Eyes that see the good in things: Aug 5, 2109

Cool mornings, grain fields turning golden and new Carson Wentz stories on Facebook that I never tire of reading— all of these things made me realize that summer is winding down. A new school season is just around the corner, which means that it’s almost football season again.

A news story broke last Friday at the Philadelphia Eagles training camp. The Associated Press article said, “Carson Wentz was dazzling spectators with his big arm on the first day of Eagles training camp on Thursday. On Friday, Wentz got a chance to show off just how big his heart is too.”

Twelve-year-old Giovanni Hamilton has an incredibly rare disease called Schwartz Jampel Syndrome, a disease characterized by abnormalities of skeletal tissue and cartilage that affects less than 100 people in the world.

Giovanni’s mother, Shannon Algarin, spoke about how important Wentz has been to Giovanni’s battles through 12 different surgeries ranging from his eyes, ankles and hips, to his most recent surgery to break and lengthen his jaw because it wasn’t growing on its own.

“Carson was the inspiration,” Shannon told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “He said, ‘Mom, if Carson can come back from his knee and back injuries, I can do this.’”

When the family was planning to come to training camp, they didn’t know Giovanni would get the chance to meet his hero, but they certainly hoped it would happen. A photo shows a fist bump between Giovanni and Wentz, when Giovanni got his chance to meet Wentz on the sidelines of training camp that day. Giovanni, sitting in a wheelchair and wearing the autographed Philadelphia Eagles jersey he had just received, was all smiles when he reached out for a big hug from his hero.

Reading that football story made me remember another story I had read called, “His Father’s Eyes,” that I’ve been saving for football season. It’s about a young boy who loved to play football.  

Unfortunately, he was much smaller than the rest of the boys his age and even though he gave everything that he had at every practice, he got absolutely nowhere. Every football game, found this hopeful football player sitting on the bench, playing only when the team was sure to win.

The young boy shared a special relationship with his dad, who attended every game. Even though his son was always sitting on the bench, his dad never missed a game. His son knew he would be in the stands cheering. As the boy grew older, he continued to be the smallest in his class, even when he started high school. His dad continued to encourage him, but he also told his son that he didn’t have to play football if he didn’t want to.

The young man decided to hang in there and play the sport that he loved. Determined to try his best at every practice, he thought he might get to play when he became a senior. He worked hard at every practice but remained on the bench for all four of his high school years. His dad continued to always be at every game, always offering words of encouragement.

He “walked on” to a college football team and everyone was sure he would not make the team, but he did, even though the coach admitted that he kept the young man on the roster because he put his heart and soul into every practice. At the same time, he provided the other members of the team with the “spirit and hustle” they needed.

When he heard the news that he had made the team, the new college football player rushed to the phone to call his dad and then arranged to have season tickets sent to him.

The persistent football player never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never played a game either. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a message.

The young man read it and mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it alright if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

Saturday’s game was not going well. When the team was down ten points in the third quarter, this grieving young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. The coach and his teammates were astounded to see him back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him because there was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. The young man persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “You can go in.”

He wasn’t in long before everyone in the stadium couldn’t believe what they were seeing. This valuable practice player, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked and tackled. The team soon tied the game and in the closing seconds of the game, he intercepted a pass and ran it all the way for the winning touchdown.

The fans cheered and his teammates lifted him to their shoulders. After the stands emptied, the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?”

With tears welling in his eyes, the young man looked at the coach and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

Reading both of these stories helped me remember that it’s not always the game itself that is important but rather how we see the game and the people playing it. How awesome is it to be able to see those life lessons in sports?

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