MC Odd

A little over a year ago I started to get into NFL. There isn't really any story to why this happened; I was home one morning and bored, and so I turned on the TV and flicked over to the sports channel, and a game was on. I watched it and had fun, so I read up on the rules, and watching become more fun. That's really all there is to that.

When it came to picking a team, I had a few options. I liked the Eagles from the start, as that was the first game I saw (WAS @ PHI in Week 12, 2009), and I liked Green Bay because of That 70's Show, and I liked New England because of Family Guy. Jets and Giants were on my radar as well because I like New York, as a city, even though I've never been there.



One team that jumped out at me, though, was the Baltimore Ravens. I'd never heard of them before, and I know nothing about Baltimore, but I gravitated toward their name and uniform: I was an Edgar Allen Poe nerd in high school (and still am, to a lesser degree) and so the team's name jumped out at me, and I like purple as a colour so the uniform stood out; as well as sharing that colour with my favourite NRL team, the Melbourne Storm.



One player in particular stood out to me: Ray Lewis, 52, linebacker.

This man is more than a footballer who is fun to watch; to me, he is an inspiration in life.
When Lewis steps out onto the football field, he has one goal: to win.

As a linebacker, Lewis's job is to stop the other team's offense from moving the football forward, by bringing the guy carrying the ball to the ground as quickly and surely as possible. He is a berserker; once he sets his eyes on his target, nothing will stop him from getting there and eliminating it.

On the field, Ray Lewis epitomizes passion, drive, and a desire to achieve his goals, no matter what.
He is also an excellent leader, and as the captain of the Ravens' defense (and the whole team, to an extent), he does a great job of innervating his team mates with these same virtues.

These are more than just a way to win a football game (as the Ravens often prove, passion can't account for poor play), they are the way to win at life.
Life is a series of challenges, there to be overcome. How do you overcome them? With passion, drive and a desire to succeed at your goals.

This is why I wear a Ray Lewis jersey. Often, when life throws a challenge my way, I inadvertently find my self looking for an escape, looking for the easy way out; but you can't do that. If you keep moving sideways and backwards to find the easy way out, how can you ever move forward?

Ray Lewis reminds me what it means to be a warrior, to never back down from a challenger, and to put everything on the line on every play, for the sweet, sweet taste of victory.