President Barack Obama laughs with Frank Deford as he awards him the 2012 National Humanities Medal for transforming how we think about sports, during a ceremony in the East Room of White House on July 10, 2013. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption
Sweetness And Light Frank Deford's weekly commentary on sports appears Wednesdays on NPR.org.
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, watches his tee shot on the 14th hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament Tuesday in Augusta, Ga. Matt Slocum/AP hide caption
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sits on the bench during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, in Kansas City, Mo., on Sept. 29, 2014. Brady will be forced to sit for the first four games of 2016 serving his "Deflategate" suspension. Charlie Riedel/AP hide caption
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U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky holds up her gold medal after winning the women's 800-meter freestyle swimming final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Games in London. Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption
Frank Deford: Olympic Swimmer Ledecky Is This Century's Perfect 10
This statue of tennis great Arthur Ashe by sculptor Paul Di Pasquale was unveiled on Monument Ave. in Richmond, Va., almost 20 years ago, on July 10, 1996. Steve Helber/AP hide caption
Dave Pear of the Oakland Raiders puts a stop to Larry Csonka of the Miami Dolphins after a 1-yard gain during fourth-quarter action on Oct. 9, 1979, in Oakland. The Raiders won 13-3. AP hide caption
Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Nuzman shows the lantern containing the Olympic flame brought from Greece as he gets off the plane in Brasilia on May 3. The three-month torch relay across Brazil will end at the opening ceremony on Aug. 5 at Maracana stadium in Rio. Eraldo Peres/AP hide caption
Stephen Curry (right) of the Golden State Warriors dribbles toward Pablo Prigioni of the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of a game at Staples Center on Feb. 20. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images hide caption
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning meets with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton after an NFL game in Indianapolis in 2011. Manning and Newton will square off in the 50th Super Bowl, in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday. The two quarterbacks were No. 1 overall draft picks 13 years apart. AJ Mast/AP hide caption
Fans cheer for the future Los Angeles Rams NFL team, during a news conference at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., last Friday. The Rams are returning from St. Louis in 2016 to play in the Los Angeles area. Nick Ut/AP hide caption
Futbol Club Barcelona's Neymar da Silva Santos pours champagne over Adriano as their team won the final match against River Plate at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Dec. 20. Shuji Kajiyama/AP hide caption
Pete Rose appears at an autograph signing event last month in Las Vegas. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected Rose's plea for reinstatement, citing Rose's continued gambling and evidence that he bet on games when he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Without reinstatement, Rose can't be elected to the Hall of Fame. John Locher/AP hide caption
Rose Is Banned From Baseball, But What About Accused Steroid Users?
Olympic team members stand on the field as the Olympic flag flies at half-staff during a memorial service in the Munich Olympic Stadium in Germany on Sept. 6, 1972. Eleven Israeli team members were killed by Arab guerrillas at the Summer Olympic Games. A crowd of 80,000 filled the stadium to capacity. AP hide caption
Yes, the Little Brown Jug harness race lives on. The horse in the lead here, Vegas Vacation, driven by Brian Sears, holds on to win the 2013 race in Delaware, Ohio. Mark Hall /AP hide caption
Charlotte Hornets' Jeremy Lindrives past Sacramento Kings' Omri Casspi in the second half of a game on Nov. 23. The Hornets won 127-122 in overtime. The Kings haven't won a championship since 1951. Chuck Burton/AP hide caption
Members of the University of Missouri Tigers football team return to practice Nov. 10 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images hide caption
Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (second from left) shakes hands with Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson after the NFL football game between the Lions and Chiefs at Wembley Stadium in London on Nov. 1. Matt Dunham/AP hide caption