Inspiration: On and Off the Field

Today's blog was written by Caitlin McCreary, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame. Caitlin is a Program of Liberal Studies major and a member of the Notre Dame Ultimate Frisbee team.  Caitlin hails from Pasadena, California and is generally a San Diego Chargers fan, but thought this story was important to tell despite her feelings about the Seahawks.

In a recent Duracell commercial Derrick Coleman, fullback for the Seattle Seahawks, addressed the disability that has defined his entire life; he has been deaf since he was three years old.  He narrates this commercial with stories of how he was bullied, excluded, misjudged, and left behind because of his inability to hear.  Imagine being told from a young age that you are a “lost cause,” that because of a disability you cannot control, your dreams are impossible.  Imagine hearing that over and over again.  Then imagine ignoring every coach, every kid, and every word to pursue your dreams.  In Derrick Coleman’s words “I’ve been deaf since I was three, so I didn’t listen.”  In a commercial that was meant to remind us of the strength of a battery, we are left instead with an impression of the strength of one man.

Coleman’s perseverance is inspiring and it left me wondering how I would respond under the same circumstances and how other children facing similar prejudices deal with the constant degradation.  One aspect of his torment that Coleman mentioned that really stood out to me was how he was always picked last for teams as a kid.  Even for someone who loves football as much as he clearly does, it must have tainted his opinion of the sport.  Looking back on middle and high school, I remember the expressions of the kids who were constantly chosen last for everything.  They were heartbroken and yet they seemed to expect nothing else.  They hated anything that required teams because it was a chance for other kids to be cruel, intentionally or unintentionally, all because they were smaller, skinnier, dorkier or different in any way.  Unlike Derrick Coleman many of these kids abandoned sports and team activities because they associated them with this cruelty.  

Getting picked last in itself is a form of bullying, but despite the fact that we recognize bullying as a major problem these days, I am not sure I have ever heard this mentioned as one of its many dangerous facets.  While not every child is meant to be a star athlete or go on to play in the NFL, no child should be deterred from playing before they can find out for themselves.  And even then no one should feel as if they cannot participate because they are different.  Sports are meant to be fun, especially when you are young.  One of the things that I like about working with Play Like a Champion Today is that they strive to put the "play" back in sports. Nothing should prevent a child from playing the sport that he or she loves.  Derrick Coleman didn't let the comments of his peers and coaches hold him back.  Instead he let them drive and strengthen him.  But not everyone can have his will and determination and at some point we need to start helping those who do not either by encouraging them to play or by stopping other kids from degrading them.