Everyone has obstacles to overcome in life. Even many well-known sports figures have demonstrated their ability to overcome incredible challenges—fame and fortune isn't ever easy, even for these talented athletes.

In fact, some sports figures have fought such incredible battles to achieve their goals, that we consider them to be heroes. Our society has a constant hunger to learn all about them, find out what makes them tick, share in their struggles, their victories and their defeats.

So, what can sports heroes teach us? How can their stories help us to understand some of the struggles that we may be having in our own lives? Are they truly worthy of our interest and dedication? Maybe they are just modern day gladiators or might they be royalty for the new millennium?

Sports heroes often serve as role models and leaders because they reflect our deepest dreams and our greatest hopes. Somehow their actions are deeply connected to one of our greatest needs - to explore and challenge what it means to be human.

As a journalist for a major magazine, you do the very hard work—the research and the writing, the layout and design, and the soul searching needed, to answer all of the above questions in an article that will be featured in next month's issue.