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As the world celebrates the Easter season, we look at six extreme sacrifices in sports.
Generally, sports career and sacrifice walk hand-in-hand as the situation may dictate that one goes all out of the way to make a difference or achieve a goal.
From fighting through devasting injury and concealing sickness to sacrificing the entire career, these are some of the supreme sacrifices in sports history.
Colin Rand Kaepernick
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American football quarterback turned a civil rights activist after he knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in 2016 in protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
The action was put at loggerheads with the then-president, Mr Donald Trump and the NFL chiefs.
He paid the ultimate price of protest and was booted out of the league after playing six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL).
His action became a global phenomenon and was formalised in several popular competitions around the world, including the English Premier League football matches before kick-off.
Michael Jordan
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In the 1997 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan showed up to the arena while suffering from flu-like symptoms and would have been ordinarily left on the bench or not named on the squad.
He was visibly exhausted in the match but muscled strength and registered 38 points, seven rebounds, and five assists with a three-pointer in the last 25 seconds, giving the Bulls a 90-88 victory!
Serena Williams
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Serena Williams, one of the greatest sports stars of all time, took the notch higher competing while pregnant in 2017.
She won a remarkable 6-4, 6-4 against her sister Venus Williams to take home her 23rd grand slam title, defeating several top-rated stars to the finale.
Tiger Woods
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In 2008, Tiger Woods had to unleash the Tiger in him to win the US Open.
Although, ordinarily, golf is not a sport you would expect a tough time, Tiger had a torn ACL and stress fractures in his leg.
Medics warned that he risked a permanent leg injury, but the star sat right through it, forcing an extra 19 holes in a playoff.
Luis Suarez
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Desperate moments call for desperate measures, and Suarez paid the price for his nation, Uruguay.
At the 2010 Word Cup, South Africa, Suarez desperately saved a shot with his hands to prevent a goal that would send Ghana to the semi-finals.
Unfortunately, he was red-carded, and the resultant penalty kick was sent over the bar.
Uruguay went on to win the match on penalties after extra time.
In 1973, Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton in a shock win despite suffering a devastating broken jaw in the second round. Ali, is today an inspiration to millions of people.
Ali fought through 10 rounds of pain to get the victory and refused to back down despite his heavily bleeding jaw.
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