A reader requested a blog before the bowl game, but I've been struggling the last few days for a topic. Not because there isn't plenty to say about the past month, lots of great things have happened for Michigan, but nothing was striking me as "blog worthy." Until I turned on ESPNews.
As they do every year, they were having a recap of the year's most touching stories. I got sucked into the "My Wish" series. There were several that struck me and some that I've seen that I've never forgotten about. "The Fist Bump Kid," a story about a young boy from the Boston area with Down Syndrome and then diagnosed with Cancer. He loved the Boston Bruins, went to games, was invited to sit on the bench and then into the locker room. He would "fist bump" all the players as they went to the locker room during intermissions. Such a small gesture on the part of the athletes, but it meant the world, and then some, to that little "Fist Bump Kid" and his family.
Then there was a high school swimmer, diagnosed with cancer, that dreamed of meeting Michael Phelps. She did, and she got to train with him in Colorado. He coached her on how to do flip turns and they signed a wall in the locker room that displayed the names of several other Olympic athletes. They spent the day together, just two people with a common love of swimming. Again, this took nothing but time from him, but gave this girl a lifelong memory.
"The Butterfly Child" was another story that stuck with me. This was not a "My Wish" episode, but nonetheless, gets at my point. This story is about a teenage boy in Canada that has an extremely rare skin disorder called EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa). Google it, it's the most horrifying thing you've probably never heard of. And then YouTube it, I guarantee you'll be both heartbroken and inspired. He loves hockey. He used to be able to play hockey with adapted equipment, but then it became too tough for him to bear. It didn't, however, stop his love for the sport.
And then it dawned on me, this is why I love sports. I love sports, all sports, not just football, for so many reasons. Sports promote healthy living. Sports teach what it means to work hard and set goals. Sports teach what it means to be part of a team. Sports teach learning how to be a humble winner and a gracious loser. Sports teach learning to listen to others and respect what they're telling you. Sports teach how to follow rules. Sports teach that there are consequences for not following those rules. Sports teach kids to dream. Dream bigger than you could ever imagine possible. And maybe, just maybe, if you do accomplish the almighty goal of "making it big" in sports, I hope and pray that sports also taught you to give back. Help people out. Be a positive role model. And remember, you were a kid once too, dreaming big. Make dreams happen for kids. They deserve it.