how life is much bigger than any sports game.

RELATED: 10 Saddest Sports Movie Moments That Will Definitely Make You Cry

5 We Are Marshall - “You Cannot Lose”

We Are Marshall is one of the most devastating sports films ever made with many tear-jerking moments. Coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) brings his college football team to the final resting place of former Marshall players and staff members who died in a tragic plane crash. In a grim yet powerful speech, Lengyel reminds his players that although their opponent is physically stronger and more efficient than them, they aren't aware of how passionate they are. Lengyel's message touches on the deepest motivation of any sports competition, which is the commitment and heart in every player and team that can fuel an underdog to victory.

4 Coach Carter - “Our Deepest Fear”

One of the most motivational speeches in sports films is surprisingly not delivered by a coach but a player. In Coach Carter , point guard Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez) stands up and recites a poetic monologue that demonstrates the life lessons Coach Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) had taught him during their basketball season. Cruz begins by saying, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." The moment delivers one of the rare speeches in sports movies that is applicable to philosophy and life in all areas, making it exceptionally profound even to non-sports fans.

3 Rocky Balboa - “It’s Not About How Hard You Hit”

Another beautifully constructed speech that applies to life outside the ring can be found is 2006's Rocky Balboa . Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) gives an impassioned pep talk to his son that delicately criticizes and motivates him to rise to difficult challenges. One of the most poignant parts of the speech is when Rocky says, "It ain't about how hard you can hit, but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." It's an incredible message about the importance of resiliency and overcoming obstacles in order to find success and happiness in life.

2 Miracle - “Great Moments Are Born From Great Opportunity”

In Miracle , Coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) delivers one of the best pre-game speeches of all time. Brooks's command of the 1980 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey team is akin to an army general, which is appropriate given the international tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War at the time. Brooks's speech is focused on the unification and determination required to achieve the highest form of victory. It stresses the importance of disavowing any self-doubt in order to make the most of rare opportunities when they are given.

1 Any Given Sunday - “Life Is A Game Of Inches”

The most inspirational speech in all sports movies is performed by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday . Coach Tony D'Amato (Pacino) gives a speech that is motivational, heartfelt, relatable, and poetic all at once, proclaiming that life itself is a game of inches that must be earned, just like football. The speech is performed like a sermon that highlights the significance of margins of error in both football and life, which makes all the differences between winning and losing. D'Amato's speech perfectly combines passion, intelligence, and philosophy to create the most inspiring sports movie speech of all time.

10 of the Most Famous and Inspirational Speeches from History

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What makes a great and iconic speech? There are numerous examples of brilliant orators and speechmakers throughout history, from classical times to the present day. What the best speeches tend to have in common are more than just a solid intellectual argument: they have emotive power, or, for want of a more scholarly word, ‘heart’. Great speeches rouse us to action, or move us to tears – or both.

But of course, historic speeches are often also associated with landmark, or watershed, moments in a nation’s history: when Churchill delivered his series of wartime speeches to Britain in 1940, it was against the backdrop of a war which was still in its early, uncertain stages. And when Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, he was addressing a crowd who, like him, were marching for justice, freedom, and civil rights for African Americans.

Let’s take a closer look at ten of the best and most famous speeches from great moments in history.

Abraham Lincoln, ‘ Gettysburg Address ’ (1863).

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history, yet it was extremely short – just 268 words, or less than a page of text – and Abraham Lincoln, who gave the address, wasn’t even the top billing .

The US President Abraham Lincoln gave this short address at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 19 November 1863. At the time, the American Civil War was still raging, and the Battle of Gettysburg had been the bloodiest battle in the war, with an estimated 23,000 casualties.

Lincoln’s speech has been remembered while Edward Everett’s – the main speech delivered on that day – has long been forgotten because Lincoln eschewed the high-flown allusions and wordy style of most political orators of the nineteenth century. Instead, he addresses his audience in plain, homespun English that is immediately relatable and accessible.

Sojourner Truth, ‘ Ain’t I a Woman? ’ (1851).

Sometimes known as ‘Ar’n’t I a Woman?’, this is a speech which Sojourner Truth, a freed African slave living in the United States, delivered in 1851 at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio. The women in attendance were being challenged to call for the right to vote.

In her speech, Sojourner Truth attempts to persuade the audience to give women the vote . As both an ex-slave and a woman, Sojourner Truth knew about the plight of both groups of people in the United States. Her speech shows her audience the times: change is coming, and it is time to give women the rights that should be theirs.

John Ball, ‘ Cast off the Yoke of Bondage ’ (1381).

The summer of 1381 was a time of unrest in England. The so-called ‘Peasants’ Revolt’, led by Wat Tyler (in actual fact, many of the leaders of the revolt were more well-to-do than your average peasant), gathered force until the rebels stormed London, executing a number of high-ranking officials, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor, Simon Sudbury.

Alongside Tyler, the priest John Ball was an important leading figure of the rebellion. His famous couplet, ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, / Who was then the gentleman?’ sums up the ethos of the Peasants’ Revolt: social inequality was unheard of until men created it.

Winston Churchill, ‘ We Shall Fight on the Beaches ’ (1940).

Winston Churchill had only recently assumed the role of UK Prime Minister when he gave the trio of wartime speeches which have gone down in history for their rhetorical skill and emotive power. This, for our money, is the best of the three.

Churchill gave this speech in the House of Commons on 4 June 1940. Having brought his listeners up to speed with what has happened, Churchill comes to the peroration of his speech : by far the most famous part. He reassures them that if nothing is neglected and all arrangements are made, he sees no reason why Britain cannot once more defend itself against invasion: something which, as an island nation, it has always been susceptible to by sea, and now by air.

Even if it takes years, and even if Britain must defend itself alone without any help from its allies, this is what must happen. Capitulation to the Nazis is not an option. The line ‘if necessary for years; if necessary, alone’ is sure to send a shiver down the spine, as is the way Churchill barks ‘we shall never surrender!’ in the post-war recording of the speech he made several years later.

William Faulkner, ‘ The Agony and the Sweat ’ (1950).

This is the title sometimes given to one of the most memorable Nobel Prize acceptance speeches: the American novelist William Faulkner’s acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Literature at Stockholm in 1950.

In his speech, Faulkner makes his famous statement about the ‘duty’ of writers: that they should write about ‘the human heart in conflict with itself’, as well as emotions and themes such as compassion, sacrifice, courage, and hope. He also emphasises that being a writer is hard work, and involves understanding human nature in all its complexity. But good writing should also remind readers what humankind is capable of.

Emmeline Pankhurst, ‘ The Plight of Women ’ (1908).

Pankhurst (1858-1928) was the leader of the British suffragettes, campaigning – and protesting – for votes for women. After she realised that Asquith’s Liberal government were unlikely to grand women the vote, the Women’s Social and Political Union, founded by Pankhurst with her daughter Christabel, turned to more militant tactics to shift public and parliamentary opinion.

Her emphasis in this speech is on the unhappy lot most women could face, in marriage and in motherhood. She also shows how ‘man-made’ the laws of England are, when they are biased in favour of men to the detriment of women’s rights.

This speech was given at the Portman Rooms in London in 1908; ten years later, towards the end of the First World War, women over 30 were finally given the vote. But it would be another ten years, in 1928 – the year of Pankhurst’s death – before the voting age for women was equal to that for men (21 years).

Franklin Roosevelt, ‘ The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself ’ (1933).

This is the title by which Roosevelt’s speech at his inauguration in 1933 has commonly become known, and it has attained the status of a proverb. Roosevelt was elected only a few years after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 which ushered in the Great Depression.

Roosevelt’s famous line in the speech, which offered hope to millions of Americans dealing with unemployment and poverty, was probably inspired by a line from Henry David Thoreau, a copy of whose writings FDR had been gifted shortly before his inauguration. The line about having nothing to fear except fear itself was, in fact, only added into the speech the day before the inauguration took place, but it ensured that the speech went down in history.

Marcus Tullius Cicero, ‘ Among Us You Can Dwell No Longer ’ (63 BC).

Of all of the great classical orators, perhaps the greatest of all was the Roman statesman, philosopher, and speechmaker, Cicero (whose name literally means ‘chickpea’).

This is probably his best-known speech. At the Temple of Jupiter in Rome, Cicero addressed the crowd, but specifically directed his comments towards Lucius Catiline, who was accused of plotting a conspiracy to set fire to the capital and stage and insurrection. The speech was considered such a fine example of Roman rhetoric that it was a favourite in classrooms for centuries after, as Brian MacArthur notes in The Penguin Book of Historic Speeches .

Queen Elizabeth I, ‘ The Heart and Stomach of a King ’ (1588).

Queen Elizabeth I’s speech to the troops at Tilbury is among the most famous and iconic speeches in English history. On 9 August 1588, Elizabeth addressed the land forces which had been mobilised at the port of Tilbury in Essex, in preparation for the expected invasion of England by the Spanish Armada.

When she gave this speech, Elizabeth was in her mid-fifties and her youthful beauty had faded. But she had learned rhetoric as a young princess, and this training served her well when she wrote and delivered this speech (she was also a fairly accomplished poet ).

She famously tells her troops: ‘I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too’. She acknowledged the fact that her body was naturally less masculine and strong than the average man’s, but it is not mere physical strength that will win the day. It is courage that matters.

Martin Luther King, ‘ I Have a Dream ’ (1963).

Let’s conclude this selection of the best inspirational speeches with the best-known of all of Martin Luther King’s speeches. The occasion for this piece of oratorical grandeur was the march on Washington , which saw some 210,000 men, women, and children gather at the Washington Monument in August 1963, before marching to the Lincoln Memorial. King reportedly stayed up until 4am the night before he was due to give the speech, writing it out.

King’s speech imagines a collective vision of a better and more equal America which is not only shared by many Black Americans, but by anyone who identifies with their fight against racial injustice, segregation, and discrimination.

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10 famous speeches in history that continue to stand the test of time

A great speech is something that combines persuasive writing, a comfort with public speaking , and a meaningful message to create an impression greater than the sum of its parts. There’s no one set of rules to govern the ideal speech, and plenty of people struggle with them even with teams of experts to help them out — just see the majority of speeches given by politicians. But once in a while, a truly great speaker and a truly great speech come together to create something that stands out and withstands the test of time, carrying meaning with it through generations even to those who weren’t yet born when it was given.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Demosthenes, queen elizabeth i, george washington, abraham lincoln, chief joseph, winston churchill, john f. kennedy, barack obama, more famous speeches to inspire you.

Great speeches are more than just rhetorical flourish or impressive performance — they’re also calls to action, able to persuade and embolden the listener. These speeches can be inspiring, informative, and instructive, whether you’re interested in learning more about history or working on a speech of your own .

We’ve rounded up 10 of history’s greatest speeches, including excerpts so you can learn about how the power of a great speech can last for years.

1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s I Have a Dream speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, is one of the finest pieces of oratory in human history. It blended masterful, rich language with the oratorical technique of repetition and it was utterly fearless.

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King would be dead by an assassin’s bullet less than five years after delivering his most famous speech. His words were no mere rhetoric; they were an affirmation of the value of human life and the expression of a cause for which he would give his own.

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ … “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

341 BCE ‘Third Philippic’

Though you may not have heard of the Athenian orator Demosthenes, consider the fact that one of history’s most famed speakers of all time, Cicero, cited his ancient forebear 300 years later. Demosthenes’ Third Philippic , so-called because it was the third speech he gave devoted to convincing his fellow Athenians to take up arms against the encroaching forces of Phillip of Macedon, literally led men to war. At the end of his speech, delivered in 341 BCE, the Athenian Assembly moved at once against their rival, spurred on by lines damning the past inaction of his fellow citizens:

“You are in your present plight because you do not do any part of your duty, small or great; for of course, if you were doing all that you should do, and were still in this evil case, you could not even hope for any improvement. As it is, Philip has conquered your indolence and your indifference; but he has not conquered Athens. You have not been vanquished, you have never even stirred.

