Andrew Luck has seen no shortage of attention – what with being the projected top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and all – but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been faced with the same questions and challenges the rest of his Stanford Cardinal team faces with regards to their success on the field. Is it possible for a college to balance both academic and athletic achievement for any legitimate period of time?

Though it won’t make national headlines like the growing head injury concern in hockey, a similarly subtle epidemic has started making an impact on the way men and women of all ages – not to mention all levels – approach the game. Retired NHL star Claude Lemieux is among the latest to join the cause against foot injuries caused by increasingly rigid hockey skates.

Robert Griffin III is one of the most dominant players in college football, yet his chances of legitimately contending for one of the NCAA’s top honors – the Heisman Trophy – are next to none. What is it that appears to have thrown Griffin off track? We’ll give you one hint, it’s through no fault of his own.

The beginning of the NHL season is a fascinating time of year for hockey fans, especially those with vested interests in the game’s top prospects. To get a better understanding of the probationary trial period and how big level clubs sample their future stars before sending them back to Junior, TheGP Hockey caught up with Carolina Hurricane draft pick Ryan Murphy.

What once started as a quiet tradition with Lefty Driesell and the Maryland Terrapins 40 years ago has blossomed into a wildly popular media frenzy. Now, one night every year marks the official beginning of the NCAA season, fully equipped with fan entertainment, team orientation and – don’t forget – practice. Who needs the NBA? College basketball is finally back.

Pete Rose and his illustrious career have been topics of conversation since the 1960s; between his accomplishments on the field and his behaviour off of it, it’s hard not to see why. Not content to leave his legacy alone, TheGP Baseball’s Eric Rosenhek brings up a forgotten chapter – his half-year stint with the Montreal Expos.

Whether you love him or hate him, Al Davis stands out among our generation of football fans for his tenure as the owner the Oakland Raiders. Somehow forgotten amid the 45 years he spent with his organization, he also managed to drastically impact the NFL we watch today. TheGP Football breaks down his role with both the American Football League and, specifically, the NFL-AFL merger.

It’s hard to know when to evaluate a rookie fresh out of the NHL Draft, but, when the kid is able to step in and stick with a big club right away, coaches and executives usually know they have something special. Such is the case for Mark Scheifele, but not all hope is lost for demoted first-year players.

Aaron Hill’s stock was at an ultimate low when he was dealt from the Toronto Blue Jays to the contending Arizona Diamondbacks last season. Was it the pressure of joining a team in the middle of a playoff run, the NL West ballparks and pitchers, or simply just a change of scenery that helped him rebound? Regardless, the strong performance has revitalized the second basemen’s career.

Call it appreciation or adoration, The Good Point has a soft-spot for Doug Fister. After an August feature following the man’s debut at Comerica Park, Jared Macdonald followed up with the hurler to get a thorough account of how he’s changed his game. Now as he stars for the Tigers in the ALCS, there’s no looking back.