No one ever wants to be irrelevant; imagine that feeling of being useless, not applicable, almost obsolete.
Like the last kid picked in dodge ball.
The one not called upon in class.
The one whose resume always lands at the bottom of the pile.
It’s never fun to feel unseen, unwanted and discarded.
Passed over and forgotten.
Well, this Sunday at the Super Bowl my heart welcomed a new member in Brock Purdy, the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
This young 24-year-old held his own, competing on a global stage with all eyes on him. He remained calm, focused and although I was wearing a Chiefs shirt, for my Swiftie loving daughter’s, I so wanted this kid to know and feel how completely relevant he was to this game.
He got his team here.
Despite all odds, lack of experience and whatever else the sports tabloids and podcasts were throwing his way.
He led his team.
From the bottom of the pack, right up to the Super Bowl and I sincerely hope that although they didn’t get to hoist the trophy up that night or get doused in champagne… that he knows how amazing he is and how the eyes of the world will now and forever be upon him.
We all love a comeback story, a started from the bottom now we’re here tale of success, but this story sits differently because right now I’m living it.
I’m a mom, raising two strong and amazing daughters in a world that is always looking for the next shiny thing.
A world that makes most of us feel irrelevant simply because there are just too many people now pushing and striving for the top that it is easy to feel unseen, unwanted and discarded.
Social media erases us all.
What’s trending this second is gone the next.
Every day it seems there is a new, shiny thing ready for the spotlight and in order to make it, you have to not only shine really bright, but you also have to illuminate the entire world, then cover it in confetti and glitter and maybe then, you might be seen… for a blip.
But this hard-working kid, drafted dead last in the 2022 NFL draft had a father that told him; “Hey you’ve now got your foot in the door, the rest is up to you.”
So rather than cry and feel like a failure, this new icon of irrelevance took his team to the Super Bowl… and not only played the game well but took it into overtime, being one of two games in NFL history to ever do so.
And for that, he’s earned a place in my heart.
A new role model for kids who feel unseen, unwanted and discarded.
Proof that you can do anything you set your mind to if you believe in yourself.
Watching his dad in the stands that night had my eyes well up with tears. I get it.
We all think our children are the sun, the moon and the stars and when they get cast off to the side we want to use choice words, throw punches and stand up for them, but the Purdy family simply saw DEAD LAST as an opportunity.
What an amazing life lesson is that?
It was my highlight and take-away from the Super Bowl.
Sure…Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are breaking the internet with their relationship being the cause for the game to have brought in more viewers than any other game in NFL History. Heck, I even had friends in Australia rising early to tune in, but aside from that story sits the tale of Brock Purdy, a young man who has brought irrelevance to the spotlight.
As a Mom I’m hopeful that every other mom tuning in with their Swiftie-loving children can change their narrative to the Purdy story too.
You will always be good enough if you believe in yourself.
You just need one person on your side who sees your light and believes in you too.
The best part of being dead last is that you can’t fall any further down; there is nowhere to go but up.
And as I say often, an empty glass always fills from the bottom up. Always.
So, Mr. Brock Purdy thank you for these lessons. For the youngest viewership in NFL history, you have now become an icon of irrelevance. Young eyes were watching and they can’t wait for you to show us what comes next.
I’m a new-found fan who considers everything you do from this step forward absolutely and completely relevant.
Taylor might have brought young eyes to the game, but those young eyes now see YOU and because of YOUR story, they now feel relevant too.
We’ve Got This.
@half_full_most_days