For today’s Monday Morning Mojo, I am sharing a few images that made their way into my world last month. I have written about images before and the impact they have on the brain. I learned a lot about that from my former boss, Chris Graves, and the work he does in behavioral science. So, for today’s missive, I am sharing a few pictures/stories that have had a lasting impact on me recently, with a particular focus on sport.

For context, when I consider images that have a lasting impact, these photos below are what I mean, because they define the popular saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

The first is the famous photo of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston during his first round knockout punch in Lewiston, Maine in 1965.

The second is the celebration of the US Hockey Team in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, known as the Miracle on Ice. This photo was taken when Mike Eruzione scored a tie-breaking goal to defeat Russia in a huge upset with about ten minutes remaining in the game. I personally remember watching this game live on the television.

The third is the picture of Kevin Durant’s mother, Wanda, when Kevin won the NBA MVP in the 2013-2014 season. I remember this picture distinctly, when, in tears, he told the story of her sacrifice when he was growing up, giving her the distinction of the “real MVP.”

Enough context. On June 25, Samuel shared with me the image of Danny Wolf’s brother, Jake, when Danny became the 27th NBA draft pick of the Brooklyn Nets. Danny Wolf was one of Samuel and my favorite players this past college basketball season, and his brother’s response is the inspiration for this post. This reminded me, like the photo above of Wanda Durant, of the collective emotion family members experience when something so meaningful is accomplished by a loved one.

Also in late May I participated in a unified event with the Special Olympics in Shanghai, China. Here’s an image of many of the athletes interacting with University of Southern California students and faculty who were part of this study tour. I just loved the joy at this event, and this other picture featuring my colleague Vicki Higgins of the USC US-China Institute is one of my favorites.

Continuing with sports, I watched a few movies this past month of athletes who have very inspiring stories. The first is a film about an Olympic woman boxer from my hometown of Flint, Michigan. The boxer’s name is Claressa Shields, and her story inspired me given the challenges she faced during her youth. I wish I knew her then! The second is a movie about a determined one-legged wrestler, Anthony Robles, who beat the odds to become an NCAA champion. The two films I feel are worth watching are below.

Last month I also saw a picture (below) that spoke 1,000 words about the conflict in the Middle East. The Isifya Basketball Club in Northern Israel has kids from the village playing together on the same team. Druze, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian kids make up this team and have grown up playing together. The power of kids of all persuasions playing sports together in harmony is very powerful, particularly at this time.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with Yao Ming last month about his close friendship with Shaquille O’Neal. I believe Yao was one of the greatest ambassadors for China when he played in the NBA. Yao Ming is such a smart, philanthropic, good guy, and he does so much for the US-China relationship.

Finally, since a lot of this is focused on sports, here is an inspirational story from a long time back I just love. I use this a lot in my class about the power of a great story. I am ending this post with this story, and I hope you all have a chance to view this. These are just a few of the inspiring images and stories that move me in different ways and remind me anything is possible.

Have a great week ahead, and thanks for being part of this community. If you have a moment, please share the images you have observed that have had a lasting impact on you.