Yesterday the sports world received another treat as the NFL held their first ever virtual draft. Other than taking a little long between picks, I thought they did a great job under the circumstances and for a night it seemed all was right in the world. It was extremely weird not seeing the whole draft setup and the players stepping up to the podium to be greeted by Commissioner Roger Goodell, but it definitely brought the sports world together for a night. Teams and fans alike were ecstatic to watch these young football stars get drafted to their teams and dream about the impact they will have in the future. Today we woke up and had to come back to the reality of quarantine life, but I’m excited to see the start of many amazing careers for these players.
In the next coming months all the picks are going to be talked about and critiqued beyond belief, because honestly it’s one of the only new pieces of sports content we have to work with. Regardless, any draft night is special for any athlete who is apart of it. There’s something so satisfying about watching a player, sitting with his family, hearing him get the call and watching how the tears roll down their faces as they embrace their loved ones. Their dreams are finally starting to become a reality and you can’t help at smile at all the emotion and passion they posses as they finally get the call they’ve been waiting their whole life for. Not every athletes journey is going to be the same and all have walked their own path to get to the position they are in now. One thing I can tell you is that journey is never easy no matter who you are.
It’s always special to see a player years before announcing their goals for the future and then through years of patience and hard work, finally get to see that come to fruition. It’s not an uncommon sight for players to do that, especially publicly, there are a number of players who have promised a goal to happen and years later we see it come true. In a sense it can be a motivatiation for the player, to see that goal written down, physically for all the world to see. You’re announcing to everyone that you are not going to quit until that dream becomes a reality. Clyde Edwards-Helaire finally realized his dream of becoming an NFL running back last night as he was selected 32nd by the Kansas City Chiefs. The 21 year-old running back gained 1,857 scrimmage yards and scored 17 touchdowns for the national champion LSU Tigers last year. This included an impressive game against Alabama where he had 180 scrimmage yards and four scores. In an already stacked offensive lineup, Edwards-Helaire looks bring his skillset to the reigning Super Bowl Champions.
In 2015 he set his goal to repay his mom back, who at the time was working three jobs to provide for her family, stating that he had no other option than to succeed. As you grow older as an athlete you start to understand all of the sacrifices your family has made for you to get where you are. Edwards-Helaire knew how much his mother was working for him and providing for him, so that he can keep pushing to achieve his dreams. There was no option other than success for him and that meant getting drafted to play the game he loves and taking care of his mother who has always cared for him. Not only did he achieve his dream, but his mother got to see her son accomplish something that only a finite amount of players can say they’ve done.
A feel good story for your Friday. To any athlete out there, take the time out and thank the people who always took care of you along your journey. Not only do you make it on these days, but the people closest to you do as well. Make sure they always know how much you appreciate their love and support. Continue using that as motivation to keep getting better.
The Washed Up Athlete 