Like many college students, I am a compulsive watcher of sports, specifically ESPN. I am always looking to see what is going on in the world of sports.
Watching ESPN Sportscenter for the second time Friday morning, I started to glance at the bottom line, which is a line of information that scrolls along the bottom of the screen giving scores of games and the latest and breaking news in the world of sports. My eyes glanced to the bottom of the screen to read the name Pat Tillman; because I didn't catch all the information, I went right to my computer to log on to ESPN.com.
ESPN's breaking news was the death of former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman in the line of duty, a name that most average sports fans would recognize. The second that I saw that Tillman had passed away, my stomach started to feel very weak, and I started to feel lightheaded. I didn't know Tillman or his brother Kevin, who were prospects in the Cleveland Indians organization. But both sacrificed cushy careers as pro athletes when they left the sports they loved to join the Army after Sept. 11.
They both joined the Elite Ranger Unit, which is the highest division in the Army. Pat Tillman had the respect of almost every NFL player when he turned down a multi-million dollar contact to join the Army, the only player in the NFL to do so.
This past weekend, when we celebrated the NFL draft with all the newcomers to some of our favorite teams, we also should have kept in mind the one we lost Thursday. Tillman, who had the life that many would only dream about, playing a sport that he loved and making millions of dollars, gave it all up in the name of the United States of America and defending the country he loved.
Tillman gave up the life of the rich and famous to fight for something that he believed in. He valued the respect of everyone else more than a football contract, Super Bowl rings or a sport he loved. Tillman and all the other Americans that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have my respect and deserve the same from every other American.
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Kyle Robertson
