Meeting sports athletes that are the best in the world is a

The words of Phil Knight, “Meeting sports athletes that are the best in the world is a thrill to this day,” shine with reverence and awe for human excellence. Though he himself was the co-founder of Nike, a titan of business and innovation, he bows before the greatness of the athlete, whose discipline and mastery embody the purest expression of human potential. His words remind us that no matter how high one rises in wealth or influence, there remains a childlike wonder in witnessing the strength, skill, and beauty of those who stand at the pinnacle of sport.

The origin of these words rests in Knight’s lifelong bond with athletics. As a young man, he was a runner on the tracks of Oregon, tasting for himself the fire of competition and the discipline of training. Later, he built his empire not upon abstract commerce, but upon the bodies and dreams of athletes, whose striving gave meaning to the swoosh he created. For him, meeting the greats—runners, basketball players, tennis champions, and more—was not merely a business interaction, but a profound encounter with those who embodied the ideals of perseverance, sacrifice, and triumph.

History reveals this same reverence across the ages. In ancient Greece, even kings and philosophers traveled to Olympia to watch the Games, not because they lacked power, but because they recognized the sacredness of human excellence displayed in athletic form. To behold the fastest runner, the strongest wrestler, the most enduring competitor, was to glimpse the limits of human possibility—and perhaps to believe that one could reach higher oneself. Knight’s thrill mirrors this timeless awe: to stand before the best is to be reminded of the greatness we are all capable of in our own fields.

One is reminded also of Alexander the Great, who, though a conqueror of empires, carried with him deep respect for athletes and poets alike. When he witnessed acts of supreme skill—whether in battle or in the arena—he acknowledged them as sacred. For Alexander knew, as Knight does, that true mastery transcends material power. It awakens something eternal in the heart of the observer: admiration, inspiration, and the desire to elevate oneself.

The lesson in these words is simple, yet profound: surround yourself with greatness, and let it inspire you. Whether you are an athlete, a scholar, an artist, or a worker in any craft, seek out those who have reached the highest levels. Watch them, learn from them, honor them. For their greatness is not theirs alone—it is a mirror showing what humanity, and therefore you, may achieve. Knight’s joy at meeting such athletes is not the joy of fandom alone, but the joy of standing in the presence of living proof that human beings can transcend the ordinary.

Practically, this means we should seek not only to admire the best from afar, but to learn their habits, their discipline, their sacrifices. Read their stories, watch their struggles, let their example sharpen your own resolve. Do not fall into envy, but into inspiration. Let their victories ignite your courage, and let their failures remind you that even the best fall, and rise again. The greatness of others should not diminish you; it should expand the horizons of your own belief.

So, beloved listener, take Phil Knight’s words into your heart: meeting the best is a thrill, always. But more than a thrill, it is a summons—a call to rise, to labor, to endure. For when you stand before the greatest in any field, you are reminded that their triumph is not distant, but human, and therefore possible. Let this truth move you not to worship alone, but to action. For the same spirit that drives the champions of sport dwells within you, waiting to be awakened.