Society imposed its own heroes upon your impressionable On Fire correspondent when he (or she) was but a young child. Culture told him (or her) to look up to great men such as George Washington, Martin Luther King and Bruce Willis.
But your under-achieving correspondent soon learned that these men did things that were beyond his (or her) reach. How could he (or she) ever found a country that defended freedom throughout the world, lead the movement that would win basic human rights for an entire race or star in the most epic movie franchise of all time?
This realization led to a brief period of existential angst for your doubtful young correspondent. If he (or she) could not live up to the example of his (or her) heroes, what was the point of even trying to make anything out of this endless struggle that we call life?
This period of doubt ended, however, when your rejuvenated correspondent discovered that he (or she) could find meaning in life in ways other than those that get you remembered in history textbooks and Entertainment Weekly.
That way was through sports. After all, chicks dig the long ball.
And with a new passion came new heroes. Your earnest On Fire correspondent now looked up to athletes, men such as Barry Bonds and LeBron James.
And for a time, all was right in the world. Your athletic correspondent played baseball, basketball and football. He (or she) hit home runs, drilled three-pointers and caught touchdowns. For obvious reasons, the ladies loved him (or her).
But then your fragile On Fire correspondent’s whole world view came crashing down around him with two crushing blows.
The first blow was when your correspondent realized that he (or she) was not good at sports. Chicks dig the long ball, but they are unimpressed by strikeouts.
But he (or she) could have still dreamed right? After all, shoot for the moon, and if you miss, at least you will land amongst the stars. But at the same time as he (or she) realized his utter ineptitude at sports, your distraught On Fire correspondent also found himself (or herself) let down by his (or her) heroes.
It began with Barry Bonds. It turns out that he did all the awesome things that he did while on steroids! Who could have seen that coming?
And then LeBron James abandoned friends, family and his hometown in 2010, all for the sake of winning championships and living close to the beach.
Is nothing sacred? Do we not play sports for something more than a title? Is there no loyalty anymore?
Lost, confused and very, very alone, he (or she) began to search desperately for something pure to hold on to and believe in.
And he (or she) found it. It turns out that the heroes of this world are not the players, but the fans.
Specifically, the Baton Rouge shoe store employee who went to jail rather than name the LSU football player who gave him his game used gear to sell on eBay.
That is right. When police found LSU memorabilia on eBay, they traced it back to 25 year-old Fletcher Sanders. The police told Sanders that he would be arrested if he did not name the players who had given him the gear. Sanders told the police, “Do what you have to do,” and remained silent.
This is a man who still believes in something larger than himself. This is a man who represents something pure. This is a man who would never let your correspondent, the football players of LSU or anyone else down.
Fletcher Sanders is a hero worth believing in.
