The nicest people in sports | The Boneyard

The nicest people in sports

Jaydumo20

Jaydumo20

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Who are the nicest people in sports?

Past or present, men or women, players or coaches, personal accounts or garnered from news stories, who would you select and why?

Only rule is they should be/shouldve been in the spotlight - i.e. no director of player personnel or advanced scouts or agents, etc.
Athletes, managers/ head coaches and famous sportscasters should cover it.
 
I've had a lot of New York Rangers connections throughout my life. When his kids went to public school, I was friends with Dave Maloney's son. Dave was the man, brought me to my first Rangers games. I've only known him between ages 8 and 11, but he was definitely up there with one of the nicer dads of friends of mine.

A few Yankees and Rangers kids have gone to the school where I teach. Mark Messier was by far the nicest and most down to earth, even when he was suffocatingly doted on by some of the other dads. My desk faces the school's baseball diamond and I'd regularly see him after hours simply playing catch with his son. Not as famous, but former Ranger Kevin Klein was also super chill.

I do it at the mid-major, local level, so the notoriety isn't as high, but almost all of the coaches have been incredibly mindful, generous and easy to talk with when I work on my preiews or post-games-- James Jones, Anthony Latina, John Gallagher, Chris Casey, Joey Gallo, Keith Urgo, Pat Sellers are a few that come to mind.
 
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Not from personal interaction, nor from wild fan opinion online, but I will say Eli Manning. I'm not a Giants fan, but was watching a Giants game years ago and after a very tough Giants loss, where Eli clearly wasn't the focal point, the media availability after the game saw Eli in an empty media room, save for a 7th grader with a backpack doing a project for school or something. Eli fielded this kids' questions and I was very impressed. Most athletes wouldn't have even showed up.
(If this something Giants fans remember lmk, I can't find video)
 
Karl Ravech was absolutely the nicest person to talk to at ESPN and such a down to Earth personality.

I recall him volunteering to cover such sports as Women's diving, Men's Tennis, just because any relative of his who liked a sport he wanted to cover and then discuss with them off camera. I think his wife was a diver if I recall.

But moreover he just wanted to watch sports - almost any sport you would see him on campus in the early 90s, done from a reporting gig for ESPN then just watching sports.
 
Cal Ripken Jr. I once did a spot for a company that was so cheap that it didn't let us keep a store open at night or even close the store when shooting a commercial (Trak Auto). So we shot Cal in an open store in a strip mall in the Baltimore area. As we were shooting people were walking in and out of the store. At first, he would shoot a scene then withdraw to a makeshift make up room in the back. Over time word spread Cal was in the store. So when a scene was being shot a crowd would gather. After first couple of scenes, during the break, Cal went over to the crowd and signed for everyone there. Then would retreat to the back. He repeated this all day through the shoot. There was a sports store in the mall. Soon folks were going over there, buying baseballs and bringing them back for Cal to sign. The store ran out of baseballs. Cal was patience. Was nice with everyone and did a very good job on the commercial. He was an absolute prince.

I have worked with scores of celebrities from Michael Jordan to Michelle Pheiffer. No one was nicer than Cal. The worst? Dale Earnhardt Jr. That dude would figure out what the minimum he had to do -- and then do just a little less. Awful
 
The Pens and Pirates seem to have a lot of high character stars compared to the other local team. The current crop of Crosby, Cutch and Bednar are huge ambassadors for the area and very involved with community causes. You never hear a peep about anything negative. Maybe the only guy on the Steelers who might qualify is Casey Hampton. Cutch in particular would win a mayoral race in a landslide.
 
Nicest athlete I've ever met is Rick Fox. I was probably 14 years old at a Sbarro's with my parents on the side of the highway in Massachusetts. We get out of the car and as we're walking in I notice Rick Fox is walking in with a woman at the same time. My dad convinced me to walk over to his table to say I'm a fan. Rick Fox then invites me to bring my tray of pizza over and enjoy my meal with him. He asked me where I'm from, what sports I play, asked me about school, we talked about the NBA etc. He spent a good 20 minutes or so talking to me as we ate our pizza. I couldn't believe how nice he was.
 
Jaydumo20 said:
Who are the nicest people in sports?

Past or present, men or women, players or coaches, personal accounts or garnered from news stories, who would you select and why?

Only rule is they should be/shouldve been in the spotlight - i.e. no director of player personnel or advanced scouts or agents, etc.
Athletes, managers/ head coaches and famous sportscasters should cover it.
Expand ...

When I was a kid, tennis players were the bad boys. Now they're pretty much awesome. I see nothing but smiles when they lose a great point, and friendships that you wouldn't have seen 40 years ago.
 
superjohn said:
Nicest athlete I've ever met is Rick Fox. I was probably 14 years old at a Sbarro's with my parents on the side of the highway in Massachusetts. We get out of the car and as we're walking in I notice Rick Fox is walking in with a woman at the same time. My dad convinced me to walk over to his table to say I'm a fan. Rick Fox then invites me to bring my tray of pizza over and enjoy my meal with him. He asked me where I'm from, what sports I play, asked me about school, we talked about the NBA etc. He spent a good 20 minutes or so talking to me as we ate our pizza. I couldn't believe how nice he was.
Expand ...
I've actually heard the same about him. He was a frequent guest on sports talk radio in L.A. and it was pretty clear that he is a good dude.
And Thanks for the story. That's an awesome thing for a teenage sports fan to experience. Good on your dad for suggesting you approach him.
 
