Peyton Manning
Before he could become a big hit with the Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning had to take a big hit. The veteran quarterback — who missed all of last season with the Indianapolis Colts due to a neck injury that weakened his throwing arm — was slammed to the ground during an August preseason game. Manning picked himself up, much to the relief of his new fans in Denver. "I've never heard a crowd cheer for an...
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Queen Underwood
After fighting for years to get into the Olympics, female boxers will at last enter the ring at the London Games. "We just broke down that last barrier, that [final] guy-only sport," says U.S. flyweight Marlen Esparza, 23. NBC analyst Laila Ali, who followed father Muhammad Ali, a 1960 gold medalist, into pro boxing, says she never competed as an amateur because women couldn't aspire to the Olympics. "I'm just happy to see it now," she says. "Eventually it'll just keep growing."
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Michael Phelps
The quick reflexes, strategic thinking and endurance of an Olympic athlete will also serve fans well as NBCUniversal offers an astounding 5,535 hours of coverage of the 2012 London Games. Every minute of all 302 events in 32 sports will be shown live in the United States for the first time. "We think it's important to have that instant gratification and immediacy for those avid fans," says Mark Lazarus, the NBC Sports Group chairman who made the call to provide live streaming online of even the most popular events.
Following the action can mean...
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Hannah Storm, Cam Newton
Taking a page from the Barbara Walters playbook, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm identified the biggest newsmakers in pro football and convinced four of them to sit down with her on their home turf for a pre-Super Bowl special.
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Tyrann Mathieu
Here we go again... No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama clash for the second time this season in the BCS Championship Game and familiarity breeds "hopefully offense," says Kirk Herbstreit, who will call tonight's game (8:30/7:30c, ESPN).
Both teams "were a little bit cautious," Herbstreit says, when they met on Nov. 5 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with LSU winning 9-6 in overtime ...
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Aaron Rodgers
It's time for the NFL's most efficient passer to throw the regular season out the window. "The hottest team in the playoffs," says Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, "is the one that's going to be the last one standing."
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Abby Wambach
Thanks to Olympic gold medals in 2004 and '08, it's hard to remember the United States hasn't won the FIFA Women's World Cup since that exhilarating victory in Los Angeles way back in 1999. "I forget as well," says ESPN analyst Julie Foudy, who played on the winning team. Just as surprising, she says, going into the 2011 tournament, "Even though they're ranked No. 1 in the world, they come in as a little bit of an underdog."
Germany is the favorite as play begins Sunday, not only as the host for the three-week event, but also as the two-time defending champion. Brazil, the 2007 runner-up led by five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, is another top contender...
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Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams
Fresh off equaling Bjorn Borg's six French Open titles, Rafael Nadal could match another of the Swede's impressive feats: winning on the French clay and Wimbledon grass back-to-back for the third time. "It's the toughest turnaround in tennis," says NBC analyst Mary Carillo, "but Nadal is something very special indeed." Borg did it from 1978-80, and the Spaniard took home both trophies in 2008 and last year...
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Ryo Ishikawa
There may be no better opportunity for a first-time winner to take home the Masters crown this year. "Many of the past champions aren't in good form, so watch out for the guys that haven't won or performed well at Augusta before," says CBS golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch. Young guns such as Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Ryo Ishikawa and Jason Day "have no fear — they feel they can win," golf's most prestigious tournament Baker-Finch says. "They're not going to be too awed by Augusta National." Neither are the players who are "getting towards the twilight of their careers...
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