1588 ‘Spanish Armada’ speech t o the troops at Tilbury

In 1588, English monarch Queen Elizabeth I gave one of the manliest speeches in history, even at one point, putting down her own body for being female. As the “mighty” Spanish Armada, a flotilla of some 130 ships, sailed toward Britain with plans of invasion, the queen delivered a rousing address at Tilbury, Essex, England. As it turned out, a storm and some navigational errors took care of the Spanish warships for the most part. Still, it was a bold speech that helped bolster a nation. This speech also made Queen Elizabeth famous for the armor she wore in front of her troops.

“I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: To which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.”

1783 Resignation speech

To grasp the true power of George Washington ‘s resignation as the commander-in-chief of the U.S. military (then known as the Continental Army) on December 23, 1783, you have to go beyond the words themselves and appreciate the context. Washington was in no way obliged to resign his commission, but did so willingly and even gladly, just as he would later refuse a third term as president of the nation, establishing a precedent honored into the 1940s and thereafter enshrined in law. Despite being the most powerful man in the fledgling military and then becoming the most powerful man in the United States, the staid and humble Washington was never hungry for power for himself; he just happened to be the best man for the job(s).

Even in his last address as leader of the nation’s armed forces, Washington made it all about America, and not about himself:

“Happy in the confirmation of our Independence and Sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable Nation, I resign with satisfaction the Appointment I accepted with diffidence. A diffidence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task, which however was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our Cause, the support of the Supreme Power of the Union, and the patronage of Heaven.”

1863 ‘Gettysburg Address’

There’s a reason many people consider the Gettysburg Address to be the best speech in American history: It probably is. In just 275 words on November 19, 1863, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln managed to express the following sentiments:

• America is both a place and a concept, both of which are worth fighting.
• Fighting is horrible, but losing is worse.
• We have no intention of losing.

Ironically, one line in Lincoln’s speech proved to be laughably inaccurate. Midway through the speech, he humbly said: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” In fact, the world continues to remember his brief yet very stirring address.

“In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract …

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

1877 Surrender speech

On October 5, 1877, Nez Perce tribe leader Chief Joseph delivered a short, impromptu, and wrenching speech that many see as the lamentation of the end of an era for Native Americans and the lands that were stolen from them. Overtaken by the United States Army during a desperate multi-week retreat toward Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Howard with this bleak, moving message:

“I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”

1939 ‘Luckiest Man’ speech

No one wants a deadly disease named after them, but that’s what happened to baseball legend Lou Gehrig , who died at 37 after a brief battle with ALS, commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Following a career in which the Hall of Fame player earned many of baseball’s top honors and awards, Gehrig delivered one of the most touching speeches of the 20th century, a speech in which he brought comfort to those mourning his illness even as his health fell apart.

In essence, Gehrig told people not to worry about one dying man, but instead to celebrate all life had to offer as he listed all the wonderful things that occurred in his own life. In so doing, he brought solace to many and created a model of selflessness. Gehrig delivered this short speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17  years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans … “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”

1940 ‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches’ speech

Winston Churchill delivered many superlative speeches in his day, including the 1946 address that created the term “Iron Curtain” to describe the boundary of Britain’s recent ally, the Soviet Union, and a 1940 speech praising the heroism of the British Royal Air Force in which he uttered the line: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”

But it was his bold and bolstering speech delivered on June 4, 1940, to the British Parliament’s House of Commons — commonly referred to as We Shall Fight on the Beaches — that most exemplifies the famed leader. These were more than just words — these were a promise to his nation that they were all in the fight wholeheartedly together and it was a heads-up to the Axis powers that attacking the Brits had been a bad idea.

“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

1961 inaugural address

Much of President John F. Kennedy ‘s pithy 1,366-word inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1961, was well-written and meaningful, but as often happens, his speech has stood the test of time thanks to one perfect phrase. Amidst an address filled with both hope and dire warnings (“Man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life,” the latter being a clear reference to atomic weapons), he issued a direct appeal to Americans everywhere to stand up for their country. You know the line:

“And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address

When our future president – then a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois – Barack Obama delivered a 17-minute speech on the evening of July 27, 2004, at the Democratic National Convention endorsing presidential candidate John Kerry, the personal trajectory of one man and the history of an entire nation shifted dramatically. Already an up-and-coming politician gaining traction in his home state of Illinois, Obama’s keynote address that night transformed him into a national figure and paved the way for his journey to becoming the first POTUS of color. What was it about the speech that so moved the country?

Partly, it was simply the excellent writing, most of which Obama handled himself. Perhaps more so, it was the message of the speech, which spoke to the “abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation.” In short, Obama reminded us of who we were supposed to be as citizens of this nation. And for a flickering moment, many of us heard him.

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America. There’s not a Black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America … “We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?”

While we’ve taken an in-depth look at some of history’s most famous speeches, the list goes much further than those 10. Here are a few more great speeches that helped shape history that still have the power to inspire.

• 1941 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Day of Infamy speech – Roosevelt’s address to Congress on December 8, 1941, came the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s best known for its opening line: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The speech spurred Congress to declare war on Japan and thrust the U.S. into World War II.
• 1933 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – First Inaugural Address – Considering FDR served four terms during the end of the Great Depression and through World War II, it stands to reason that he would have some pretty famous speeches. His first inaugural address from 1933 is also remembered for one powerful line. As he discussed his plan to pull the country out of the Great Depression, he uttered this iconic line: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself.”
• 1986 – President Ronald Reagan – Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger – when Reagan addressed the country on the night of January 28, 1986, the U.S. was reeling from seeing the Space Shuttle Challenger explode, just seconds after launch, killing the crew, which included Christa McAuliffe, who was to be NASA’s first teacher in space. Reagan was to have delivered his State of the Union speech to Congress that night but canceled it in the wake of the Challenger disaster. The speech included these memorable words of condolence: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.'”
• 2001 – President George W. Bush – Address to the nation after 9/11 –  The morning of September 11, 2001, Bush was at a Florida elementary school to meet with children. He would have no idea that the day would end with him addressing the country after the horrific terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. That night, Bush gave the country words of hope, saying that the attacks did nothing to damage the American spirit. “Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts,” Bush said. “The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.”

We hope you’re feeling more inspired and determined to make your own history after perusing this list. For more historical inspiration, check out ten of our favorite Black History films , a list of fantastic history books to read , a group of iconic photographs of people who changed history , and seven amazing books documenting LGBTQ+ history — not to mention the importance of historical heroes who have been often overlooked . However you intend to change your present and future, we wish you nothing but the best of luck.

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Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Top 18 greatest comebacks in sports history since 1954.

• September 2, 2021
• Matt Jarvis

When looking for the greatest comebacks in sports history there is much to consider but one thing is certain – coming back from a position of no return will always set pulses racing.

Greatest Comebacks in Sports History

A blowout has its advantages. When the outcome of a game is decided long before the final whistle, fans of both teams grow much fewer gray hairs. And those who enjoy betting on sports are more relaxed when their chosen team is winning with a comfortable margin. It’s no secret that sports and gambling are very closely related. And this applies not only to sports betting. More and more new usa online casinos offer slot machines with sports themes.

But the most spectacular is the sports comebacks. When they happen, even neutral fans’ hair stands on end. No one thought it was possible, but the players pulled it off. It’s always impressive, isn’t it?

So, what are the most fantastic sports comebacks you can imagine? When players are cornered, the hope seems lost, and yet someone finds enough willpower to reverse the game flow and win. These cases are worth reminiscing about again.

18. How Soccer Helped Germany to Overcome Post-WWII Difficulties – 1954

There have been a lot of impressive comebacks in soccer lately. Remember Lucas Moura’s hat-trick against Ajax in the 2018/2019 Champions League semifinals. Or, if you dig just a little deeper, the Istanbul Champions League finals back in 2005. Soccer clubs now often come back from being down.

But amid the 20th century, soccer was more pragmatic, and outstanding sports comebacks were very rare. One such happened in the World Cup finals. This championship was held in Switzerland. That match in the summer of 1954 featured Germany, which had made its first return to the tournament since World War II, and Hungary.

That Hungarian team was fantastic. An entire generation of star players dominated the soccer world, so it was no wonder that the Hungarians were viewed as the favorites of the finals. Especially since Hungary had already faced Germany on the group stage and won comfortably.

The game started exactly as everyone had expected. During the first 8 minutes of the match, Hungary netted 2 goals and had relaxed a little. That was their critical mistake.

Just 2 minutes later, the Germans netted a goal thanks to the efforts of Max Morlock, and 6 minutes later, Helmut Rahn evened the match. Only then could Hungary regain control of the ball. But their many attempts to send the ball into Toni Turek’s net resulted in nothing. And at the 84th minute, the same Helmut Rahn became the one who created the last goal with an accurate shot and finished the comeback.

That’s how amazing sports comebacks happen. This 3-2 victory was the first World Cup title in German history. It was immediately nicknamed the Bern Miracle. Soccer helped to cleanse Germany’s image after the war, and soon after that memorable match, the country’s economy boomed.

17. The Comeback – 1992

If you’re a longtime NFL fan, you’ve probably got the headline right. It’s referring to the 1992 American Football Conference playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Oilers. Some sports journalists had nicknamed it The Comeback. And rightfully so. It was one impressive sports comeback, and the overturned lead was truly massive.

The Bills won the Bowl back in 1990 and 1991. The franchise was considered a major contender to win in 1992, but Jim Kelly’s injury messed it all up. In their showdown with the Oilers, the Buffalo Bills were no longer the clear favorites.

The players from Houston opened the game aggressively, and it turned out to be a disaster for their opponents. So, the 3rd quarter. The score is 35-3 in favor of the Oilers. Also, the Bills’ running back, Thurman Thomas, just left the field because of injury.

But then the Buffalo Bills regrouped and scored 2 consecutive touchdowns for themselves. The score became 35-17. With 7 more minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the gap no longer seemed so insurmountable.

The Bills stopped the Oilers’ next drive and scored another touchdown thanks to Frank Reich. And then there was another one. It happened after a pass from the same Reich. As a result, Buffalo scored an incredible 28 points in the third quarter and went into the break trailing by only 4 points.

In the last quarter, the Bills scored a touchdown after some very lackluster play by both teams. Frank Reich was the passer yet again. The score became 38-35 in their favor. Only then did the Oilers break their dry streak as Al Del Greco scored a three-pointer and pushed the game into overtime.

Although the Houston Oilers won the coin flip, it was the Buffalo that emerged victorious from overtime. The game was decided by a field goal.

16. Plano East Panthers’ Epic Comeback That Didn’t Happen – 1994

The one and the only reason this incredible sports comeback ranks so low in our list is the overall defeat suffered by its heroes. Unfortunately, the Panthers’ comeback didn’t result in a victory. But it was just so impressive that it stepped outside of the high school level and became known nationwide. According to many, it was the greatest game in school football history.

It happened back in the 1994 Texas Championship match. The match between the Panthers and Tyler High was fairly even. With just about 4 minutes left on the clock, the Panthers were on the ball and ready to score. At that point, they were down 17-27.

But they couldn’t finish the attack. Instead, Tyler High achieved a defensive touchdown and on their next possession, they scored once again. The Panthers’ deficit grew to 17-41. The fans thought it was done.

So, 3:03 on the clock, while the Panthers run down the offense and make a touchdown. Then they have an onside kick and score again. This makes the result 31-41. And wouldn’t you like another onside kick and another touchdown? Yeah, it’s 37-41 now with 50 seconds left on the clock.

Do you think that’s all? Well, it wasn’t! Plano East pulled off their 3rd onside kick in a row, which is crazy in itself. With just 24 seconds left, the Panthers performed another touchdown to take a 44-41 lead.

If this game was held in the NFL, it would have been the story’s end. But alas. The Panthers failed to kick the ball properly and watched helplessly as Tyler High scored a touchdown on the return, followed by a field goal. The result of the game was 44-48.

