Love comes to football.

American football is one of the more violent sports that America has to offer. It results in dozens of injuries every season, and in years past has come under scrutiny for the number of accumulative traumatic brain injuries that some players have suffered. It isn’t a game that is typically equated with the concept of love.

After a number of events took place that enraged communities, including the death of George Floyd, the National Football League, along with the country’s other sports organizations, took steps to recognize efforts in creating social reforms. One of these steps was to put slogans on the player’s football helmets that included “Stop Hate”, “It Takes All Of Us”, “End Racism”, and “Choose Love”. Given the fierce and violent nature of football, where players compare each game to being in a few car accidents, the Choose Love slogan fell a bit flat for me. However, my perspective recently changed in a big way.

On January 2, the cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin, brought forth an outpouring of support and love that the sport had never before experienced. This was made evident by the vigils held outside the hospital, tens of thousands of social media posts, and especially by the nearly nine million dollars that people have donated to Mr. Hamlin’s charity for children. Being the phenomenal athlete that he is, Mr. Hamlin’s recovery has been amazing to watch, and many of the messages he’s posted have been about love and the importance of spreading it.

Because of this incident and its subsequent heartfelt acts of kindness from so many people, the NFL’s Choose Love slogan feels like it fits a little bit better, as this is a gleaming example of how good things can come from bad situations.