Sunday, July 31, 2011

Today's Class Act Goes To Matt Cassel

It was very hot day at Missouri Western University for the Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp as practice began at 3:00pm.  I showed up early enough to catch some photos and view some of the happenings around the training camp before I watched the players trickle onto the field.  For a small $5.00 fee for parking, you can attend the training camp and watch the players at a very close view-point.  If your an autograph seeker, many of the players sign at certain points but enjoy the football aspect of the camp and if you get a star player's autograph, consider it a bonus to your day.

I want to share a small story of today's highlight of camp.  It wasn't on the field, it was right before camp started.  The quarterback from the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, was walking down the cement path towards the field when a little girl, probably 4-5 years old started saying "Matt Cassel" loudly from on top of her dad's shoulders.  Many of the fans around felt the warmth of this child's voice as she said "Matt Cassel" a few more times.  You heard the crowd suddenly respond with an "awwwww".  It even got to Matt as to hear the girls voice among the chattering fans as well.  Matt grinned with a big smile and looked at the girl and even had a bigger smile.  He looked at the rest of the crowd and said, "Hey I'll sign for the rest of you after practice, but right now I got to practice but I am going to sign for her".  It was the right thing for Matt Cassel to do.  From a back-up role on the Patriots to now the man-in-charge the past year as the QB of the Kansas City Chiefs, he still has a heart for at least some of his most adorable fans.  I've seen other so-called bigger stars in other sports and other teams, acknowledge with a smile and a wave, but not for Matt Cassel this time.  He signed the little girl's football and than went off to practice. 

This is what the NFL needs right now, after a long labor negotiation that could of turned-away many fans, Matt Cassel made one fan feel real special.  I didn't hear any complaints that he only signed for her as I think the whole crowd was touched by this one girl.  Matt made the whole situation right by signing for the right person in the crowd at that very moment.  If anyone deserved an autograph from Matt at that time, it was the little girl.  It was almost like I got an autograph of Matt Cassel's with this story I am writing to all of you.  Maybe you had to be there to feel the moment, maybe you have to appreciate a players interaction with the fan like this, maybe the NFL needs more of this... or maybe I'm just a sucker for the little kid's hopes and dreams like Matt was today...  It really doesn't matter... as today in my book, Matt Cassel, was a class act.

1 comment:

  1. Want to thank the thank you's I received thru twitter or direct messages from Chiefs fans and others on this post. But really, you need to thank Matt and other athletes/stars who happen to be class acts and sometimes don't get acknowledge for the little things they do. Keep it going!

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