Eli Manning gives incredible speech for Bart Star Award
Mar 14, 2020 16:06:12 GMT -5
CTGiant likes this
Post by GordonG on Mar 14, 2020 16:06:12 GMT -5
The following is from part of his speech.
“I’ve seen all of Bart Starr’s stats. But the thing that stands out for me the most was his character. We only met a few times, but as big as his talent was, it was clear that Bart was the same person in private as he was in public. I imagine him treating Mr. Irrelevant exactly the same as he would a superstar. It’s too easy to become an elitist in professional sports, especially with the much-heralded NFL. We are human. It’s natural to be charmed by the millions of fans devoted to us, watching us play every game, wearing our jerseys, and calling out our names each week. Our quest to be the best at our sport is easier to go through life with blinders on. It’s easier to focus on the work that it requires to be the best, and only connect with those who block, tackle, or catch a ball for us. It’s easy to automatically wave to the masses without thought. It becomes too easy to walk right past people at home, in the equipment room, in the community, without exerting the energy to make that person feel like they’re really seen, heard, or valuable. But each of us bears the burden of proving that we’re more than a celebrated football player, of proving what we’ve learned and deeply understanding what teamwork really means. We have to apply those lessons and pay it forward, beyond the field, in our homes, and in our communities. When we’ve mastered that as well as we have mastered our favorite play, then we have earned the right to walk in the shadow of Bart Starr. Thank you for this incredible honor and the ability to walk away from the game knowing that football, and my last 16 years as a New York Giant, helped make me who I am.”
giantswire.usatoday.com/2020/02/02/new-york-giants-eli-manning-gives-incredible-speech-as-he-receives-bart-starr-award/?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=fishburne&utm_content=recirc-manual-related
“I’ve seen all of Bart Starr’s stats. But the thing that stands out for me the most was his character. We only met a few times, but as big as his talent was, it was clear that Bart was the same person in private as he was in public. I imagine him treating Mr. Irrelevant exactly the same as he would a superstar. It’s too easy to become an elitist in professional sports, especially with the much-heralded NFL. We are human. It’s natural to be charmed by the millions of fans devoted to us, watching us play every game, wearing our jerseys, and calling out our names each week. Our quest to be the best at our sport is easier to go through life with blinders on. It’s easier to focus on the work that it requires to be the best, and only connect with those who block, tackle, or catch a ball for us. It’s easy to automatically wave to the masses without thought. It becomes too easy to walk right past people at home, in the equipment room, in the community, without exerting the energy to make that person feel like they’re really seen, heard, or valuable. But each of us bears the burden of proving that we’re more than a celebrated football player, of proving what we’ve learned and deeply understanding what teamwork really means. We have to apply those lessons and pay it forward, beyond the field, in our homes, and in our communities. When we’ve mastered that as well as we have mastered our favorite play, then we have earned the right to walk in the shadow of Bart Starr. Thank you for this incredible honor and the ability to walk away from the game knowing that football, and my last 16 years as a New York Giant, helped make me who I am.”
giantswire.usatoday.com/2020/02/02/new-york-giants-eli-manning-gives-incredible-speech-as-he-receives-bart-starr-award/?utm_source=smg&utm_medium=fishburne&utm_content=recirc-manual-related