Elite athletes are different from you and me. Their physical abilities are simply beyond our grasp.

We are reminded of this every so often. Like this weekend, when the Winter Olympics begin in Italy and the professional football season concludes in Santa Clara, California.

The athleticism in both forums will be extraordinary. In every discipline, elite athletes do things we cannot. That is part of the attraction. It also is part of the deal they make with us and that we make with them. They push themselves to extremes to do amazing things, and they receive from us fame and adulation — and, for a lucky few in a small number of sports, incredible riches.

We revere those who go to the limit. They are our sporting gods, which in this and many other cultures makes them as close to mortal deities as it gets. But the toll — and the sacrifices — can also be extreme.

Consider Lindsey Vonn. The American Alpine skier is one of her sport's all-time........

© Newsday