Right now you may be asking yourself 'Who is Kevin Boss?' and/or 'What is 'it' that he gets?' I will get back to that in a bit, but let me give you some 'back story'. I have not talked about it on my blog, but shortly after Christmas last year my father was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. He has been getting regular chemo therapy (his last round is this week) and since the diagnosis, we have made several attempts to go visit and each was thwarted by illness or bad weather. This past weekend, we were able to finally get up to NJ to visit.
OK, now back to Kevin Boss and what it is that he gets. Kevin Boss is a tight end for the New York Giants (an American Football team). He played a huge part in the Giants winning Super Bowl XLII (If memory serves me correctly, he had the longest pass play in that game) and since has proven to be one tough guy. He took some hits last year that would have knocked out most people, but he not only got back up, but held on to the ball. He is, in my opinion, probably the best Giants tight end since Mark Bavaro.
So, now you understand that I have somewhat of a 'man crush' on Kevin Boss, what does he get? He gets that the only reason why he can play football for a living is because of his fans. Here is why I think that.
This past Saturday, my mother and my wife took my kids to a local mall to make some pottery (there is a store there that lets you pick stuff out and paint it, then they fire it in a kiln and glaze it). After they were done and were walking around the mall, they saw a sign saying that Kevin Boss was there singing autographs. Being the awesome wife she is, my wife got in line and called me (I was having lunch with my dad not far from the mall). Initially my dad and I were not going to go because we did not think we could make it in time. However, my wife called back shortly to let us know that Kevin would be there longer than scheduled, so we hopped in the car to head over.
When we got to the mall, my dad dropped me off at the door and said he would meet me inside. When I got to the store, it was practically empty, with only a few people inside. I yelled to my wife and instantly I heard my kids getting all excited. When I got to the table I saw that Kevin Boss and the other people there were being entertained by my kids (anyone who has met my kids can probably imagine what I am talking about). My kids got their picture with him and I got an autograph.
While we were waiting for the boys' picture, my wife was told that one of the women that was there was Kevin Boss' wife. My wife went over to her and asked if it was possible for Kevin to maybe wait a few minutes until my dad got there and explained that he was fighting cancer. Kevin's wife spoke with him and he agreed to meet my dad. (Keep in mind that this was now well past the time he was scheduled to leave and that they had already 'cut off' the line) When my dad got there, they brought him up to meet Kevin and Kevin stood up to get a picture with my dad (apparently, my dad was to only one he stood up for when taking pictures). It was the first time in quite a while that we have seen my dad really smile.
Most professional athletes I have seen (especially at these pre-scheduled signing events) would not have made this simple, yet meaningful gesture. In the short time we were there, I noticed that Kevin was always very nice and polite and spent some time talking with his fans. It seemed to me that he enjoyed being there with his fans - it reminded me a lot of how Phil Mickelson interacts with his fan.
I was so impressed that when we got back to my parents house, I sent a message to Kevin on twitter thanking him for taking the time to meet my dad. A short while later, I received a reply back from him, you can read it here. (if the link does not work, there is an image of it below) To me, this shows that Kevin Boss is truly a class act and he 'gets' why he is able to play football for a living - because of his fans.
Kevin, if somehow you actually read this, thank you again, you made a lasting impression on all of us (especially my kids). I meant what I said in my tweet, all professional athletes could learn from you how to interact with their fans. Please don't ever change - on the field or off.
Here are the pics of my kids and my dad with Kevin, as well as his twitter reply to me.
14 comments
Great story...I love our Giants!
It's been cool the last couple of years to watch him develop and become a bigger part of the offense. Thanks for sharing this!
Good luck to your Dad in his recovery.
Glad that Kevin Boss was so wonderful to you and your family. A Class Act among many others on the team and its history.
We also understand that the whole Giants organization has been stellar to its players and their families for many decades. This type of "family" approach has imbued many players to reciprocate and extend the good will to their teammates and fans. Thank you to the Mara & Tisch families for keeping the Organization solid, resourceful, human and making all who belong to it benchmarks for us all to aspire to.
This was a great story. :-)