Daily Read: NFL MVP

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Now as promised a good read in exchange for your good deed.

So you remember those elementary school parent teacher conferences when the teacher has to ask that very helpful question, 'So Timmy, you just turned seven but have you given any thought as to what you'd like to do occupationally?'.

Aside: If this is still the trend when I'm there as a parent I am going to prompt my children to say really obnoxious things like I want to own a pawn shop'. 'I want to be a repo agent'. 'Daddy thinks I should become a lab rat.'

Anyway, sixth grade SEOP (that's what we call them in Utah), Rachel sits down with mom and her teacher Ms. Bass. The meeting to that point proceeded with pleasantries and exchanges of achievements from the year. Then following the state mandated script the conversation got back down to the pragmatics that children that age excel at.

Ms. Bass: "So Rachel after you graduate from College. What kind of Job do you think you'll look for?"

Rachel: "Well actually I'm not planning on a job. I'm going to be the first woman football player in the NFL".

Ms Bass: (Stunned) "Oh, Okay. Mom, what do you think about that" Thinking: 'I hope she says something'.

Mom: Thinking: 'I think this whole thing is stupid--she's 10.' (Smiles) "I think that if that's what Rachel wants I could support that. Let's put that down."

Ms Bass: 'Oh okay well let me write that down and then you both need to sign right here and I'll sign too and then let's talk about what Rachel can do now to make that dream a reality. '

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Now this wasn't actually that much of a revelation. Rachel's affinity (and prowess) for football began quite a few years before. I actually have memory of a fifth grader telling me (at the time a first grader) that Rachel was often one of the very first picks when teams were being divided and had established quite the reputation for taking down the quarterback. I would have been prouder if I hadn't been jealous of a person not being picked last--even after the kid who regularly put his pants on backwards.

Ms. Bass didn't need to worry about Rachel's misguided occupational endeavors preventing her from focusing on her studies. The beginning of the end for her superbowl dream was likely right around the whole maturation program thing. Ms Bass probably included a little handwritten note on the inside of Rachel's take home literature that accompanied the swag bag of unmentionables, "The NFL is probably overrated anyway."

As I'm sure you've already guessed, I do not pick Rachel Hart to be part of my Fantasy Football team and while given the option I would leap at that chance, you won't find her on a pro team roster or hear mention of her on Sportscenter.

What to learn from my sister? Don't dream of bright lights and superbowl rings you'll only be disappointed when you get that first training bra? Well maybe, particularly if you look down the XX branch of your family tree and don't see anyone that resembles Terry Bradshaw.

I think what I've learned from Rachel is that you don't have to be in the Super Bowl to be super. Rachel's put "Super" in front of pretty much everything she does or is. There is no draft for that, and it's unfortunately underpaid and often overlooked. But being Super is not about what you are it's about what you do and what you do is the result of a series of choices not a string of nucleotides.

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