Family over everything, including sports

Throughout sports history, there have been quite a few professional sports siblings:

Serena and Venus Williams

Peyton and Eli Manning
Jim and John Harbaugh
Reggie and Cheryl Miller

Let’s add one more to that mix: Marc and Alex Márquez.

Marc and Alex, 23 and 20, respectively, have had their fair share of championships in motocross, just as the siblings listed above, but unlike their older counterparts, the brothers head home to mom and dad in the off-season.

Marc Márquez leading a MotoGp race in 2016.
Jens Meyer/Associated Press

Raphael Minder of the New York Times ran an article about just how successful the Márquez brothers are and explained why two of the best in motocross still head home to their parents.

It’s an eye-opening article because we’ve all been exposed to other sibling success stories in sports, but not many people have heard of these guys. I also find it inspiring that even though Marc alone earned $11 million a year the past two seasons and could easily spend the winter in a luxurious hotel, he and his brother dedicate their time in the off-season to the very people that gave them life.

Marc Márquez fixing a tire with his brother, Alex, in the garage of their home in Cervera
Samuel Aranda for the New York Times

“I understand others might want to spend the winter in a place like the Maldives, but this is where I have always been and still really want to be,” Marc Márquez said. “Of course my life is not exactly what it used to be, but if you look at my entourage — my family, friends and manager — the change has been zero. And here I can also train with my best friend, my brother.”

In another article, Roman Zozulya, a Ukrainian football striker that plays Spanish professional football, withdrew from a loan that was sending him to play for Rayo Vallecano.

Last year, a Spanish newspaper falsely reported that Zozulya was wearing the shirt of a far-right paramilitary group, which was removed. Angry Rayo fans expressed their disbelief that it was false and disapproval of Zozulya with signs saying he was “not welcome” and a banner that said Rayo was “not a place for Nazis.”

Zozulya made the decision for the safety of his family, which were still living in the city of his previous club, La Liga.

Roman Zozulya
Credit: ESPN FC

“Football is my life, but if I have to choose between football and my family than my choice is pretty obvious...Right now we are in Seville, in safety. And I feel we have the backing of the press and people here," Zozulya told the New York Times.

There are reports that this could cost Zozulya a spot on the Ukraine national team, but it's obvious that family is far more important than football in his eyes. It is upsetting to hear that his family was in danger, but for him to chose their safety over football makes him a true family man.