For the win

America's most popular sport starts its new season this week. American Football is back and won't stop until the Super Bowl champions are crowned in Los Angeles on Valentines day! But maybe you're more of a baseball or bball fan. Maybe it's the action on the ice that really does it for you... This week one athlete from each of America's most popular sports details the amazing and inspiring stories of their lives on and off the field of play

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi that said "Winners never quit and quitters never win". American Football is a tough physical sport played in all weathers, with nuances and strategy. Only a tiny percentage ever make it to the NFL. Shaquem Griffin did. He was a Linebacker for the Seattle Seahawk. But when he made his debut in 2018 he made history, becoming the first known one-handed player in NFL history! Born with a condition that caused him great pain in his left hand, by the time he was four years old, he had attempted to cut off his own fingers with a knife. Eventually he had surgery to amputate his hand and never looked back. Shaquem's journey to the NFL was always going to be an extra ordinary struggle, but this is not just his story, it's the story of his twin brother and fellow NFL star Shaquil. Both attended UCF, the University of Central Florida and after many years of struggle Shaquem and Shaquil took to the filed together firstly at College and then in the NFL. This is the remarkable story of NFL star Shaquem Griffin.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." So said ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky and it's that philosophy that propelled Zoe Boyd to become a professional ice hockey player for the PWHL Hamilton, an expansion team in the Professional Women's Hockley League. She's grown up in a sports mad family - encouraged to get involved with anything and everything. In 2005 though aged just five years old, everything turned upside down. Zoe's mum Tammy was involved in a car accident that left her with brain damage that irrevocably changed both of their lives. Zoe is part of a new generation of players with the opportunity to make a career in Ice Hockey, and it's a responsibility she takes very seriously. She hosts a podcast called "No Straight Answers" and wants to be a role model and show others what is now possible.

Michael Jordan who said "I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed" Of course you have to have the opportunity to play to get that chance. Not something that was afforded to Connie Hawkins. A once-in-a-generation basketball superstar, in the early 60's he was blackballed from the NBA for a crime he didn’t commit. His downfall? His association with Jack Molinas, an ex-NBA All-Star turned mob fixer. The story is the subject of a new podcast called Connie & Jack: A Rigged Game.

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” So said Babe Ruth and Tommy John certainly proved that. Back in 1974 baseball pitcher Tommy John suffered a serious elbow injury. His career was over, until he underwent a revolutionary surgery that was named after him. He became known as the Bionic Man. Tommy passed away just a few weeks ago, aged 83. A couple of years ago he told his story

PHOTO: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on after the preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)