The Panthers, though an incredible sports comeback, suffered a loss. Pure madness!

15. Reggie Miller’s Incredibly Fast 8 Points – 1995

Another Indianapolis hero, but this time a basketball player. Famous Reggie Miller, who spent all 18 years of his career with the Pacers, presented many unforgettable emotions to fans. But the most memorable event happened back in 1995.

The Pacers confronted Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks and were down 6 points with 18.7 seconds left in the last quarter. And it’s when Miller took the floor. One of the greatest shooters in NBA history hit 2 three-pointers and 2 free throws in just 9 seconds! After his 1st successful three-pointer, Miller also was the one to intercept the ball, so he got the credit for that as well.

In part, we have John Starks to thank. The Knicks guard was the one who blatantly fouled Miller, allowing him to go for the free throws and sum up the comeback. But the fact remains. Reggie Miller scored 8 points within 9 seconds at the very end of the last quarter and single-handedly won a playoff semifinal game for his team.

14. Paul Lawrie and His 10 Strokes Deficit – 1999

Golf, despite being a relaxed game, has its crazy moments as well. The most impressive comeback in PGA Tour history occurred at the 1999 British Open.

It’s worth clarifying here. It’s equally Paul Lawrie’s epic comeback and Jean Van de Velde’s epic downfall. If you look at the PGA Tour’s ranking of the biggest collapses, Van de Velde is at the top of the list.

But that doesn’t diminish Paul Lawrie’s merit. The golfer started the last competitive day, trailing by 10 strokes. It looked like a sure loss, and it should have ended in a loss. But Lawrie had a different opinion.

The athlete played a day of truly impressive golf. Not only did he bounce back from a huge deficit to Van de Velde in the lead, but he also caught up with second-place Justin Leonard. And in the playoffs, Lawrie, buoyed by his comeback, defeated them both and won the 1999 Claret Jug.

13. Cleveland Indians Putting Baseball on Another Level – 2001

Baseball is the game where comebacks don’t look all that insane. They are more or less routine. But this didn’t stop the Cleveland Indians to impress the entire USA nation during their 2001 game against the Seattle Mariners.

After 3 innings, the Indians were down 0-12. It seemed like the game was in their opponents’ pocket. So both teams would settle down, and after 6 innings, the lead remained unchanged as 2-14.

But over the 7th inning, the Tribe scored 3 runs. In the 8th inning, they scored 4 more. The trend continued in the 9th inning with 5 more runs. At that point, Cleveland only had 2 outs left! And then Jolbert Cabrera delivered the winning run, setting the final score of the game at 15-14 in favor of the Tribe.

12. Peyton Manning vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2003

This episode has become an NFL classic. In this 2003 game, the legendary Peyton Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With 4 minutes left in the game, his teammates found themselves on the losing side of a 35-14 scoreline.

Shortly after, the Colts did a touchdown. This changed the count to 35-21, but there were only 3 minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock. The chances of a complete comeback were slim. Yet they remained.

Encouraged by this event, Indy immediately regained the ball possession and ran the ball for 58 yards in just over a minute. The incredible attack resulted in another touchdown.

The Colts couldn’t intercept the next onside kick, but forced a punt from Tampa instead. After that, Indy’s next attack ended with their 3rd consecutive touchdown to tie the game. They weren’t a single point down anymore.

Tampa still had some time left to attack and regain the lead. But the Buccaneers weren’t able to hit a field goal in time. The game went into overtime.

In the extra time, the Colts once again forced a punt from the Buccaneers. After that, Peyton Manning, who was shining at the end of the regular time, made another brilliant run and landed a touchdown. As a punchline, Mike Vanderjagt scored a field goal.

According to NFL website statistics, a comeback from a 21-point lead is pretty common. But Indy turned the game around in just 4 minutes, and this makes the case truly special.

11. Tracy McGrady and His Reggie Miller Impression – 2004

Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds are more famous than this one. That makes sense. Miller pulled his stunt in the playoffs series, and it happened 9 years earlier. But what Tracy McGrady did to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004 was at least as good.

McGrady was playing his 1st season for the Rockets. With 35 seconds left in the game between his team and the Spurs, they were down 68-76. Let’s be honest here. This kind of deficit is highly unlikely to be resolved.

We’re lucky that T-Mac is an exceptional player. First, he nailed a spectacular three-pointer to cut the opponents’ lead from 8 to 5 points. But a couple of seconds later, the Spurs were awarded 2 free throws and converted it one by one, again putting the Rockets in a near stalemate situation.

Let’s move to the next Houston possession. This is when McGrady made another three-pointer attempt and hit it again. He also was fouled down. So the athlete made the successful free throw. And on the next possession, the Spurs were allowed 2 free throws once again. Tim Duncan was accurate both times. The score was now 80-75, with only 16.2 seconds left on the clock.

What happened next was something Rockets fans still remember with a twinge of emotion. McGrady received a hard pass. He then spectacularly broke through defense to hit his 3rd three-pointer. There were 11.2 seconds left on the clock.

The Spurs should have safely possessed the ball until the buzzer, but lost it instead. As a result, McGrady got himself into a decent shooting position and converted one more three-pointer in the last seconds. It went down the basket just before the buzzer. The match ended with an 81-80 Rockets’ lead.

Attempting to determine the most insane individual performance in NBA history is a fruitless endeavor. There have been too many outstanding players and performances. But regardless of one’s personal preferences, this McGrady’s moment is just somewhere at the top of the enormous list of sports comebacks.

10. Red Sox’ Heroic Comeback From The 0-3 Deficit Against Yankees – 2004

Remember the curse of the Chicago Cubs ? The Red Sox had their curse, too. It all started back in 1919 when the Sox sold their iconic player Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees (a bitter rival, by the way). Since then, the men from Boston could not win a World Series.

And finally, the curse fell through a heroic comeback. Remarkably, it happened in a game against the Yankees. This was the deciding matchup for the 2004 ALCS. The winner of that meeting would advance for the World Series.

The Yankees started with an extremely confident lead, winning 3 games in a row. And in the 4th game, they were the ones to earn opening points. But the Red Sox turned the game around and won 6-4 after 12 innings. It was the beginning.

Winning game 5 was even more difficult for Boston. It took them a full 14 innings to win. And the 6th game, held at Yankees’ stadium, saw the Red Sox victorious with a score of 4-2.

The team that had just lost the series’ lead often gathers strength and gets the result it needs in the decisive game. But this was not the case for the Yankees. The Boston Red Sox won the 7th game 10-3 without experiencing much resistance.

Just like that, the Red Sox advanced to the World Series, where they claimed their first trophy since 1919. The entire city of Boston rejoiced.

9. That Night in Istanbul – 2005

Even those who are not soccer fans know this story. This sports comeback took place in Istanbul in 2005. Liverpool and Milan were competing for the Champions League title, and before the game started, the chances of both squads to win were considered roughly equal.

But Milan netted three unanswered goals in the 1st half and went into halftime with a much more than a comfortable lead. Here’s when crazy betting started. Of course, no one seriously believed in Liverpool’s victory anymore. It sure looked like there was no coming back. But the odds were so high that one could make big money by betting some tiny pennies.

Liverpool went into the second half energized. Electrified, even. Accompanied by the legendary You’ll Never Walk Alone song, which was heard from the stands, the Englishmen netted 3 goals in the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half, completing the comeback.

Then the game relatively calmed down. Both teams attacked a lot, but no more goals were seen in the regular or extra time of the match.

And here it is, the penalty shootout. Milan got off to a terrible start. First, Serginho sent his shot over the crossbar, and then the fantastic Andrea Pirlo couldn’t put the ball past Jerzy Dudek. Liverpool responded with a missed shot from John Arne Riise. The score was 3-2 after 4 shots.

And here Andriy Shevchenko comes to the ball. The fantastic Ukrainian had already delivered the Champions League trophy to Milan 2 years ago, scoring a decisive penalty to Juventus. But this time, Shevchenko could not outplay Jerzy Dudek.

Liverpool won in one of the intense penalty series. It was their 1st victory in 21 years and also their 5th in the club’s history. It is exactly 5 victories in the Champions League the team needs to keep the dreamed trophy in their museum forever. And the bookies had to pay up, indeed.

8. The Biggest Comeback in College Football Ever – 2006

Sometimes, college football is even more unpredictable than a casino. And some wild things happen there, coming to public attention through the media. Here, the Michigan State Spartans got the attention.

Their game against the Northwestern Wildcats in Division I-A took place back in 2006. With just 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Spartans were down by a whopping margin of 3-38. But then one of the unbelievable sports comebacks happened. It allowed the Michigan squad to celebrate a 41-38 victory.

The Wildcats were the obvious favorites to lead and win the game, and the first half was predictably easy. Perhaps the players started celebrating too early. The Spartans scored 2 touchdowns late in the 3rd quarter and headed into the last quarter, losing 17-38.

At the start of the last quarter, Michigan State blocked a punt and crafted a touchdown in return. The gap was cut to just 14 points. That’s still a lot, but with almost a full quarter to go, it’s quite possible to rebound.

The Wildcats unintentionally landed a helping hand for their opponents by failing to capitalize on their next 2 drives. Meanwhile, the Spartans converted both of their attempts. So the score became 38-38. And then a Michigan player received the pass and hit the winning shot from the 28-yard distance, bringing unforgettable excitement to the team and the fans.

7. Philadelphia Flyers’ Double Comeback From The 0-3 – 2010

Hockey is a beautiful sport that is fascinating to watch. But it’s not exactly suited for insane comebacks. That makes the Flyers’ 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals even more spectacular. No wonder it’s among the best sports comebacks ever.

Philadelphia got off to a really poor start in that series against the Boston Bruins. The Flyers lost the 1st game through overtime and the 2nd game in regulation time by a 1 goal lead. The third game resulted in a 1-4 defeat. After 3 games, the Flyers were just on the verge of losing the series.

But in the 4th game, something happened. The match was tight and ended in a 5-4 overtime victory for Philly. The Flyers, encouraged, won game five 4-0 and game six 2-1. This tied the series down.

Before the deciding game at TD Garden, many favored the Flyers as the team’s players had their morale up. But Boston players had another opinion. They scored 3 times by the 14th minute of the game! It was only through sheer force of will that the Flyers pulled off another comeback.

They were down twice. In both the last game and the entire series the Philly won 4-3, coming back from the score of 0-3. A curious fact makes this sports success even more significant. The Flyers and Bruins have been bitter rivals since 1974, when they first met in the Stanley Cup finals.

6. When Comeback Meets Comeback – 2013

It was one memorable series between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs back in the 2013 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. First, they exchanged back-to-back wins. Then the Bruins won two games in a row, making the score 3-1 in the series.

But Toronto showed the tremendous will to win and tied the series in the next 2 games. Twice they won 2-1. And the decisive game at TD Garden started as well as possible for the Canadians. At the beginning of the 3rd period, the score was 4-1 in their favor.

But the Bruins didn’t give up. In the last period, they netted 3 unanswered pucks and put the game into overtime. Remarkably, the last 2 goals were scored by the Boston hockey players in the last 90 seconds of the period. And in overtime, Patrice Bergeron led the Bruins to victory.

This was the rare situation when sports comebacks overlap. It also was the first time in the history of the NHL playoffs when someone won a game being down 3 goals after 2 periods. The situation is further fueled because the Bruins and Maple Leafs are longtime rivals. Their games have had a derby status since 1933.

5. Yacht Racing Has Its Comebacks Too – 2013

Yachting is an extremely specific sport, and its presence in this ranking can only be justified by one thing — one truly unbelievable comeback. Oracle Team USA became the hero in 2013. It happened at America’s Cup. The public took notice of this comeback because of The Wall Street Journal, which dubbed it as one of the greatest in the sport’s history.

