5 Times the NFL Inspired the World

American Football, particularly at the highest level, has the incredible ability to not only entertain those who watch it each week but also inspire them. It could be the standard Hollywood underdog story; it could be a player emerging from obscurity or it could be a person – or team – using their position in the public eye to push a meaningful message.

Here we look at five times the NFL has inspired the world.

NUMBER 5 – Gayle Sayers

It’s not very often that someone only hangs around in the NFL for seven years – featuring in five – and retires with a sterling reputation. Sayers was the number four pick in the 1965 draft and joined the Chicago Bears where he starred at halfback with his rushing ability virtually unrivalled. A knee injury looked to have ruined Sayers but he returned and lead the league in yards thanks to his agility and a burst of pace that would see him rival stallions in the Breeders Cup odds. Injuries did eventually take their toll on him but his place in the Hall of Fame is proof that it’s not how much time you have but what you do with it that counts.

NUMBER 4 – The Buffalo Bills Comeback

In 1993 a weakened Bills side were staring a heavy defeat in the face when they found themselves trailing 35-3 to the Houston Oilers early on in the second half. The Bills rallied though and a display of sheer genius from second choice quarterback Frank Reich – who was only playing due to the absence of legendary Jim Kelly – saw a turnaround that has been acknowledged as the best ever. If that doesn’t motivate you to keep moving forwards when the odds are stacked against you then what will?

NUMBER 3 – Braylon Beam

Beam? Does the name ring a bell? Maybe not; Beam isn’t a NFL star but his story is a moving one that crosses over with the Carolina Panthers. Beam was just six years old when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and made a wish to run the rule over the Panthers and the team made his dream a reality as he took charge of their Fan Fest. Beam had received positive news in the days leading up to his big moment and he brought a nation to tears when he tore his shirt open to show a Superman graphic; some think it was a tribute to Cam Newton – I just think the boy’s a hero.

NUMBER 2 – Michael Oher

Oher wasn’t given a good start in life; he was born into a huge family by a drug and alcohol addict mother and a father who had a yo-yo string directly to prison. Oher couldn’t settle in a school and averaged more than one school a year during his formative years and even found himself homeless at points in his upbringing. Jump forward several years though and you’d find a man who was not only a round one draft pick but a Super Bowl winner as well; proof that anything is possible.

NUMBER 1 – Colin Kaepernick 

Of course, who else could sit in our number one position other than the man who has literally sacrificed his career for what he believes in? Kaepernick propelled the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement into the mainstream with his decision to kneel during the national anthem whilst with the San Francisco 49ers. The story gained momentum even further when Kaepernick stood up to the threats of Donald Trump and although he’s been out of the game for three years, he’ll leave a legacy much bigger than football.

There you have it, five times the NFL proved it’s so much more than just a game. What will it inspire you to do?

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