What You Play For

If I mentioned Ernie Davis, or the 1959 NCAA Division I-A Championship team would that mean anything to you? Chances are probably not, because that was over 50 years ago. I’m not concerned that you remember Ernie Davis for setting a record of 7.8 yards per carry or being the third leading rusher in the country, more importantly I want you to remember #44 as a player who played the game with passion and dedication.

Davis was a young man with big plans and a bright future in professional football, being the number one draft pick in 1962, he was drafted to the Washington Redskins and almost immediately traded to the Cleveland Browns. However, Davis would never play a single minute as a Brown, because at the young age of 22 he was diagnosed with leukemia. For most such a diagnosis would probably leave us feeling frustrated and confused, but not Davis. He knew that he had achieved more success than he ever could have hoped for. In a letter to the Saturday Evening Post, Davis is quoted as saying “It's funny, most people think my life has been all about football. I've even thought that myself. But football is just a game. What matters, is what you play for.”

“What matters, is what you play for.” In our everyday lives do we get up with the agenda that it’s all about me, and the 101 things that I need to get done. Or do we live a life in hopes that each day is an opportunity to help those in need. Even though Ernie Davis died over 50 years ago, his words give us insight to what it really means to live a life of purpose and find true success in whatever we do.

Sometimes we get lost in the fact that life is all about winning, and getting ahead. We hear from the time we are little “if you aren’t first, you’re last”, but I would like to go against what has been so deeply ingrained. Can we change the common definition of success? The color of the ribbon, the size of the plaque, the corner office, the number on a pay check…none of it matters if we live only for ourselves. Can we prove that as we work hard and remain dedicated to our goals we all experience success, and it’s even more rewarding when you go in knowing that regardless of what happens you have already won.

What matters, is what you play for!