Oracle was the winner of last year’s cup. But this time, they were down 1-8, and the competition ran to 9 wins. Easy to figure out that Oracle needed to win 8 heats in a row to come back and become champions.

And that’s exactly what happened. The team sailed flawlessly in 8 consecutive races and won with a final score of 9-8. Even if you don’t have a clue about the rules of yachting, the sheer statistics are still impressive. These kinds of sports comebacks never cease to amaze.

4. Texas A&M Aggies With 14 Points in 34 Seconds – 2016

Just like the Wildcats from the previous story, the Northern Iowa Panthers probably thought the game was already won. But who wouldn’t? With 44 seconds left in the NCAA game, they led 69-57. On paper, it looks like a situation without a possibility of coming back.

But the reality is different. Some say it was one of the biggest choke episodes in basketball history. The Panthers screwed up everything they could. But it’s also one of the biggest sports comebacks. Nothing takes away from the Aggies, who did everything possible to win.

With 34 seconds left, the Texans won the rebound and nailed a two-pointer. Right after that, Iowa lost the ball. This led to one more quick two-pointer.

So, with 25.8 seconds on the clock, it was 69-61 in favor of Iowa. It seemed pretty easy to hold on to the ball for 24 seconds. One of the most amazing sports comebacks shouldn’t happen.

But the Panthers laughed in the face of common sense as they tried to bounce the ball off an Aggies player. An interception and 2 points — who would have thought! And then the Texans converted a three-pointer, cutting the lead to just 3 points.

Only now did the Panthers wake up and score a spectacular dunk. But it was too late. A&M became an unstoppable sports machine. The now-famous Alex Caruso converted yet another two-pointer and a free throw, and with 1.9 seconds to go before the siren, the Texans scored another two-pointer. The game went into overtime.

In extra time, things started all over again, and the players gifted the fans with another 10 minutes of basketball. In the end, the Aggies outlasted Iowa and finished the comeback with a 92-88 lead.

3. the most important comeback in mlb world series ever – 2016.

The Cleveland Indians were also part of this story, but on the losing side. Its comeback heroes were the Chicago Cubs. This happened back in the 2016 series.

The Cubs reached the World Series finals, but they weren’t regarded as favorites. Even if they had lost, it would have been a super-successful season. But they won by coming back gloriously. Though it started badly — the Tribe won the 1st game confidently 6-0, and in the next 3 games, they made only 1 mistake. As a result, the Cubs were down 1-3.

But the team from Chicago turned everything on its head. The 5th game was very tough. But the Cubs won it. In the 6th game, they came back with a convincing score of 9-3 and the battle moved into the decisive phase.

The 7th game of the series started well for the Cubs. They immediately took the lead and were ahead 6-3 just after the 7th inning. But in the 8th inning, the Indians tied the game at 6-6. The score remained the same in the 9th. The game went into extra innings.

The Cubs took an early 8-6 lead, but the Indians were quick to minimize the deficit. Then the Cleveland players had a chance to win the game with just one player on base. And that’s when Mike Montgomery stepped up. He successfully defended the minimal lead and helped the Cubs win.

The fact that Cleveland hasn’t won the World Series since 1908 makes this sports comeback especially significant. The curse lasted 108 years. According to the Baseball-Reference statistics website, this was the longest streak ever. Only in 2016 did the Cubs finally break the title drought. And they did it in the most impressive manner. What a comeback!

2. Cavaliers’ Meme Comeback Against Warriors – 2016

This comeback was such an epic one that it spawned a lot of memes. Of course, it took place in 2016, when the entire world was on social media. This certainly contributed. But the NBA Finals themselves were also meme-worthy.

You’ve probably witnessed the most popular meme relating to this confrontation. The picture represents an exciting event of some sort. And the caption reads, “Don’t let that distract you from the fact that Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.” Truly, the Internet will not forget this.

So, the 2016 NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors players, regarded by many as the best squad in NBA history (wow!), are on the 3-1 lead in the series. They ended the regular season with 73 wins. They’ve only lost 9 times. And they need 1 more victory to become champions once again.

But LeBron had a different opinion. Paired with Kyrie Irving, King James merely ripped game 5, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-97 victory. No kidding, they each earned 41 points! Also in that game, the Warriors’ forward Draymond Green performed an infamous low blow and was banned for the next match.

Buoyed by their success and Green’s suspension, the Cavaliers came out for game 6. LeBron reigned supreme on the court one more time. The King scored 41 points once again, thus earning Cleveland an easy 115-101 lead and evening the series.

In the decisive 7th game, the Cavaliers won 93-89. It was a tough matchup. But a morale boost allowed the Cavs to take it to victory and put the Warriors down.

There were 3 significant events during the last minutes. First, LeBron blocked Andre Iguodala’s two-point attempt. Then Kyrie Irving made a tricky shot to give Cleveland the lead. Then Kevin Love prevented Stephen Curry from regaining the Warriors’ lead.

This is how it was. The Cleveland won NBA for the 1st time ever. Not only did the Cavs do it in a matchup against a major rival, but they also pulled off an incredible comeback. In 2017 and 2018, these teams will meet again in the finals. And both times, the Warriors will win. But this won’t stop the flow of memes about their embarrassing defeat.

1. New England Patriots Comeback From a 3-28 Hole – 2017

You could probably guess that the top seat is reserved for the 2017 Super Bowl. It’s a double historical event. First, the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Second, the 1st (and so far, the only) finals that had their fate decided in overtime.

The Patriots approached the game as the favorites. But the Atlanta Falcons surprised the players and the fans with a solid defense in the 1st quarter. It ended in a scoreless tie. And in the 2nd quarter, the Falcons attacked and got themselves 21 points, allowing their opponents to get as many as just 3. And when the Atlanta team achieved another touchdown early in the 3rd quarter and stretched its lead further, Pats fans slowly began to cry over spilled milk.

Not so fast, however. The Falcons’ questionable tactics, coupled with the Patriots’ players’ emotional charge, did the trick. The Pats performed a touchdown before the end of the 3rd period and a field goal early in the 4th. So the lead was cut to 12-28.

Still, scoring 16 points in just 9 minutes in the Super Bowl finals is no simple task. But for the Pats, nothing is impossible. Danny Amendola notched a quick touchdown, and then James White made a 2-point play. A few minutes later, Amendola scored a touchdown after a pass from White to tie the game. 28-28, and the players were facing overtime.

In the extra time, it all was simple. The quick attack ended with a touchdown from the tireless James White. The Patriots earned 31 straight points and won the most incredible Super Bowl of all time.

The Greatest Comebacks in Sports History – Conclusion

Well, it’s been a long list. This list was compiled by sports journalist and staff writer at Slotsspot’s web platform, Tiffany Cutting. Let us congratulate you on getting to the very end of it. We’ve tried to recount some of the most impressive sports comebacks in history. We hope that we have succeeded.

But if one tried to recall all the sports comebacks, the list would’ve been endless. Across all sports, under every circumstance, there’s room for a comeback. And that’s what makes sports so exciting for us.

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Colorado rockies | how charlie blackmon’s star-making home opener in 2014 changed everything for rockies icon, center fielder exploded on scene with epic six-hit day.

Ten years ago, Chuck got “Nazty.”

First, there was the birth of The Beard. Then he played one of the greatest games in Rockies history.

“That one game, you could almost say, single-handedly turned my career around,” Charlie Blackmon said.

The date was April 4, 2014 — opening day in LoDo, with 49,130 packed into Coors Field to witness what became one of the most iconic performances of Blackmon’s career.

Sporting the beginnings of his famed beard, Blackmon hit 6-for-6 with one home run, three doubles, two singles and five RBIs in Colorado’s 12-2 win over Arizona .

“I remember it well — just an incredible day,” said former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu, Blackmon’s close friend and former roommate.

On Friday afternoon, Blackmon, 37, will play in his 12th home opener at Coors. After he finishes his meticulous pregame routine — stretching, studying video, taking batting practice — he’ll be sure to soak it all up.

“Because opening day is such a big deal for the city of Denver, right?” he said. “It seems like everybody’s at the ballpark or is downtown watching the game at a local establishment. It seems like the whole city is plugged into that home opener. So that was the right time to have a game like that. It was special.”

It’s unlikely Friday’s game will come close to matching that game 10 years ago. Not only because Blackmon had six hits — since 1900, it’s only been accomplished 74 times in a nine-inning game — but also because it launched an extraordinary career for the four-time All-Star who’s become a Rockies icon and fan favorite.

“That game was kind of Charlie’s arrival to the big leagues,” said LeMahieu, who’s played for the Yankees since 2019. “He had been up and down the previous couple of years, but that was the game that made him ‘a guy.’ ”

“We were roommates during the regular season in ’14 and he had just an amazing year. I watched all the work he put in, and I knew he had a chance to be good. But that opening day was the start of a great season and a great career.”

Of course, Blackmon knew he had five hits when he went to the plate in the eighth inning to face Diamondbacks reliever Oliver Perez for his final at-bat. Still, Blackmon didn’t know he could join Andres Galarraga as the only player in Rockies history with six hits in a game. He did, however, know that he was a triple short of hitting for the cycle.

When he lined a ball, barely fair, into the left-field corner, he was tempted to risk going to third, but when Diamondbacks left fielder Mark Trumbo retrieved the ball quickly, Blackmon pulled up at second base.

“I didn’t even know where it went when I hit it,” Blackmon said after the game. “You know you had a good day when you hit a ball, and it ends up two inches inside the line.”

As usual, Black was so focused on his job that he didn’t even notice the fans giving him a standing ovation as he came to the plate for his final at-bat.

“I missed it,” Blackmon said. “But I received a lot of applause when I went out to (center fielder). It was really nice.”

Blackmon’s teammates were gaga.

“I don’t think I ever hit 6 for 6 in my life,” right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said. “I’m happy for him. He’s proving to everybody he deserves to be in the big leagues and every day in the lineup.”

But entering the 2014 season, Blackmon’s career was at a tipping point. He debuted on June 7, 2011, at age 24, but foot injuries limited him to 69 games in 2011-12.

In 2013, he suffered an infection in his right knee during spring training and began the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs. Though he got called up and hit .309 in 82 games for the Rockies, he was not a lock to make the roster in ’14.

Understanding that, Blackmon headed into that season with a new attitude and a look so different that his own manager didn’t recognize him.

“I had Charlie in ’13, and there was no beard,” recalled Walt Weiss, now the Atlanta Braves bench coach. “Then we had our fanfest in January, and Charlie walked in with a beard and a big flannel shirt. And the thing with Charlie is, he’s all business at the field, and then you get away from the field, and it’s like he has a dual personality.

“So, he comes bouncing into the clubhouse, all animated and everything, and he gives me a big hug. Then he walks away. And I remember mouthing to one of the players, ‘Who is that?’ The player says, ‘That’s your center fielder.’ I say, ‘What?’ I didn’t even know it was Charlie.”

The bearded Blackmon hit just .236 during spring training, while fellow lefty hitter Corey Dickerson batted .344. Blackmon was initially afraid he wouldn’t make the big-league roster. However, Weiss held a stress-relieving meeting and told the outfielders that he was keeping both Dickerson and Blackmon and going with six outfielders.

“That was the first time I had made the team out of camp, but I think I was considered the sixth outfielder,” Blackmon recalled. “It was just going to be kind of a platoon situation across the outfield to see how things would shake out.”

Blackmon started two of the first four road games at Miami, hitting 3 for 10 with no extra-base hits, one strikeout and one walk.

“We came home, and I got the start and from that point on, I was part of the starting lineup,” Blackmon said.

Blackmon finished the season slashing .288/.335/.440 with 19 homers, 27 doubles, three triples and 72 RBIs. He made the National League All-Star team for the Midsummer Classic at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Weiss, who managed the Rockies from 2013-16, always loved how Black approached baseball but admits he didn’t foresee the player who would soon put together one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. In 2017, Blackmon led the NL in average (.331), triples (14), runs (137) and plate appearances (725). He hit a career-high 37 homers and set a then-major league record with 103 RBIs from the leadoff position.

