It's more than a game

          The best stories in sports often don't happen when the game is on the line. Some of the biggest shots have been hit when the outcome of the game had already been decided, some of the best touchdowns can be scored in spring practice, and some highlight plays happen outside the white lines. It's times like these when it's way more than a game. When athletes and teams use their position to act not with their talents but with the kindness of their hearts.
          Plays like these sometimes don't get the recognition they deserve. Because while we will all remember Jadeveon Clowney leveling that poor, poor Michigan running back, that play means nothing compared to the stories I'd like to share with you today. They've all been shared before, and by no means am I picking the best stories, but I want to share a few that really resonate with me.
          Here is one of the best stories I've ever heard. I first read Rick Reilly's piece on it and instantly shared it on Facebook and Twitter. Chy Johnson is a young lady at Queens Creek High School with a brain disorder. Chy had been bullied all through school. That is, until the football team came to her side.

          It's a phenomenal story. The football team had no obligation to this girl. They wouldn't be shunned by society if they didn't help her. No one would've even noticed if they never lifted a finger. But they did. They took her in, and protected her from whoever was bullying her. And what makes it even more special is that the starting quarterback, who is a senior, has a little brother. And that little brother told his mom not to worry, because when his older brother graduates HE would take care of Chy.

          The next story 100% brought tears to my eyes. One of my friends shared this video with me, it's about a young man named Mitchell Marcus. While I could try to describe it, it's a story told much better in the video. 

          Magical. And again, that kid from the other team had no obligation to help that kid score. He could have gone about his business for the last few seconds by inbounding the ball to his teammate and running out the clock in a loss. But once again, he found it in himself to make that kid's day. Hell he probably made his life. His turnover was the play of the game.

          Last but not least, the most recent of the three, occurred during one of Nebraska's spring practices. It recently took down the aforementioned Jadeveon Clowney for SportsCenter's best of the best play. After 45 weeks on top, this is the play that beat Clowney.

          Jack Hoffman, the speedy runningback clad in the #22 jersey, is a 7 year old with brain cancer. He nearly died in 2011 of a seizure that lasted nearly 30 minutes. He's undergone 2 surgeries on the tumor in his brain, and much of it is gone. He is currently near the end of a 60-week long chemotherapy session. Again, here's a spring game where a team is trying to get ready for the season. Yet they took one play off to help Jack Hoffman scratch off an item on his bucket list.

          It's always fantastic when stories like this emerge, I wish it happened more often. But the best part of all of these things is that it can renew faith in humanity. When many star athletes are in the news for drunk driving drug use and even murder charges, it's always nice to see that there are some who enjoy helping others. And that's when it's way more than a game.