In just the past week, American hero and Baltimore's own, Michael Phelps showed that no athlete is perfect. Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana at a University of South Carolina party. He showed that even the greatest sports idols can make mistakes.
Throughout the past few decades, sports have revealed some of the worst characteristics in people. Similar incidents to Phelps include the O.J. Simpson trial and countless wrongdoings of the Cowboys players from the '90s. Many people have taken to the philosophy that "boys will be boys" and believe that athletes should be able to get away with these actions.
This article is not intended to petition for their punishment or change the philosophies of people who believe these actions are acceptable. The goal of this article is to give people a truly selfless athlete to look up to. A story which sports fans and non-sports fans alike should read, because it is truly gratifying.
During an age in which children are at a loss for sports idols, one man can be looked up to for inspiration. Kurtis (Kurt) Eugene Warner, the star quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, is a role model for all ages.
Long before Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII appearance, Kurt Warner lived a very different life. Warner has defied odds throughout his whole career from high school all the way to the pros. Warner went to high school at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was the third-string quarterback until his senior year. When he finally earned the starting job, he was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
He then went to college at the University of Northern Iowa in 1989. At Northern Iowa, Kurt met his future wife Brenda Meoni in 1993. Kurt Warner's selflessness is evident in the following story about how he met his wife.
Warner was the stock boy at a local supermarket when a new checkout girl Brenda began to work at the same store. After giving her a ride home one day, he asked her out on a date, and she said it wasn't possible. She explained she had two children and could not afford a babysitter.
Warner pleaded and she agreed to let him pay for the babysitter. But when he arrived at her house the following Saturday, she politely declined. She told him that the babysitter had cancelled, so Warner suggested taking the kids with them.
Brenda then explained her younger son was a paraplegic with Down Syndrome. Kurt did not mind taking the kids along anyway, and he took care of the son the whole night. He even helped him out of his wheelchair at one point and took him to the bathroom. At the end of the evening, Brenda knew she would marry Kurt in the future. The presentiment came true four years later in 1997.
Between 1994 and 1997, Warner had many stints in several football leagues. An undrafted rookie, Warner was cut by the Green Bay Packers during training camp in 1994. While working as the stock boy, he joined the Arena League and played two years for the Iowa Barnstormers, taking his team to the Arena Bowl both years.
In 1998, Warner was signed by the St. Louis Rams, but he was sent to play for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe. One year later, Warner finally got his chance to play in the pros.
In 1999, Warner was named the Rams' backup quarterback. The starter, Trent Green, was injured in a preseason game, and Warner became the tentative starter. Warner led the team to the playoffs while taking home NFL MVP. His season ended in perfect fashion as his Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, where he again took home MVP honors.
After stints with the Rams and New York Giants, Warner became a backup for the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. In 2008, at the age of 37, Warner miraculously took a team with a tradition of losing all the way to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals were only a few plays from winning, as they lost last Sunday 27-23.
Kurt Warner is one of the greatest stories in all of sports. Warner can be looked up to for his determination and never-say-die attitude. Throughout his career he has fought the odds, from stock boy to Super Bowl MVP, to persevere in life. In an age where so many athletes have done wrong, Warner is one of the few good guys left in sports to look up to.
