Best Lessons

by Doug Dyer

Sometimes the best lessons come from the most unexpected places.
If you talk to people from the sports world, everything in life relates to sports somehow. Truth is, they're not very far off. Just ask Kenny Chesney, one of the biggest country music stars in the genre's history, how much he has learned about life as it relates to the game he loves the most: football. In his recent documentary “Boys of Fall,” he brings to us football at its purest form; getting down in the dirt, having fun and learning about the importance of teamwork. All are themes we could apply to improve our own lives. The fact the movie revolves around football is important, but its message certainly is not a new concept. Since the days of leather helmets, football has taught young men about working together and relying on your fellow man to get the job done. But in this 21st Century, some of the principles that make football (and sports in general) important in a young person's growth have been overshadowed by other themes: money, deceit, fame and an overemphasis on winning.
Take the turmoil surrounding the Auburn University football program and its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Cameron Newton, for example. Overshadowing the Tigers' 12-0 regular season and march to the BCS National Championship Game are the allegations surrounding Newton's father, Cecil, and possible recruiting violations during the past year. Cam Newton and his teammates have worked together to have one of the best seasons in Auburn history, and most people only will remember the controversy of whether he should be declared ineligible because of his father's alleged transgressions. It's a far cry from the days of pee wee football, where youngsters toddle around in oversized pads and helmets trying to learn all about the game. So kudos go out to Chesney for his look back at what makes football great: fun, fellowship and life lessons. He talks to legends of the game such as John Madden and Bobby Bowden, while stopping off for a little barbecue with future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and even checking in with some of those pee wee footballers from around the Nashville area. But he's not the only superstar, music or otherwise, to go back to their roots and pay tribute to the things that helped them succeed. Chesney always has had a connection with football, whether it's making friends with NFL players and coaches like the ones he showcases in the movie, or coming back to his hometown of Knoxville to support his University of Tennessee Volunteers.
His movie and the single of the same name from his new album “Hemingway's Whiskey” evoke memories of those times when football was much simpler. Entertainment icons and professional sports figures both reach out through various charities and philanthropic projects to help keep that fire of sports at its purest level alive. Whether it's Cal Ripken's work with youth baseball or the RBI Baseball program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) that reaches out to a new generation of young people who did not grow up playing the game, the goal of keeping sports more about learning those life lessons is being met. So amongst all the turmoil that can surround the sports world, it's refreshing to see someone like Chesney reach into the past and pull out all the good memories of times when athletes were concerned with things other than the almighty dollar.