On Sunday in Phoenix the Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
If you’re not a fan of either the Seahawks or the Patriots, you probably don’t like this matchup.
On the one side, there’s the Seahawks who just won the Super Bowl last year, and on the other side there’s the Patriots, who seemingly always make the AFC Championship game and advance to the Super Bowl every few years.
Which team should you root for?
Perhaps you don’t like the Seahawks because they’ve been too good the past few years and you can’t stand Richard Sherman. Perhaps you don’t like the Patriots because of their perpetual success and reputation to look for unfair advantages even when they don’t need them, as reflected in the recent Deflategate scandal.
So let me reword my question— who should you root for?
If you can’t allow yourself to root for a team, root for a player.
Root for Russell Wilson.
Yes, he just won a Super Bowl last season. But is there a more hardworking and dedicated quarterback in the NFL than Wilson?
The 75th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson entered preseason training camp as the third-string quarterback.
A natural leader, Wilson made his presence felt at practices and team meetings.
His strong play in the 2012 preseason and his hardwork and positive attitude forced Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to give him the starting job.
Wilson went 11-5 in his first season, advancing to the second round of the playoffs only to lose a heartbreaker in Atlanta on a last second field goal.
But rather than hang his head in his postgame press conference, Wilson focused on his team’s opportunity to have a “championship offseason.”
Wilson’s oft repeated motto is “The separation is in the preparation.” When asked about his path to success, Wilson quotes his father who always asked him, “Why not you?”
Wilson applies both of these phrases to his job. “Why not us?” was and still is repeated often by Wilson.
When asked about whether he was nervous for the NFC Championship game last Sunday, Wilson said that he is not nervous as long as he is prepared.
After his team’s miraculous comeback against the Green Bay Packers, Wilson could not help but weep.
“God is so good all the time man,” Wilson said in the on-the-field interview aired on television after the game. “These guys on the team are unbelievable.”
While such postgame comments are expected from practically every professional athlete, one couldn’t help but feel the authenticity of Wilson’s humility and gratefulness.
Wilson is a great man on the field, but he is an even better man off of it.
Every Tuesday, his only offday, Wilson visits the Seattle Children’s Hospital, surprising kids and families struggling through tough times and giving them a needed reprieve from the harsh realities of life.
In addition to his weekly visits to the children’s hospital, Wilson has started the “Why Not You Foundation” to help “Pass the Peace” against domestic violence and has hosted a dozen Make-A-Wish children.
Russell Wilson is a man of integrity. Tom Brady? Regardless of whether he knew about the footballs being underinflated against the Indianapolis Colts, his demeanor and actions do not compare to Wilson’s.
You don’t have to root for the Seahawks on Sunday. But how can you not root for Russell Wilson?