Family Dynasty

"With the first selection in the two thousand NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers pick Jerome Bettis!"
"No. I know you like "The Bus" but you can't draft someone already on your team," I slowly released to the words as to not sound too upset at my younger sister. I knew it wasn't her fault. Most 5 year old cheerleaders don't have a full grasp of the NFL draft. As she continued to sway behind the podium I had made out of a pile of telephone books, her long strawberry-blonde hair was barely able to frame the smile that filled up her face. We usually we're able to get along this well, and yes this was pretty good for us, but today was different. Today all my hours spent playing with Barbie and her obnoxious pink motor home had finally paid off. Today was the NFL draft and the entire Cunningham family knew. My mum let me go to church Saturday night so I could spend all Sunday on the draft and my dad let me use the living room, his TV room, for the whole day. I even woke up early so I could clean the living room up and I was so excited that I accidentally swept the entire first floor of the house. Everything was in its right place and today was going to be simply divine. I had my chalkboard directly under the TV which showed amazing college football clips, followed by middle aged men in suits arguing , followed by more college clips and this series continued on and on. And I loved it, I loved knowing that someone drafted by my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, might be the one guy that finally gets us a championship.

As the start of the draft approached my younger sister had been replaced and now my best friend, my football knowledge equal, Eric was sitting beside me in the living room. Both sets of eyes were perfectly aligned with the TV as we had some pizzaburgers that my mum made. I’m sure that we both thanked her too, it wasn’t often that she allowed us to eat in the living room. I spent the whole day watching as young men walked on stage, shook hands with the commissioner and then held up a jersey with their name on it as the entire audience took pictures. Each prospect drafted looked at his career and saw the endless possibilities that the future held for them. Each and everyone could only see the positives that day and it filled those being drafted and their fans with a sense of hope for the next season.

Most players drafted in the first round expect to become pro-bowlers, win divisions, make the playoffs, win MVP, and then win the Super Bowl. The truth is, half of them only play about 3 years in the league, a quarter will be career journeymen moving from team to team, and of the rest only one or maybe two will be good. But on the day of their draft, anything is possible. I was obviously never drafted into the NFL, but I can’t help thinking that I too was unable to understand that nothing can be taken for granted.