“I always really liked the way Charlie played the game,” Weiss said. “… I really thought he was a winning player. I really liked the way he attacked the game, how he prepared and his focus. I really wanted him in the mix after what I saw in ’13, but I didn’t know he would end up having the career he’s had.”

Neither did Blackmon.

“Even when I was having some success, at that point, I really didn’t know if I was lucky or good,” Blackmon said with a chuckle. “Even now, I sometimes wonder. But that’s a good mindset to have, right? To know that you have to keep performing and putting in the work.

“There is so much defeat and failure in baseball, and it’s really hard to appreciate how hard big-league baseball is and how good these guys are. You might be an amazing player who has confidence, but until you have that track record of consistent success, you don’t really know if you are capable of it. How can you know?”

True enough. But 10 years ago, Chuck Nazty provided a sneak peek of amazing things to come.

King For a Day

On April 4, 2014, on opening day at Coors Field in a 12-2 win against Arizona, center fielder Charlie Blackmon became the second player in Rockies history to go 6 for 6 in a nine-inning game, tying the mark set by Andres Galarraga against the Houston Astros on July 3, 1995. Blackmon hit one home run, three doubles and two singles. He drove in five runs. Here’s a look back at Blackmon’s epic day:

• First inning : Led off with a double off Arizona starter Randall Delgado and scored on Michael Cuddyer’s single.

• Third inning : Hit a one-out single and came around to score on a triple by Carlos Gonzalez.

• Fourth inning : With one on and one out, launched a two-run homer off Delgado to deep right field.

• Sixth inning : Doubled off reliever Joe Thatcher but was thrown out trying to steal third base. Blackmon said after the game that if he’d run harder he might have had a triple.

• Seventh inning : Hit a two-out RBI single off Brad Ziegler.

• Eighth inning : On a 2-2 pitch from Oliver Perez, Blackmon went the other way for a two-run double that hit just fair down the left-field line.

— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

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40 famous persuasive speeches you need to hear.

Written by Kai Xin Koh

Across eras of calamity and peace in our world’s history, a great many leaders, writers, politicians, theorists, scientists, activists and other revolutionaries have unveiled powerful rousing speeches in their bids for change. In reviewing the plethora of orators across tides of social, political and economic change, we found some truly rousing speeches that brought the world to their feet or to a startling, necessary halt. We’ve chosen 40 of the most impactful speeches we managed to find from agents of change all over the world – a diversity of political campaigns, genders, positionalities and periods of history. You’re sure to find at least a few speeches in this list which will capture you with the sheer power of their words and meaning!

1. I have a dream by MLK

“I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

Unsurprisingly, Martin Luther King’s speech comes up top as the most inspiring speech of all time, especially given the harrowing conditions of African Americans in America at the time. In the post-abolition era when slavery was outlawed constitutionally, African Americans experienced an intense period of backlash from white supremacists who supported slavery where various institutional means were sought to subordinate African American people to positions similar to that of the slavery era. This later came to be known as the times of Jim Crow and segregation, which Martin Luther King powerfully voiced his vision for a day when racial discrimination would be a mere figment, where equality would reign.

2. Tilbury Speech by Queen Elizabeth I

“My loving people, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you on a word of a prince, they shall be duly paid. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.”

While at war with Spain, Queen Elizabeth I was most renowned for her noble speech rallying the English troops against their comparatively formidable opponent. Using brilliant rhetorical devices like metonymy, meronymy, and other potent metaphors, she voiced her deeply-held commitment as a leader to the battle against the Spanish Armada – convincing the English army to keep holding their ground and upholding the sacrifice of war for the good of their people. Eventually against all odds, she led England to victory despite their underdog status in the conflict with her confident and masterful oratory.

3. Woodrow Wilson, address to Congress (April 2, 1917)

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them. Just because we fight without rancor and without selfish object, seeking nothing for ourselves but what we shall wish to share with all free peoples, we shall, I feel confident, conduct our operations as belligerents without passion and ourselves observe with proud punctilio the principles of right and of fair play we profess to be fighting for. … It will be all the easier for us to conduct ourselves as belligerents in a high spirit of right and fairness because we act without animus, not in enmity toward a people or with the desire to bring any injury or disadvantage upon them, but only in armed opposition to an irresponsible government which has thrown aside all considerations of humanity and of right and is running amuck. We are, let me say again, the sincere friends of the German people, and shall desire nothing so much as the early reestablishment of intimate relations of mutual advantage between us—however hard it may be for them, for the time being, to believe that this is spoken from our hearts. We have borne with their present government through all these bitter months because of that friendship—exercising a patience and forbearance which would otherwise have been impossible. We shall, happily, still have an opportunity to prove that friendship in our daily attitude and actions toward the millions of men and women of German birth and native sympathy who live among us and share our life, and we shall be proud to prove it toward all who are in fact loyal to their neighbors and to the government in the hour of test. They are, most of them, as true and loyal Americans as if they had never known any other fealty or allegiance. They will be prompt to stand with us in rebuking and restraining the few who may be of a different mind and purpose. If there should be disloyalty, it will be dealt with with a firm hand of stern repression; but, if it lifts its head at all, it will lift it only here and there and without countenance except from a lawless and malignant few. It is a distressing and oppressive duty, gentlemen of the Congress, which I have performed in thus addressing you. There are, it may be, many months of fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of us. It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war, into the most terrible and disastrous of all wars, civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts—for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments, for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world itself at last free. To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our fortunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, with the pride of those who know that the day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.”

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the USA delivered his address to Congress, calling for declaration of war against what was at the time, a belligerent and aggressive Germany in WWI. Despite his isolationism and anti-war position earlier in his tenure as president, he convinced Congress that America had a moral duty to the world to step out of their neutral observer status into an active role of world leadership and stewardship in order to liberate attacked nations from their German aggressors. The idealistic values he preached in his speech left an indelible imprint upon the American spirit and self-conception, forming the moral basis for the country’s people and aspirational visions to this very day.

4. Ain’t I A Woman by Sojourner Truth

“That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman? … If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.”

Hailing from a background of slavery and oppression, Sojourner Truth was one of the most revolutionary advocates for women’s human rights in the 1800s. In spite of the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827, her slavemaster refused to free her. As such, she fled, became an itinerant preacher and leading figure in the anti-slavery movement. By the 1850s, she became involved in the women’s rights movement as well. At the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention held in Akron, Ohio, she delivered her illuminating, forceful speech against discrimination of women and African Americans in the post-Civil War era, entrenching her status as one of the most revolutionary abolitionists and women’s rights activists across history.

5. The Gettsyburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

President Abraham Lincoln had left the most lasting legacy upon American history for good reason, as one of the presidents with the moral courage to denounce slavery for the national atrocity it was. However, more difficult than standing up for the anti-slavery cause was the task of unifying the country post-abolition despite the looming shadows of a time when white Americans could own and subjugate slaves with impunity over the thousands of Americans who stood for liberation of African Americans from discrimination. He urged Americans to remember their common roots, heritage and the importance of “charity for all”, to ensure a “just and lasting peace” among within the country despite throes of racial division and self-determination.

6. Woman’s Rights to the Suffrage by Susan B Anthony

“For any State to make sex a qualification that must ever result in the disfranchisement of one entire half of the people is to pass a bill of attainder, or an ex post facto law, and is therefore a violation of the supreme law of the land. By it the blessings of liberty are for ever withheld from women and their female posterity. To them this government has no just powers derived from the consent of the governed. To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex; the most hateful aristocracy ever established on the face of the globe; an oligarchy of wealth, where the right govern the poor. An oligarchy of learning, where the educated govern the ignorant, or even an oligarchy of race, where the Saxon rules the African, might be endured; but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters of every household–which ordains all men sovereigns, all women subjects, carries dissension, discord and rebellion into every home of the nation. Webster, Worcester and Bouvier all define a citizen to be a person in the United States, entitled to vote and hold office. The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no State has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several States is today null and void, precisely as in every one against Negroes.”

Susan B. Anthony was a pivotal leader in the women’s suffrage movement who helped to found the National Woman Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and fight for the constitutional right for women to vote. She courageously and relentlessly advocated for women’s rights, giving speeches all over the USA to convince people of women’s human rights to choice and the ballot. She is most well known for her act of righteous rebellion in 1872 when she voted in the presidential election illegally, for which she was arrested and tried unsuccessfully. She refused to pay the $100 fine in a bid to reject the demands of the American system she denounced as a ‘hateful oligarchy of sex’, sparking change with her righteous oratory and inspiring many others in the women’s suffrage movement within and beyond America.

7. Vladimir Lenin’s Speech at an International Meeting in Berne, February 8, 1916

“It may sound incredible, especially to Swiss comrades, but it is nevertheless true that in Russia, also, not only bloody tsarism, not only the capitalists, but also a section of the so-called or ex-Socialists say that Russia is fighting a “war of defence,” that Russia is only fighting against German invasion. The whole world knows, however, that for decades tsarism has been oppressing more than a hundred million people belonging to other nationalities in Russia; that for decades Russia has been pursuing a predatory policy towards China, Persia, Armenia and Galicia. Neither Russia, nor Germany, nor any other Great Power has the right to claim that it is waging a “war of defence”; all the Great Powers are waging an imperialist, capitalist war, a predatory war, a war for the oppression of small and foreign nations, a war for the sake of the profits of the capitalists, who are coining golden profits amounting to billions out of the appalling sufferings of the masses, out of the blood of the proletariat. … This again shows you, comrades, that in all countries of the world real preparations are being made to rally the forces of the working class. The horrors of war and the sufferings of the people are incredible. But we must not, and we have no reason whatever, to view the future with despair. The millions of victims who will fall in the war, and as a consequence of the war, will not fall in vain. The millions who are starving, the millions who are sacrificing their lives in the trenches, are not only suffering, they are also gathering strength, are pondering over the real cause of the war, are becoming more determined and are acquiring a clearer revolutionary understanding. Rising discontent of the masses, growing ferment, strikes, demonstrations, protests against the war—all this is taking place in all countries of the world. And this is the guarantee that the European War will be followed by the proletarian revolution against capitalism”

Vladimir Lenin remains to this day one of the most lauded communist revolutionaries in the world who brought the dangers of imperialism and capitalism to light with his rousing speeches condemning capitalist structures of power which inevitably enslave people to lives of misery and class stratification. In his genuine passion for the rights of the working class, he urged fellow comrades to turn the “imperialist war” into a “civil” or class war of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. He encouraged the development of new revolutionary socialist organisations, solidarity across places in society so people could unite against their capitalist overlords, and criticised nationalism for its divisive effect on the socialist movement. In this speech especially, he lambasts “bloody Tsarism” for its oppression of millions of people of other nationalities in Russia, calling for the working class people to revolt against the Tsarist authority for the proletariat revolution to succeed and liberate them from class oppression.

8. I Have A Dream Speech by Mary Wollstonecraft

“If, I say, for I would not impress by declamation when Reason offers her sober light, if they be really capable of acting like rational creatures, let them not be treated like slaves; or, like the brutes who are dependent on the reason of man, when they associate with him; but cultivate their minds, give them the salutary, sublime curb of principle, and let them attain conscious dignity by feeling themselves only dependent on God. Teach them, in common with man, to submit to necessity, instead of giving, to render them more pleasing, a sex to morals. Further, should experience prove that they cannot attain the same degree of strength of mind, perseverance, and fortitude, let their virtues be the same in kind, though they may vainly struggle for the same degree; and the superiority of man will be equally clear, if not clearer; and truth, as it is a simple principle, which admits of no modification, would be common to both. Nay, the order of society as it is at present regulated would not be inverted, for woman would then only have the rank that reason assigned her, and arts could not be practised to bring the balance even, much less to turn it.”

