[2][3] Some of the more notable athletes with significant streaks in sports history include baseball's Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken Jr.,[2] American football's Brett Favre[4] and Joe Thomas,[5] basketball's A.C. Green,[6] stock car racing's Jeff Gordon[7] and hockey's Phil Kessel and Keith Yandle.
[9] In 1939, an athlete noted for endurance was recognized as an "iron man" by the Boston Post when Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games ended when he asked his manager to take him out of the lineup because of his fading abilities.
In international cricket, players can be taken out of the squad for injuries, discipline, poor form, illegal bowling action, or unfavourable conditions for certain bowlers, or simply as a healthy break when they are rested during long tours or in a calendar year with hectic schedules.
[20] Brendon McCullum also started 122 consecutive One-Day Internationals from 2004 to 2010, the same as Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka with 122 each, but the record is held by Sachin Tendulkar whose streak was snapped by an injury.
[21] In the National Football League, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Jake Matthews of the Atlanta Falcons have the longest active streak among quarterbacks and among all players, respectively.