Red, White & Trending: Sept. 9-15

What are Team USA athletes — Olympians, Paralympians, hopefuls and more — up to when they're not competing? They're training. They're practicing. They're traveling to competitions and meets and games and tournaments. They're relaxing. They're getting engaged and married. They're taking hard-earned vacations. They're coping with the raw emotions that come from losing and winning. And they're sharing. Through the reach of social media, we're able to follow along on their often extraordinary journeys. We'll catch you up each week on what's "Red, White & Trending."

#NeverForget

Dozens of heartfelt acknowledgments of the 9/11 attacks were posted over the weekend as the anniversary took place on Sunday. But few were more poignant than that of boxer and Marine Jamel Herring, who served two tours in Iraq.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

’Tis the season: The NFL is back. Dormant fantasy football teams have returned to the virtual gridiron and Team USA athletes have a way to channel their sporting allegiances all over again. In some cases, and perhaps the special asterisk of an Olympic gold medal from Rio changes the equation, they may get a little closer to the action than the rest of us. This was especially true for the 2016 kickoff of Monday Night Football.

Diamond League

We’ve seen all manner of ceremonial pitches since the Games came to a conclusion, but they don’t seem to get old. This is America’s pastime opening its doors to America’s athletes who often toil in relative obscurity for years before appearing again every fourth year on the horizon. Which is why seeing two-time gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields and Rio silver medalist Connor Jaeger bringing some heat for a ceremonial pitch in Detroit is so enjoyable to see.

Baby Talk

Congratulations are in order for soccer standout and Olympic gold medalist Sydney Leroux Dwyer — both for her wedding anniversary and the matter of welcoming the couple’s first child. Commence cuteness ...

And let the games begin …

Former teammate and soccer legend Abby Wambach, came at things from a different perspective.

Swimmers Across The Pond

Good luck, Allison Schmitt and Elizabeth Beisel, who have set sail on the trip of a lifetime. We catch up with them a few days in …

Being Michael Phelps

Meanwhile, it’s good to be Michael Phelps ...

Meanwhile, In Rio...

It is perhaps better to be Tatyana McFadden. Or any U.S. runner whose last name starts with Mc...

And two days after McFadden, Amanda McGrory and Chelsea McClammer swept the podium in the 1,500-meter at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, they repeated the feat, with McClammer and McGrory switching podium spots in the 5,000-meter...

Winter Wonderland

For fans of winter this time of year, there’s always the southern hemisphere. And for a couple of Team USA Olympic gold medalists, this week means Portillo, Chile, and the mountains around the stunning Laguna del Inca.

While Lindsey Vonn did, in her words, “pull myself together” and glam up for dinner, she admitted she’s decidedly dress-down at ski camp. When Vonn isn’t skiing or working out or by the pool, she’s feeding her dog … and her dogs’ Instagram account.

Ted Ligety, on the other hand, gave us a unique perspective on a training run …