In her vindication of the rights of women, Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the pioneers of the feminist movement back in 1792 who not only theorised and advocated revolutionarily, but gave speeches that voiced these challenges against a dominantly sexist society intent on classifying women as irrational less-than-human creatures to be enslaved as they were. In this landmark speech, she pronounces her ‘dream’ of a day when women would be treated as the rational, deserving humans they are, who are equal to man in strength and capability. With this speech setting an effective precedent for her call to equalize women before the law, she also went on to champion the provision of equal educational opportunities to women and girls, and persuasively argued against the patriarchal gender norms which prevented women from finding their own lot in life through their being locked into traditional institutions of marriage and motherhood against their will.

9. First Inaugural Speech by Franklin D Roosevelt

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days. … More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped merely by talking about it. We must act and act quickly. … I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken Nation in the midst of a stricken world may require. These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption. But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis — broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.”

Roosevelt’s famous inaugural speech was delivered in the midst of a period of immense tension and strain under the Great Depression, where he highlighted the need for ‘quick action’ by Congress to prepare for government expansion in his pursuit of reforms to lift the American people out of devastating poverty. In a landslide victory, he certainly consolidated the hopes and will of the American people through this compelling speech.

10. The Hypocrisy of American Slavery by Frederick Douglass

“What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mock; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy – a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour. Go search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.”

On 4 July 1852, Frederick Douglass gave this speech in Rochester, New York, highlighting the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom while slavery continues. He exposed the ‘revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy’ of slavery which had gone unabolished amidst the comparatively obscene celebration of independence and liberty with his potent speech and passion for the anti-abolition cause. After escaping from slavery, he went on to become a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York with his oratory and incisive antislavery writings. To this day, his fierce activism and devotion to exposing virulent racism for what it was has left a lasting legacy upon pro-Black social movements and the overall sociopolitical landscape of America.

11. Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.”

With her iconic poem Still I Rise , Maya Angelou is well-known for uplifting fellow African American women through her empowering novels and poetry and her work as a civil rights activist. Every bit as lyrical on the page, her recitation of Still I Rise continues to give poetry audiences shivers all over the world, inspiring women of colour everywhere to keep the good faith in striving for equality and peace, while radically believing in and empowering themselves to be agents of change. A dramatic reading of the poem will easily showcase the self-belief, strength and punch that it packs in the last stanza on the power of resisting marginalization.

12. Their Finest Hour by Winston Churchill

“What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour.””

In the darkest shadows cast by war, few leaders have been able to step up to the mantle and effectively unify millions of citizens for truly sacrificial causes. Winston Churchill was the extraordinary exception – lifting 1940 Britain out of the darkness with his hopeful, convicted rhetoric to galvanise the English amidst bleak, dreary days of war and loss. Through Britain’s standalone position in WWII against the Nazis, he left his legacy by unifying the nation under shared sacrifices of the army and commemorating their courage.

13. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

“Life for both sexes – and I looked at them (through a restaurant window while waiting for my lunch to be served), shouldering their way along the pavement – is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. By feeling that one has some innate superiority – it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney – for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination – over other people. Hence the enormous importance to a patriarch who has to conquer, who has to rule, of feeling that great numbers of people, half the human race indeed, are by nature inferior to himself. It must indeed be one of the great sources of his power….Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. Without that power probably the earth would still be swamp and jungle. The glories of all our wars would be on the remains of mutton bones and bartering flints for sheepskins or whatever simple ornament took our unsophisticated taste. Supermen and Fingers of Destiny would never have existed. The Czar and the Kaiser would never have worn their crowns or lost them. Whatever may be their use in civilised societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic action. That is why Napoleon and Mussolini both insist so emphatically upon the inferiority of women, for if they were not inferior, they would cease to enlarge. That serves to explain in part the necessity that women so often are to men. And it serves to explain how restless they are under her criticism; how impossible it is for her to say to them this book is bad, this picture is feeble, or whatever it may be, without giving far more pain and rousing far more anger than a man would do who gave the same criticism. For if she begins to tell the truth, the figure in the looking-glass shrinks; his fitness in life is diminished. How is he to go on giving judgment, civilising natives, making laws, writing books, dressing up and speechifying at banquets, unless he can see himself at breakfast and at dinner at least twice the size he really is?”

In this transformational speech , Virginia Woolf pronounces her vision that ‘a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction’. She calls out the years in which women have been deprived of their own space for individual development through being chained to traditional arrangements or men’s prescriptions – demanding ‘gigantic courage’ and ‘confidence in oneself’ to brave through the onerous struggle of creating change for women’s rights. With her steadfast, stolid rhetoric and radical theorization, she paved the way for many women’s rights activists and writers to forge their own paths against patriarchal authority.

14. Inaugural Address by John F Kennedy

“In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility–I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

For what is probably the most historically groundbreaking use of parallelism in speech across American history, President JFK placed the weighty task of ‘asking what one can do for their country’ onto the shoulders of each American citizen. Using an air of firmness in his rhetoric by declaring his commitment to his countrymen, he urges each American to do the same for the broader, noble ideal of freedom for all. With his crucial interrogation of a citizen’s moral duty to his nation, President JFK truly made history.

15. Atoms for Peace Speech by Dwight Eisenhower

“To pause there would be to confirm the hopeless finality of a belief that two atomic colossi are doomed malevolently to eye each other indefinitely across a trembling world. To stop there would be to accept helplessly the probability of civilization destroyed, the annihilation of the irreplaceable heritage of mankind handed down to us from generation to generation, and the condemnation of mankind to begin all over again the age-old struggle upward from savagery towards decency, and right, and justice. Surely no sane member of the human race could discover victory in such desolation. Could anyone wish his name to be coupled by history with such human degradation and destruction?Occasional pages of history do record the faces of the “great destroyers”, but the whole book of history reveals mankind’s never-ending quest for peace and mankind’s God-given capacity to build. It is with the book of history, and not with isolated pages, that the United States will ever wish to be identified. My country wants to be constructive,not destructive. It wants agreements, not wars, among nations. It wants itself to live in freedom and in the confidence that the peoples of every other nation enjoy equally the right of choosing their own way of life. So my country’s purpose is to help us to move out of the dark chamber of horrors into the light, to find a way by which the minds of men, the hopes of men, the souls of men everywhere, can move forward towards peace and happiness and well-being.”

On a possibility as frightful and tense as nuclear war, President Eisenhower managed to convey the gravity of the world’s plight in his measured and persuasive speech centred on the greater good of mankind. Using rhetorical devices such as the three-part paratactical syntax which most world leaders are fond of for ingraining their words in the minds of their audience, he centers the discourse of the atomic bomb on those affected by such a world-changing decision in ‘the minds, hopes and souls of men everywhere’ – effectively putting the vivid image of millions of people’s fates at stake in the minds of his audience. Being able to make a topic as heavy and fraught with moral conflict as this as eloquent as he did, Eisenhower definitely ranks among some of the most skilled orators to date.

16. The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde

“I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. What are the words you do not have yet? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? Perhaps for some of you here today, I am the face of one of your fears. Because I am a woman, because I am black, because I am myself, a black woman warrior poet doing my work, come to ask you, are you doing yours?”

Revolutionary writer, feminist and civil rights activist Audre Lorde first delivered this phenomenal speech at Lesbian and Literature panel of the Modern Language Association’s December 28, 1977 meeting, which went on to feature permanently in her writings for its sheer wisdom and truth. Her powerful writing and speech about living on the margins of society has enlightened millions of people discriminated across various intersections, confronting them with the reality that they must speak – since their ‘silence will not protect’ them from further marginalization. Through her illuminating words and oratory, she has reminded marginalized persons of the importance of their selfhood and the radical capacity for change they have in a world blighted by prejudice and division.

17. 1965 Cambridge Union Hall Speech by James Baldwin

“What is dangerous here is the turning away from – the turning away from – anything any white American says. The reason for the political hesitation, in spite of the Johnson landslide is that one has been betrayed by American politicians for so long. And I am a grown man and perhaps I can be reasoned with. I certainly hope I can be. But I don’t know, and neither does Martin Luther King, none of us know how to deal with those other people whom the white world has so long ignored, who don’t believe anything the white world says and don’t entirely believe anything I or Martin is saying. And one can’t blame them. You watch what has happened to them in less than twenty years.”

Baldwin’s invitation to the Cambridge Union Hall is best remembered for foregrounding the unflinching differences in white and African Americans’ ‘system of reality’ in everyday life. Raising uncomfortable truths about the insidious nature of racism post-civil war, he provides several nuggets of thought-provoking wisdom on the state of relations between the oppressed and their oppressors, and what is necessary to mediate such relations and destroy the exploitative thread of racist hatred. With great frankness, he admits to not having all the answers but provides hard-hitting wisdom on engagement to guide activists through confounding times nonetheless.

18. I Am Prepared to Die by Nelson Mandela

“Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy. But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs as it certainly must, it will not change that policy. This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live. During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Apartheid is still considered one of these most devastating events of world history, and it would not have ended without the crucial effort and words of Nelson Mandela during his courageous political leadership. In this heartbreaking speech , he voices his utter devotion to the fight against institutionalised racism in African society – an ideal for which he was ‘prepared to die for’. Mandela continues to remind us today of his moral conviction in leading, wherein the world would likely to be a better place if all politicians had the same resolve and genuine commitment to human rights and the abolition of oppression as he did.

19. Critique on British Imperialism by General Aung San

“Do they form their observations by seeing the attendances at not very many cinemas and theatres of Rangoon? Do they judge this question of money circulation by paying a stray visit to a local bazaar? Do they know that cinemas and theatres are not true indicators, at least in Burma, of the people’s conditions? Do they know that there are many in this country who cannot think of going to these places by having to struggle for their bare existence from day to day? Do they know that those who nowadays patronise or frequent cinemas and theatres which exist only in Rangoon and a few big towns, belong generally to middle and upper classes and the very few of the many poor who can attend at all are doing so as a desperate form of relaxation just to make them forget their unsupportable existences for the while whatever may be the tomorrow that awaits them?”

Under British colonial rule, one of the most legendary nationalist leaders emerged from the ranks of the thousands of Burmese to boldly lead them towards independence, out of the exploitation and control under the British. General Aung San’s speech criticising British social, political and economic control of Burma continues to be scathing, articulate, and relevant – especially given his necessary goal of uniting the Burmese natives against their common oppressor. He successfully galvanised his people against the British, taking endless risks through nationalist speeches and demonstrations which gradually bore fruit in Burma’s independence.

20. Nobel Lecture by Mother Teresa

“I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the Body Of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God in your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace–just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world. There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty–how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.”

In contemporary culture, most people understand Mother Teresa to be the epitome of compassion and kindness. However, if one were to look closer at her speeches from the past, one would discover not merely her altruistic contributions, but her keen heart for social justice and the downtrodden. She wisely and gracefully remarks that ‘love begins at home’ from the individual actions of each person within their private lives, which accumulate into a life of goodness and charity. For this, her speeches served not just consolatory value or momentary relevance, as they still inform the present on how we can live lives worth living.

21. June 9 Speech to Martial Law Units by Deng Xiaoping

“This army still maintains the traditions of our old Red Army. What they crossed this time was in the true sense of the expression a political barrier, a threshold of life and death. This was not easy. This shows that the People’s Army is truly a great wall of iron and steel of the party and state. This shows that no matter how heavy our losses, the army, under the leadership of the party, will always remain the defender of the country, the defender of socialism, and the defender of the public interest. They are a most lovable people. At the same time, we should never forget how cruel our enemies are. We should have not one bit of forgiveness for them. The fact that this incident broke out as it did is very worthy of our pondering. It prompts us cool-headedly to consider the past and the future. Perhaps this bad thing will enable us to go ahead with reform and the open policy at a steadier and better — even a faster — pace, more speedily correct our mistakes, and better develop our strong points.”

