How a football game can be more than just a football game.
I have always been a person who wears my heart on my sleeve. There are many times throughout my life that I tear up and cry crocodile tears because I just can’t contain my emotions anymore. This happens when I see little old men with Velcro shoes, when someone does an act of kindness for someone else, when a song hits me right in the feels…. The list can go on and on.
I have been so excited to be part of such a special moment at the Iowa Hawkeyes stadium since they first started The Wave. If you don’t know, the Iowa City Children’s hospital overlooks Kinnick Stadium and between the end of the 1st quarter and start of the 2nd, the entire crowd waves to the kids in the hospital. Just writing this is bringing me to tears.
I have no idea what is going on to those little bodies in the windows, but I know they are putting up a fight. The act of a simple wave may bring them a smile, a boost of energy, and a core memory for the entire family. For one minute, they know there is an entire stadium rooting for them.
Other moments also got me. The kid captain, the military fly over and the crew with their Hawkeye shirts under their uniforms, the honoring of a veteran, and the Caitlin Clark and JerQuavia Henderson highlights.
The last moment that got me in my feels was when a Purdue player was injured and his entire team created a circle around him and then the whole crowd clapped him out.
Football is a great sport to watch, but being front and center to the good side of humanity was the highlight of my day.
Side note- if anyone has any contacts with U of Iowa or the Children’s hospital, I would love to be connected. I think both of these places would be great to take the
@beautifulstrength_org project to.