By Ken Reed
The Nick Foles story — castoff QB becomes Super Bowl MVP — is a good one based solely on what he accomplished on the field.
But it’s the perspective he brought to the big game that really sets him apart and makes him an outstanding role model for athletes — young and old alike.
Here’s Foles talking about how he approached the biggest game of his life:
“Going into this game I sort of went back to when I played basketball. I didn’t really worry about the score, I didn’t worry about the clock, I just played. I just played and I wasn’t gonna worry about it.”
Foles also talked about the importance of teamwork and how trusting his teammates and coaches helped him remain calm:
“The big thing that helped me was knowing that I didn’t have to go out and be Superman … I felt calm. We have such a great group of guys. Such a great coaching staff. We felt confident coming in and we just went out there and played football.”
But Foles was at his best when he talked about how he overcame failure earlier in his career to reach the ultimate in football: quarterback of the Super Bowl champions and Super Bowl MVP:
“I think the big thing is don’t be afraid to fail. I think in our society today — Instagram and Twitter — it’s a highlight reel. It’s all the good things, and then when you look at it, you think like, ‘Wow.’ When you have a rough day or your life’s not as good as that, you’re failing. Failure’s a part of life. That’s a part of building character and growing. Like without failure, who would you be?
“I wouldn’t be up here if I hadn’t fallen thousands of times, made mistakes. We all are human. We all have weaknesses. And I think throughout this, just being able to share that and be transparent, I know when I listen to people speak and they share their weaknesses, I’m listening, because I can resonate. So I’m not perfect. I’m not Superman. I might be in the NFL, and we might’ve just won the Super Bowl, but hey, we still have daily struggles. I still have daily struggles. But that’s where my faith comes in; that’s where my family comes in. And I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that that’s just an opportunity for your character to grow.”
Now that’s a championship perspective.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Books