Mere days before the 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, Chinese Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping sat with six party elders (senior officials) and the three remaining members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the paramount decision-making body in China’s government. The meeting was organised to discuss the best course of action for restoring social and political order to China, given the sweeping economic reforms that had taken place in the past decade that inevitably resulted in some social resistance from the populace. Deng then gave this astute and well-regarded speech, outlining the political complexities in shutting down student protests given the context of reforms encouraging economic liberalization already taking place, as aligned with the students’ desires. It may not be the most rousing or inflammatory of speeches, but it was certainly persuasive in voicing the importance of taking a strong stand for the economic reforms Deng was implementing to benefit Chinese citizens in the long run. Today, China is an economic superpower, far from its war-torn developing country status before Deng’s leadership – thanks to his foresight in ensuring political stability would allow China to enjoy the fruits of the massive changes they adapted to.

22. Freedom or Death by Emmeline Pankhurst

“You won your freedom in America when you had the revolution, by bloodshed, by sacrificing human life. You won the civil war by the sacrifice of human life when you decided to emancipate the negro. You have left it to women in your land, the men of all civilised countries have left it to women, to work out their own salvation. That is the way in which we women of England are doing. Human life for us is sacred, but we say if any life is to be sacrificed it shall be ours; we won’t do it ourselves, but we will put the enemy in the position where they will have to choose between giving us freedom or giving us death. Now whether you approve of us or whether you do not, you must see that we have brought the question of women’s suffrage into a position where it is of first rate importance, where it can be ignored no longer. Even the most hardened politician will hesitate to take upon himself directly the responsibility of sacrificing the lives of women of undoubted honour, of undoubted earnestness of purpose. That is the political situation as I lay it before you today.”

In 1913 after Suffragette Emily Davison stepped in front of King George V’s horse at the Epsom Derby and suffered fatal injuries, Emmeline Pankhurst delivered her speech to Connecticut as a call to action for people to support the suffragette movement. Her fortitude in delivering such a sobering speech on the state of women’s rights is worth remembering for its invaluable impact and contributions to the rights we enjoy in today’s world.

23. Quit India by Mahatma Gandhi

“We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery. Every true Congressman or woman will join the struggle with an inflexible determination not to remain alive to see the country in bondage and slavery. Let that be your pledge. Keep jails out of your consideration. If the Government keep me free, I will not put on the Government the strain of maintaining a large number of prisoners at a time, when it is in trouble. Let every man and woman live every moment of his or her life hereafter in the consciousness that he or she eats or lives for achieving freedom and will die, if need be, to attain that goal. Take a pledge, with God and your own conscience as witness, that you will no longer rest till freedom is achieved and will be prepared to lay down your lives in the attempt to achieve it. He who loses his life will gain it; he who will seek to save it shall lose it. Freedom is not for the coward or the faint-hearted.”

Naturally, the revolutionary activist Gandhi had to appear in this list for his impassioned anti-colonial speeches which rallied Indians towards independence. Famous for leading non-violent demonstrations, his speeches were a key element in gathering Indians of all backgrounds together for the common cause of eliminating their colonial masters. His speeches were resolute, eloquent, and courageous, inspiring the hope and admiration of many not just within India, but around the world.

24. 1974 National Book Award Speech by Adrienne Rich, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde

“The statement I am going to read was prepared by three of the women nominated for the National Book Award for poetry, with the agreement that it would be read by whichever of us, if any, was chosen.We, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Alice Walker, together accept this award in the name of all the women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world, and in the name of those who, like us, have been tolerated as token women in this culture, often at great cost and in great pain. We believe that we can enrich ourselves more in supporting and giving to each other than by competing against each other; and that poetry—if it is poetry—exists in a realm beyond ranking and comparison. We symbolically join together here in refusing the terms of patriarchal competition and declaring that we will share this prize among us, to be used as best we can for women. We appreciate the good faith of the judges for this award, but none of us could accept this money for herself, nor could she let go unquestioned the terms on which poets are given or denied honor and livelihood in this world, especially when they are women. We dedicate this occasion to the struggle for self-determination of all women, of every color, identification, or derived class: the poet, the housewife, the lesbian, the mathematician, the mother, the dishwasher, the pregnant teen-ager, the teacher, the grandmother, the prostitute, the philosopher, the waitress, the women who will understand what we are doing here and those who will not understand yet; the silent women whose voices have been denied us, the articulate women who have given us strength to do our work.”

Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker wrote this joint speech to be delivered by Adrienne Rich at the 1974 National Book Awards, based on their suspicions that the first few African American lesbian women to be nominated for the awards would be snubbed in favour of a white woman nominee. Their suspicions were confirmed, and Adrienne Rich delivered this socially significant speech in solidarity with her fellow nominees, upholding the voices of the ‘silent women whose voices have been denied’.

25. Speech to 20th Congress of the CPSU by Nikita Khruschev

“Considering the question of the cult of an individual, we must first of all show everyone what harm this caused to the interests of our Party. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin had always stressed the Party’s role and significance in the direction of the socialist government of workers and peasants; he saw in this the chief precondition for a successful building of socialism in our country. Pointing to the great responsibility of the Bolshevik Party, as ruling Party of the Soviet state, Lenin called for the most meticulous observance of all norms of Party life; he called for the realization of the principles of collegiality in the direction of the Party and the state. Collegiality of leadership flows from the very nature of our Party, a Party built on the principles of democratic centralism. “This means,” said Lenin, “that all Party matters are accomplished by all Party members – directly or through representatives – who, without any exceptions, are subject to the same rules; in addition, all administrative members, all directing collegia, all holders of Party positions are elective, they must account for their activities and are recallable.””

This speech is possibly the most famed Russian speech for its status as a ‘secret’ speech delivered only to the CPSU at the time, which was eventually revealed to the public. Given the unchallenged political legacy and cult of personality which Stalin left in the Soviet Union, Nikita Khruschev’s speech condemning the authoritarian means Stalin had resorted to to consolidate power as un-socialist was an important mark in Russian history.

26. The Struggle for Human Rights by Eleanor Roosevelt

“It is my belief, and I am sure it is also yours, that the struggle for democracy and freedom is a critical struggle, for their preservation is essential to the great objective of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security. Among free men the end cannot justify the means. We know the patterns of totalitarianism — the single political party, the control of schools, press, radio, the arts, the sciences, and the church to support autocratic authority; these are the age-old patterns against which men have struggled for three thousand years. These are the signs of reaction, retreat, and retrogression. The United Nations must hold fast to the heritage of freedom won by the struggle of its people; it must help us to pass it on to generations to come. The development of the ideal of freedom and its translation into the everyday life of the people in great areas of the earth is the product of the efforts of many peoples. It is the fruit of a long tradition of vigorous thinking and courageous action. No one race and on one people can claim to have done all the work to achieve greater dignity for human beings and great freedom to develop human personality. In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat.”

Eleanor Roosevelt has been among the most well-loved First Ladies for good reason – her eloquence and gravitas in delivering every speech convinced everyone of her suitability for the oval office. In this determined and articulate speech , she outlines the fundamental values that form the bedrock of democracy, urging the rest of the world to uphold human rights regardless of national ideology and interests.

27. The Ballot or The Bullet by Malcolm X

“And in this manner, the organizations will increase in number and in quantity and in quality, and by August, it is then our intention to have a black nationalist convention which will consist of delegates from all over the country who are interested in the political, economic and social philosophy of black nationalism. After these delegates convene, we will hold a seminar; we will hold discussions; we will listen to everyone. We want to hear new ideas and new solutions and new answers. And at that time, if we see fit then to form a black nationalist party, we’ll form a black nationalist party. If it’s necessary to form a black nationalist army, we’ll form a black nationalist army. It’ll be the ballot or the bullet. It’ll be liberty or it’ll be death.”

Inarguably, the revolutionary impact Malcolm X’s fearless oratory had was substantial in his time as a radical anti-racist civil rights activist. His speeches’ emancipatory potential put forth his ‘theory of rhetorical action’ where he urges Black Americans to employ both the ballot and the bullet, strategically without being dependent on the other should the conditions of oppression change. A crucial leader in the fight for civil rights, he opened the eyes of thousands of Black Americans, politicising and convincing them of the necessity of fighting for their democratic rights against white supremacists.

28. Living the Revolution by Gloria Steinem

“The challenge to all of us, and to you men and women who are graduating today, is to live a revolution, not to die for one. There has been too much killing, and the weapons are now far too terrible. This revolution has to change consciousness, to upset the injustice of our current hierarchy by refusing to honor it, and to live a life that enforces a new social justice. Because the truth is none of us can be liberated if other groups are not.”

In an unexpected commencement speech delivered at Vassar College in 1970, Gloria Steinem boldly makes a call to action on behalf of marginalized groups in need of liberation to newly graduated students. She proclaimed it the year of Women’s Liberation and forcefully highlighted the need for a social revolution to ‘upset the injustice of the current hierarchy’ in favour of human rights – echoing the hard-hitting motto on social justice, ‘until all of us are free, none of us are free’.

29. The Last Words of Harvey Milk by Harvey Milk

“I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad in response to my death, but I hope they will take the frustration and madness and instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope that they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let the world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody could imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights. … All I ask is for the movement to continue, and if a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door…”

As the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, Harvey Milk’s entire political candidature was in itself a radical statement against the homophobic status quo at the time. Given the dangerous times he was in as an openly gay man, he anticipated that he would be assassinated eventually in his political career. As such, these are some of his last words which show the utter devotion he had to campaigning against homophobia while representing the American people, voicing his heartbreaking wish for the bullet that would eventually kill him to ‘destroy every closet door’.

30. Black Power Address at UC Berkeley by Stokely Carmichael

“Now we are now engaged in a psychological struggle in this country, and that is whether or not black people will have the right to use the words they want to use without white people giving their sanction to it; and that we maintain, whether they like it or not, we gonna use the word “Black Power” — and let them address themselves to that; but that we are not going to wait for white people to sanction Black Power. We’re tired waiting; every time black people move in this country, they’re forced to defend their position before they move. It’s time that the people who are supposed to be defending their position do that. That’s white people. They ought to start defending themselves as to why they have oppressed and exploited us.”

A forceful and impressive orator, Stokely Carmichael was among those at the forefront of the civil rights movement, who was a vigorous socialist organizer as well. He led the Black Power movement wherein he gave this urgent, influential speech that propelled Black Americans forward in their fight for constitutional rights in the 1960s.

31. Speech on Vietnam by Lyndon Johnson

“The true peace-keepers are those men who stand out there on the DMZ at this very hour, taking the worst that the enemy can give. The true peace-keepers are the soldiers who are breaking the terrorist’s grip around the villages of Vietnam—the civilians who are bringing medical care and food and education to people who have already suffered a generation of war. And so I report to you that we are going to continue to press forward. Two things we must do. Two things we shall do. First, we must not mislead the enemy. Let him not think that debate and dissent will produce wavering and withdrawal. For I can assure you they won’t. Let him not think that protests will produce surrender. Because they won’t. Let him not think that he will wait us out. For he won’t. Second, we will provide all that our brave men require to do the job that must be done. And that job is going to be done. These gallant men have our prayers-have our thanks—have our heart-felt praise—and our deepest gratitude. Let the world know that the keepers of peace will endure through every trial—and that with the full backing of their countrymen, they are going to prevail.”

During some of the most harrowing periods of human history, the Vietnam War, American soldiers were getting soundly defeated by the Vietnamese in guerrilla warfare. President Lyndon Johnson then issued this dignified, consolatory speech to encourage patriotism and support for the soldiers putting their lives on the line for the nation.

