Celebrate Good Times
Posted by: Bradley McDonald
This past week, Terrell Owens has been taking a lot of heat for doing an impersonation of Ray Lewis' pre-game "dance" (if you can call it that) after he scored a touchdown. Of course, Owens is no stranger to controversy, after pulling a sharpie out of his sock to autograph a ball following a touchdown last year (which I found amusing) and running to midfield to celebrate on the Cowboys' logo in Dallas one year (which I didn't find amusing). Some people think that after scoring a touchdown players should just toss the ball to the referee and get off the field. I don’t mind some celebrating - I don’t even mind some dancing (the “Icky Shuffle” was classic), as long as it doesn’t totally disrespect the other team.
With all the trash-talking and celebrating, though, it’s easy to see that some players just have a “me” attitude. They want the spotlight and the glory, but if things go wrong they blame someone else. We see examples of this all too often in the news, so I’m going to try to bring to your attention some players that have the opposite attitude (on and off the field).
One such player is Shaun Alexander, a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander, one of the top backs in the league, has never disrespected someone on the field. Off the field, Shaun has started a foundation, along with his brother, to help needy families. They help pay for bills and provide clothing for children and also send kids to Christian summer camps.
"It's all about giving back," Alexander says. "A lot of people around me are asking me why am I doing this? And they're telling me I shouldn't be doing this, but you know what? You can't out-give God."
If you see an example of an athlete that is doing something worthwhile in the world, please let me know. Thanks!
This past week, Terrell Owens has been taking a lot of heat for doing an impersonation of Ray Lewis' pre-game "dance" (if you can call it that) after he scored a touchdown. Of course, Owens is no stranger to controversy, after pulling a sharpie out of his sock to autograph a ball following a touchdown last year (which I found amusing) and running to midfield to celebrate on the Cowboys' logo in Dallas one year (which I didn't find amusing). Some people think that after scoring a touchdown players should just toss the ball to the referee and get off the field. I don’t mind some celebrating - I don’t even mind some dancing (the “Icky Shuffle” was classic), as long as it doesn’t totally disrespect the other team.
With all the trash-talking and celebrating, though, it’s easy to see that some players just have a “me” attitude. They want the spotlight and the glory, but if things go wrong they blame someone else. We see examples of this all too often in the news, so I’m going to try to bring to your attention some players that have the opposite attitude (on and off the field).
One such player is Shaun Alexander, a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. Alexander, one of the top backs in the league, has never disrespected someone on the field. Off the field, Shaun has started a foundation, along with his brother, to help needy families. They help pay for bills and provide clothing for children and also send kids to Christian summer camps.
"It's all about giving back," Alexander says. "A lot of people around me are asking me why am I doing this? And they're telling me I shouldn't be doing this, but you know what? You can't out-give God."
If you see an example of an athlete that is doing something worthwhile in the world, please let me know. Thanks!
