You Mad, Bro?

I'm sure you'll be in total shock when you see that my blog post tonight has to do with football. After what has to be the biggest football win of my life, or at least my life as a Seahawk Season Ticket Holder, of course I would choose to write about football. What a win! What a fun day! What an amazing opportunity to be in the stands and be a part of all of the fun and drama and heartache and panic and worry! It was seriously one of the best days of my life and I could not have asked for a better ending. After blood, sweat, and tears throughout the season, it was the perfect ending to a perfect season. How exciting that our Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl! And then, after the game was over and the trophy was presented, we ran for a ferry. I was checking Facebook when we got to the terminal, scrolling through and looking, and started seeing posts about Richard Sherman. Not being in front of a television, I had no idea what was going on, but knew that something must have happened. People were talking about Sherman. What a disgrace! What an outrage! They were calling him classless. Arrogant. Some people were calling him much worse than that. It was sad and uncomfortable to see people talking about one of our players, one of my favorite players, that way. I felt bad that the highlight of our night was so quickly deflated by whatever Sherman had done or said. People were quickly flooding over to be Broncos fans, clearly stating their positions across social media. So, I got home and watched the news. And read Facebook statuses and tweets. And I didn't get it. What was so wrong with what he had done? He was an excited player, in one of the biggest rivalries in football. He had just made the game-winning tip against an opponent where there is no love lost between the two. I didn't see the big deal. And then more pictures started coming out. And videos showing what had happened. And then, Sherman mic'd up. And the truth came out. Sherman was offering a hand out to Crabtree, and a comment of "helluva game!" and Crabtree shoved him in the face. I would be upset too. The next day, Sherman's name was on the mouth of every sport reporter, every news channel, every tweet about the game. Friends on Facebook quickly dropped the Seahawks as the team they were rooting for, and became one of the many Bronco bandwagon fans. Why? Because of Sherman? Because you don't agree with what he said, or what he did, or how he presented himself? From the first day Richard Sherman became a Seahawk, everyone talked about his mouth. Everyone talked about how he talked a big talk, but that last game of the season? The NFC Championship game? He walked the walk also. He is the best corner in the game, and he proved that. So, we're going to discredit the man, and discredit the entire team, because he got caught by a reporter in what is perhaps the best moment of his life and said some things that we judge as unfavorable? Even Amelia gets it! Amelia is only six, and I know that she is not made of typically six-year-old stuff, but she realized that something had happened. She knew that something was wrong, and she asked me why people weren't excited for us to be going to the Super Bowl. I told her that people were mad at Richard Sherman. She asked me why and I told her what happened. Her first comment? "Wow! Why are people mad? Didn't her do a good job?" "Yes. He did a great job. He made the play that won the game for the Seahawks." "Then, why can't he be happy for himself?" "Well, people feel like he is bragging. And he talked bad about one of the players on the other team." "Oh. What did he say?" "He said that his opponent was mediocre." "What does THAT mean?" "It means that the guy he went up against was average." "Well, Richard Sherman got the ball, right?" "Right..." "Then the guy he was up against must not have been as good as Richard Sherman. It's ok to be proud of yourself, isn't it?" "Yeah, I think so! But a lot of people don't think what he did was OK." "Well, that's silly. I'm happy for Richard Sherman!" "I am too!" After our conversation, she wanted to write a letter to Richard Sherman, telling him "I got your back", just like the pre-game chant he leads with the other members of the Legion of Boom. I am shocked and appalled at people and their reactions to this player. Using the N word? Calling him a thug? Saying he has no class? Unnecessary! Ridiculous! I don't understand it. Why am I defending Richard Sherman on my blog? Why am I this passionate about it? Because, I am a very lucky girl. Thanks to friends, I have had the unbelievable pleasure of hanging out with some of the Seahawk players, and this includes Richard Sherman. These players give it their all on the field, but so many of them also give it their all off the field. I have met Richard Sherman...several times. And everytime I have met him, I have been impressed. Rather than calling him a thug because he bragged about being the best corner in the game, why don't you go and check out his charity, Blanket Coverage. See all the wonderful things that he has done for low-income children in Washington State. Or, check out his momma's page. Beverly Sherman works with special education children, and her family runs a Christmas tree lot in Compton. Check out all of the accomplishments that this family has had. Look at all of the things that they have done for the people of Seattle. Even after winning the most important game in the NFC, Richard and his brother Branton hosted a charity event in Tacoma. Richard Sherman is a great man. And I am one of the lucky ones that have gotten to meet him. What an honor! And who are we to judge? We are going to trash a man and a family after one two-minute interview on TV? Really? And yet I see on the news this morning that hundreds of screaming and waving teenage girls were on hand to welcome Justin Bieber as he left jail this morning. Or the news that one NFL player was being convicted and sentences for killing one of his teammates in a DUI accident. I think that our view of celebrities is skewed, and we are usually pretty forgiving of people. So, why not Richard Sherman? This blog post wasn't meant to sway anyone's opinions. We're all entitled to them. It was more to vent about my feelings on this situation. To share with people my thoughts and opinions. I feel like I know Richard. I know Beverly. I love my Seahawks and I'm a diehard fan. So, when Richard's in the LOB huddle asking, "Who's got my back?" I can proudly say "I got your back." I support him 100% and I can't wait to see our team go to the Super Bowl and beat those Broncos!