32. A Whisper of AIDS by Mary Fisher

“We may take refuge in our stereotypes, but we cannot hide there long, because HIV asks only one thing of those it attacks. Are you human? And this is the right question. Are you human? Because people with HIV have not entered some alien state of being. They are human. They have not earned cruelty, and they do not deserve meanness. They don’t benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts. Each of them is exactly what God made: a person; not evil, deserving of our judgment; not victims, longing for our pity ­­ people, ready for  support and worthy of compassion. We must be consistent if we are to be believed. We cannot love justice and ignore prejudice, love our children and fear to teach them. Whatever our role as parent or policymaker, we must act as eloquently as we speak ­­ else we have no integrity. My call to the nation is a plea for awareness. If you believe you are safe, you are in danger. Because I was not hemophiliac, I was not at risk. Because I was not gay, I was not at risk. Because I did not inject drugs, I was not at risk. The lesson history teaches is this: If you believe you are safe, you are at risk. If you do not see this killer stalking your children, look again. There is no family or community, no race or religion, no place left in America that is safe. Until we genuinely embrace this message, we are a nation at risk.”

Back when AIDS research was still undeveloped, the stigma of contracting HIV was even more immense than it is today. A celebrated artist, author and speaker, Mary Fisher became an outspoken activist for those with HIV/AIDS, persuading people to extend compassion to the population with HIV instead of stigmatizing them – as injustice has a way of coming around to people eventually. Her bold act of speaking out for the community regardless of the way they contracted the disease, their sexual orientation or social group, was an influential move in advancing the human rights of those with HIV and spreading awareness on the discrimination they face.

33. Freedom from Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi

“The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation’s development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear. Saints, it has been said, are the sinners who go on trying. So free men are the oppressed who go on trying and who in the process make themselves fit to bear the responsibilities and to uphold the disciplines which will maintain a free society. Among the basic freedoms to which men aspire that their lives might be full and uncramped, freedom from fear stands out as both a means and an end. A people who would build a nation in which strong, democratic institutions are firmly established as a guarantee against state-induced power must first learn to liberate their own minds from apathy and fear.”

Famous for her resoluteness and fortitude in campaigning for democracy in Burma despite being put under house arrest by the military government, Aung San Suu Kyi’s speeches have been widely touted as inspirational. In this renowned speech of hers, she delivers a potent message to Burmese to ‘liberate their minds from apathy and fear’ in the struggle for freedom and human rights in the country. To this day, she continues to tirelessly champion the welfare and freedom of Burmese in a state still overcome by vestiges of authoritarian rule.

34. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace

“Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom all to be lords of our tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the centre of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talk about much in the great outside world of wanting and achieving…. The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day. That is real freedom. That is being educated, and understanding how to think. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing.”

Esteemed writer David Foster Wallace gave a remarkably casual yet wise commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 on the importance of learning to think beyond attaining a formal education. He encouraged hundreds of students to develop freedom of thought, a heart of sacrificial care for those in need of justice, and a consciousness that would serve them in discerning the right choices to make within a status quo that is easy to fall in line with. His captivating speech on what it meant to truly be ‘educated’ tugged at the hearts of many young and critical minds striving to achieve their dreams and change the world.

35. Questioning the Universe by Stephen Hawking

“This brings me to the last of the big questions: the future of the human race. If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, we should make sure we survive and continue. But we are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history. Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. But our genetic code still carries the selfish and aggressive instincts that were of survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million. Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space. The answers to these big questions show that we have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years. But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space. That is why I am in favor of manned — or should I say, personned — space flight.”

Extraordinary theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking was a considerable influence upon modern physics and scientific research at large, inspiring people regardless of physical ability to aspire towards expanding knowledge in the world. In his speech on Questioning the Universe, he speaks of the emerging currents and issues in the scientific world like that of outer space, raising and answering big questions that have stumped great thinkers for years.

36. 2008 Democratic National Convention Speech by Michelle Obama

“I stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history — knowing that my piece of the American dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me. All of them driven by the same conviction that drove my dad to get up an hour early each day to painstakingly dress himself for work. The same conviction that drives the men and women I’ve met all across this country: People who work the day shift, kiss their kids goodnight, and head out for the night shift — without disappointment, without regret — that goodnight kiss a reminder of everything they’re working for. The military families who say grace each night with an empty seat at the table. The servicemen and women who love this country so much, they leave those they love most to defend it. The young people across America serving our communities — teaching children, cleaning up neighborhoods, caring for the least among us each and every day. People like Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters — and sons — can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher. People like Joe Biden, who’s never forgotten where he came from and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again. All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be. That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack’s journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. That is why I love this country.”

Ever the favourite modern First Lady of America, Michelle Obama has delivered an abundance of iconic speeches in her political capacity, never forgetting to foreground the indomitable human spirit embodied in American citizens’ everyday lives and efforts towards a better world. The Obamas might just have been the most articulate couple of rhetoricians of their time, making waves as the first African American president and First Lady while introducing important policies in their period of governance.

37. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

“I’m not talking about blind optimism here — the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.”

Now published into a book, Barack Obama’s heart-capturing personal story of transformational hope was first delivered as a speech on the merits of patriotic optimism and determination put to the mission of concrete change. He has come to be known as one of the most favoured and inspiring presidents in American history, and arguably the most skilled orators ever.

38. “Be Your Own Story” by Toni Morrison

“But I’m not going to talk anymore about the future because I’m hesitant to describe or predict because I’m not even certain that it exists. That is to say, I’m not certain that somehow, perhaps, a burgeoning ménage a trois of political interests, corporate interests and military interests will not prevail and literally annihilate an inhabitable, humane future. Because I don’t think we can any longer rely on separation of powers, free speech, religious tolerance or unchallengeable civil liberties as a matter of course. That is, not while finite humans in the flux of time make decisions of infinite damage. Not while finite humans make infinite claims of virtue and unassailable power that are beyond their competence, if not their reach. So, no happy talk about the future. … Because the past is already in debt to the mismanaged present. And besides, contrary to what you may have heard or learned, the past is not done and it is not over, it’s still in process, which is another way of saying that when it’s critiqued, analyzed, it yields new information about itself. The past is already changing as it is being reexamined, as it is being listened to for deeper resonances. Actually it can be more liberating than any imagined future if you are willing to identify its evasions, its distortions, its lies, and are willing to unleash its secrets.”

Venerated author and professor Toni Morrison delivered an impressively articulate speech at Wellesley College in 2004 to new graduates, bucking the trend by discussing the importance of the past in informing current and future ways of living. With her brilliance and eloquence, she blew the crowd away and renewed in them the capacity for reflection upon using the past as a talisman to guide oneself along the journey of life.

39. Nobel Speech by Malala Yousafzai

“Dear brothers and sisters, the so-called world of adults may understand it, but we children don’t. Why is it that countries which we call “strong” are so powerful in creating wars but so weak in bringing peace? Why is it that giving guns is so easy but giving books is so hard? Why is it that making tanks is so easy, but building schools is so difficult? As we are living in the modern age, the 21st century and we all believe that nothing is impossible. We can reach the moon and maybe soon will land on Mars. Then, in this, the 21st century, we must be determined that our dream of quality education for all will also come true. So let us bring equality, justice and peace for all. Not just the politicians and the world leaders, we all need to contribute. Me. You. It is our duty. So we must work … and not wait. I call upon my fellow children to stand up around the world. Dear sisters and brothers, let us become the first generation to decide to be the last. The empty classrooms, the lost childhoods, wasted potential-let these things end with us.”

At a mere 16 years of age, Malala Yousafzai gave a speech on the severity of the state of human rights across the world, and wowed the world with her passion for justice at her tender age. She displayed tenacity and fearlessness speaking about her survival of an assassination attempt for her activism for gender equality in the field of education. A model of courage to us all, her speech remains an essential one in the fight for human rights in the 21st century.

40. Final Commencement Speech by Michelle Obama

“If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that’s why people first came to this country — to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh — these religions are teaching our young people about justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity — our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are. So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are. But I also want to be very clear: This right isn’t just handed to you. No, this right has to be earned every single day. You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms. … It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope that when people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be inspired to rise to their best possible selves.”

Finally, we have yet another speech by Michelle Obama given in her final remarks as First Lady – a tear-inducing event for many Americans and even people around the world. In this emotional end to her political tenure, she gives an empowering, hopeful, expressive speech to young Americans, exhorting them to take hold of its future in all their diversity and work hard at being their best possible selves.

Amidst the bleak era of our current time with Trump as president of the USA, not only Michelle Obama, but all 40 of these amazing speeches can serve as sources of inspiration and hope to everyone – regardless of their identity or ambitions. After hearing these speeches, which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Article Written By: Kai Xin Koh

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Luke Little takes unique spot in Cubs history with start

Published april 3, 2024 • updated on april 3, 2024 at 7:04 pm.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Luke Little secured a unique spot in the team’s history when he took the mound for Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.

Little, who has registered two scoreless outings so far this season for the Cubs, got the start against the Rockies as the team aims for a sweep at Wrigley Field.

Little pitched the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 12-2 win over the Rockies, throwing only 12 pitches and inducing two ground ball outs in the victory.

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According to Christopher Kamka of Marquee Sports Network, Little is the first Cubs pitcher since May 1955 to finish one game and then to start the next game for the team.

If Luke Little starts tomorrow, he'll be the first #Cubs pitcher to finish one game and start the next day's game since Warren Hacker on May 2, 1955. Hacker finished a suspended game that day and tossed a CG in the regularly scheduled one at Connie Mack Stadium in Philly. — Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) April 3, 2024

Warren Hacker finished a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in May 1955, then started the following game in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Cubs are having to be creative with their pitching staff amid the absence of Justin Steele , who suffered a hamstring injury on Opening Day in Texas. Ben Brown was called up to replace Steele on the roster, but it is Little who got the start.

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Iowa-LSU draws 12.3 million viewers, most in women's college basketball history

Iowa’s 94-87 win against LSU in the Elite Eight on Monday drew 12.3 million viewers, the most in women’s college basketball history, according to ESPN.

The figure topped the previous high of 9.9 million viewers from last season’s NCAA championship game between the same programs. ESPN said Monday’s figure was the highest viewership for any college basketball game ever on its platforms and the second-highest of any basketball game — college or NBA — since 2012.

FanDuel told CNBC on Tuesday that Iowa-LSU was also its biggest betting event of all time for women’s sports .

ESPN said the women’s Elite Eight averaged 6.2 million viewers, up 184% year-over-year, and represented four of the top five most-watched games in that round on record.

The top-seeded Hawkeyes were led, once again, by superstar Caitlin Clark. Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, finished with 41 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds to help her program avenge a loss to the Tigers in last year’s title game.

LSU’s Angel Reese added 17 points and 20 rebounds in defeat. 

“No matter which way it went tonight,” Reese said, “I knew this was going to be a night for the ages.”

Reese, a second-team All-American, said after the game that she has received threats over the past year . 

“I’ve been through so much,” she said. “I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.”

Reese’s turmoil began when, near the end of LSU’s victory over Iowa in last year’s title game, she approached Clark and waved an open hand across her face, a move popularized by actor and WWE star John Cena to mean “You can’t see me.” Reese then pointed to her ring finger in a gesture that indicated she would earn a championship ring.

Clark had made a similar gesture to another player earlier in the tournament. 

“All this has happened since I won the national championship,” Reese said. “And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything, and I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me. I’m going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that.”

Iowa will play No. 3 seed UConn — a program with 11 national championships coached by Basketball Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma — in the Final Four at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The winner will face either No. 1 seed South Carolina or No. 3 seed North Carolina State on Sunday for the national championship. 

Clark passed the legendary Pete Maravich in March to become the NCAA’s all - time leading scorer . Maravich, who went on to star in the NBA, scored 3,667 points in three seasons at LSU from 1967 to 1970. Ahead of the Final Four, Clark has 3,900 career points. 

Clark announced in February she would enter the 2024 WNBA d raft , and she is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever.

“A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost," Clark said after the Elite Eight win. "And all we did was work really hard. To get back here is really hard. This regional was loaded with so much talent. The job’s not finished."

Greg Rosenstein is the sports editor for NBC News Digital.