Monday Morning Insight (1/31/22)
I’ll confess right out of the gate that I’ve never been an athlete. Except for the occasional round of golf, I try not to embarrass myself in any kind of sport. I am proud, however, to hold the title of sixth-grade chess champion back in the day! I am a competitor, though. And I know people and how they behave. That’s why I’ve loved the last two weekends of the NFL. Some great and exciting games happened. But beyond the game, something really impressed me last night. You saw it, too. And while you may have a different take-away than I did, here’s what I saw.
After the back-and-forth fight between the 49’ers and Rams, I saw an amazing display of brotherhood. A defeated Deebo Samuel was sitting on the 49’ers bench devastated. Towel over his head. Obviously crying and emotionally drained at their loss. He was alone. The rest of his team was leaving the field. The camera was stuck on him. And then we see something powerful. Odell Beckham went out of his way to console his brother. Beckham withdrew himself from the celebration and an interview or two and spent a lot of time with Deebo. The interaction looked deep, meaningful, and encouraging. The camera stayed focused on them for so long that it felt uncomfortable. It was as if we were locked into someone’s grief. But amid fierce competition; each team fighting till the end for something bigger than themselves, we witnessed true brotherhood play out before our eyes.
It is a gift to have a brotherhood like this. Far too often we struggle with isolation. We’re left to fix the problems and deal with the pain by ourselves. I need a better way. You do, too. I’ve felt like Deebo, before: hopeless, frustrated, angry, disappointed… I believed I had to suck it up, grow a pair and fix it myself. That’s what we’ve been taught. It’s what we’re supposed to do. I could have used a brother like Odell. Another guy could have said, “I get it. I’ve been there. We’ve got you. This isn’t the end.”
While some of us know a little about what Deebo was going through, all of us can be like Odell.
· Pay attention when a brother is in pain
· Encourage him
· Tell the truth he needs to hear
· Make it personal
· Go out of your way to help him
· Don’t leave a brother alone when he’s been broken down
What else would you add?
Maybe you already have this kind of connection. Great! I think, though, for most guys this is rare. Let’s change that.
Hey Ron - I am a Rams fan, lifelong, and same with the sport itself. I appreciated what Odell did as well, showing some class(despite my hatred of the Niners lol) Bigger picture points you made are important for men to practice.