Gary Player. In 1999 I was fortunate enough to play 18 holes with him in a Super Senior Pro-am at Aronomink outside of Philly. At the first tee, he asked each amateur if they had a shot they needed help on (for me it was a 60 yard pitch). For 4 hours, he helped each of us ... and regaled us with heartwarming stories about his career. Best ambassador golf has ever experienced.
 
superjohn said:
Nicest athlete I've ever met is Rick Fox. I was probably 14 years old at a Sbarro's with my parents on the side of the highway in Massachusetts. We get out of the car and as we're walking in I notice Rick Fox is walking in with a woman at the same time. My dad convinced me to walk over to his table to say I'm a fan. Rick Fox then invites me to bring my tray of pizza over and enjoy my meal with him. He asked me where I'm from, what sports I play, asked me about school, we talked about the NBA etc. He spent a good 20 minutes or so talking to me as we ate our pizza. I couldn't believe how nice he was.
Expand ...
Awesome story, but what the hell was Rick Fox doing at a Mass Pike rest stop Sbarro's?
 
Deepster said:
Without a doubt, Shaq is on the list. The stories about his generosity are endless.
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Great story about Shaq. My cousin is a high end contractor in LA. He was doing work for Shaq and one day he had no day care for his 6 year old daughter so he brought her with him one day. Shaq happened to be home that day and said in his own way - yo Phil she’s with me for the day. The little girl got to hang out with Shaq all day. My cousin said Shaq was a great guy and nice to everybody.
 
ucp990411 said:
Great story about Shaq. My cousin is a high end contractor in LA. He was doing work for Shaq and one day he had no day care for his 6 year old daughter so he brought her with him one day. Shaq happened to be home that day and said in his own way - yo Phil she’s with me for the day. The little girl got to hang out with Shaq all day. My cousin said Shaq was a great guy and nice to everybody.
Expand ...
I don't want to assume everyone knows this one, but here's a good story about him walking away from a 40m deal with Reebok.

"In a world where sports legends often turn into brands, signing massive deals to promote luxury sneakers, it’s rare to see a celebrity prioritize fans over profit. But that’s exactly what Shaquille O’Neal did. In 1998, O’Neal had a memorable encounter with the mother of a young fan who was upset that the Reebok sneakers he endorsed were priced at $100—a figure out of reach for many families. Already known for his generous tipping, Shaq took his commitment to affordability even further by cutting ties with Reebok, sacrificing a $40 million deal on the spot.


Believing that fans shouldn’t have to break the bank to own his merchandise, Shaq went on to create his own line of affordable shoes with Walmart. “That day, I cut ties with Reebok,” he explained on the Full Send Podcast. After hearing the mom’s frustration, he not only rejected the lucrative Reebok deal but also offered her $2,000, which she declined. Instead, she asked him a pointed question: “Why do you make shoes that kids can’t even afford?” That moment reshaped his perspective. “I said keep the money… this ain’t right,” Shaq recalled. Determined to make a difference, he launched the Shaq brand, partnered with Walmart, and rolled out an affordable line that’s remained popular ever since."

www.good.is

Shaq rejected $40m deal after being confronted by fan's mom, made affordable shoes for all

Shaq also signed a separate deal with a retail chain to roll out his affordable line of shoes.
www.good.is www.good.is

He also partnered with The General auto insurance because they treated him well when he was a teenager and needed insurance.
 
Surprisingly, A-Rod.

Was never a fan, but was in Vail skiing during the time he had his hip procedure done. We stopped for a beer in the village and he was in the place sitting at a table near the front with Uncle Yuri and a woman. When kids came up to him he signed and chatted with all of them. Didn't turn one away. When adults came up...he shooed them away...which is fine by me

Also, to concur on Messier. Was in Quebec city when there was a jr hockey tournament and Mark was coaching I think his nephews team. Several adults went up to him during his breakfast at the hotel and he was very cordial and even took pics with people.

On that note, why would an adult intrude on someone's meal just to get a picture? Really??

Kids...no problem...Adults doing that..you have a problem
 
Palatine said:
Cal Ripken Jr. I once did a spot for a company that was so cheap that it didn't let us keep a store open at night or even close the store when shooting a commercial (Trak Auto). So we shot Cal in an open store in a strip mall in the Baltimore area. As we were shooting people were walking in and out of the store. At first, he would shoot a scene then withdraw to a makeshift make up room in the back. Over time word spread Cal was in the store. So when a scene was being shot a crowd would gather. After first couple of scenes, during the break, Cal went over to the crowd and signed for everyone there. Then would retreat to the back. He repeated this all day through the shoot. There was a sports store in the mall. Soon folks were going over there, buying baseballs and bringing them back for Cal to sign. The store ran out of baseballs. Cal was patience. Was nice with everyone and did a very good job on the commercial. He was an absolute prince.
Expand ...
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His father spent at least 20 minutes with a (drunk) bunch of myself and some co-workers (2 of whom were huge Orioles fans) chatting, posing for pictures and signing baseballs after a sparsely-attended split-squad spring trading game in Sarasota in 1991.
 
I’ll say Jim Calhoun just based on the Cameo he made for my brother for Father’s Day. I wrote a “script” and said feel free to put your own spin on it. What could have been a 20 second read was instead a 90 second personalized take on the things I mentioned. I’m sure it took little effort for him to do that, but it still displayed a sense of caring about the message.
 
Lafayette said:
Karl Ravech was absolutely the nicest person to talk to at ESPN and such a down to Earth personality.

I recall him volunteering to cover such sports as Women's diving, Men's Tennis, just because any relative of his who liked a sport he wanted to cover and then discuss with them off camera. I think his wife was a diver if I recall.

But moreover he just wanted to watch sports - almost any sport you would see him on campus in the early 90s, done from a reporting gig for ESPN then just watching sports.
Expand ...
Really good dude. Played against him in a MG a couple years ago, very down to earth guy. His partner was Norby whatever, a very senior guy at ESPN that was just let go. They couldn't have been nicer.
 
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