Don’t be that person – a response to some rowdy fans

Throughout the day today after the Super Bowl, I have heard people commenting on the pregame award of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. This humanitarian award is the highest award given each year in the NFL. The award recognizes an NFL player for his outstanding community service activities off the field. Each NFL franchise nominates one player (32 nominations total). During the week of the Super Bowl, the winner is announced and honored in the pregame show immediately before the start of the game.

To be honest, we had a bunch of things going on at our Super Bowl party when the presentation started. My son drew my attention to it. As I glanced up, I asked him what all the booing was for? He said, “Because Dak Prescott won.”

What??

Because the NFL recognized the outstanding character and off-field accomplishments of this quarterback? You have to be kidding me.

This award recognizes a man who lives to serve others. In the world, that is called “Brotherly Love.”

You do not have to like the recipient’s team to be grateful for a person’s work to help other individuals who are less fortunate. Plus, let’s be honest, you do not have to like the player even. But to boo the individual who has earned this prestigious award? Not so classy.

Then it hit me. No one poor goes to the Super Bowl. These boos are white collar, upper middle-class-or-better shenanigans. Possibly, other individuals a bit more common and less fortunate would not have booed. Maybe even they or their families would have been helped by someone like Dak Prescott.

Dak won because after losing his own brother to suicide in 2020, he directed his foundation to raise funds and awareness for cancer, focus on suicide prevention and mental health, and help bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Before anyone comments, let it be clear, I am a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. However, I hope I would say this about any person from any of the 32 teams in this same situation.

I will say that I was impressed by Dak’s simple smile, even in spite of the boos. He must have had a little thick skin and a bit of context.

My encouragement… don’t be that person. Live consistent with the Bible, which teaches true brotherly love. Seek to live your life where God is honored and people are helped. In fact, try to live consistent with the Golden Rule – which essentially is what the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes.

As a person, let’s each live above this kind of unkind rhetoric. Sports are never worth denigrating the image of God and character of another person. This is especially true for a non-athletic, humanitarian award for general grace and goodness toward others.

As parents and grandparents, let’s teach our children and grandchildren to do so as well.

Too bad some fans chose to redirect a lot of thoughts and feelings in that moment rather than cheering on the man of the year instead. Maybe we’ll get it better next year.

Note: this is an edited rewrite of the first version of this post. I tried to take out any unnecessary assumptions.

Image Credit Screen Shot