Yao Ming and the Olympics

Yao Ming embodies the competitive drive and Olympic spirit that all athletes should strive for. Earlier this year, Yao Ming injured his foot which promptly ended his season. Yao Ming had only two thoughts; was the injury his fault and would he be able to play in the Olympics? That's contradictory to how some athletes views the Olympics as just a cash grab.

Yao Ming is also raffling off tickets to the Olympics on http://www.netraffle.org. The proceeds will help the victims of the China earthquakes. He is also donating many of his personal items from the Olympics and raffling of his special bed that was designed for him during his Olympic stay.

Gilbert Arenas Agrees to Play For Less

The Washington Wizards offered the max allowed to Gilbert Arenas after Arenas opted out his contract for free agency. Gilbert Arenas turned right around and passed on the potential $127 million contract for $111 million so that the team could still sign key pieces to build a championship team. "What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million?" he told The Washington Post.

$111 million is still a preposterous amount of cash, but it's still nice to see when there are NBA athletes like Latrell Sprewell (currently not on a team) have the audacity to turn down $21 million from the Timberwolves and say: "Why would I want to help them win a title? They're not doing anything for me. I'm at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed."

Congratulations Gilbert Arenas for understanding what sports is about and doing what is best for the team. Gilbert truly has fun while playing and gives a lot back to the community. Visit his blog on NBA.com and his website to learn more.