21.   The athletes are coming.

22.   The next challenge is whether the athletes can come back and elevate interest in the MLS as they did for the World Cup.

23.   Then came athletes mailing homemade videotape to coaches.

24.   There is also the possibility that athletes might come back to the high pressures and high salaries appreciating their work more than they did before.

25.   Whenever an athlete comes off drug rehab, the question invariably arises as to how many chances he should get.

26.   Yes, women athletes have come a long way.

27.   A return to the NBA by Elliott would be unprecedented, as no professional athlete has come back to compete after a kidney transplant.

28.   But many places the athletes come from are not familiar to most people.

29.   But several top athletes have come to Rome, inncluding medalists from prior Olympics and world championships.

30.   But the chief doctor for the boxing competition in Atlanta warns fighters could be at risk in a competition where athletes are coming from all corners of the world.