Drew Brees

Drew Brees and family Celebrating (1079ishot.com ())

"When I hold up my son, Baylen, after the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV, with confetti streaming down all around us, it was the fulfillment of a dream" (Brees). Drew Brees was the Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, and he loves his children very much. Not only is he a football legend, but a charitable man. He has a foundation that has raised over 20 million dollars for those in need. He grew up in Austin, Texas. Brees went to college at Purdue and led a winning team to win the Rose Bowl. He was drafted to the San Diego Chargers in 2001 and later went to the New Orleans Saints in 2006 (Drew Brees Biography). He currently lives with his wife and kids in New Orleans. He still plays professional football and runs the Brees Dream Foundation. Drew Brees is a hero because he helps people, he's humble, and he's tenacious through his athletic accomplishments and charity work.

The Brees Dream Foundation (drewbrees.com ())

Drew Brees is a hero because he helps people by raising money for those in need. Brees uses his wealth to fund and contribute to his foundation, the Brees Dream Foundation. The Brees Dream Foundation website states, "As much pride as Brees takes in his on-field performance, he takes even more pride in his community service endeavors. Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then have contributed over $20,000,000 to help improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provide care, education and opportunities for children and families in need" ("Drew's Bio"). Drew Brees isn't just a successful football player. He is a humanitarian and dedicates his life to helping people. His foundation improves the quality of life of cancer patients. Helping people in the way makes him a hero. Being a hero means to me means that a person with Brees's "power" or status is used for good. Drew Brees experienced a would-be career ending injury with the Chargers so they wanted nothing to do with him. They got rid of him so he became a free agent. The teams available to him are the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints; "For a city and a fan base still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Brees was lauded for his decision" ("Drew Brees Biography"). Brees had a decision to make between going to either the Miami Dolphins or the New Orleans Saints. The choice seemed to be obvious; Miami is such a nice place to live and the Dolphins are a decent team. New Orleans needed a hero after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He helped his city recoup and raise morale. A couple of years after signing, he and Sean Payton lead the Saints to win Super Bowl XLIV. Helping people is heroic because it's putting others in front of themselves. This is just what Brees does.

Drew Brees is a hero because he's humble and doesn't think of himself before others. Drew Brees wrote a book after he was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIV in 2009. Mark Brunell, a colleague and personal friend of his, wrote the foreword of the novel. Brunell wrote, "He'd cringe to hear me say this, but in many ways, Drew is a modern-day hero" (Brunell). Mark Brunell would agree that Drew Brees is a hero. This shows that he's humble because of the fact that he would cringe at being called one. He doesn't do what he does to look like some kind of hero; Brees just wants to help people. This makes him a hero because his intentions are pure and he doesn't think of himself above of others. Drew Brees literally won an award for being humble; "Due to his Super Bowl victory and his charitable work with the Brees Dream Foundation, Brees was named the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and AP's Male Athlete of the Year" ("Drew Brees"). This award is given to heroes in sports. This award isn't just given to legendary athletes; it's given to legendary athletes that aren't conceited or full of themselves. Being humble is a heroic quality because it shows that they are pure.

Another one of Drew Brees's hero-like qualities is that he's tenacious; he sets a goal then meets it. According to the EBSCO Biography Reference Center database, "In winning the Super Bowl MVP award, Brees proved that hard work, preparation, intelligence, and leadership ability can overcome limitations in physical size and strength" (Biography Reference Center). This database lists several heroic traits that Drew Brees possesses. Although he was doubted by so-called experts, Brees excelled their surprisingly low expectations. This shows that he's heroic because of his tenacious mindset. Biography, an online database, states, "Despite his stellar college resume, Brees's height (listed at 6 feet) and the perception, at least, that he had mediocre arm strength greatly contributed to him slipping out of the first round of the 2001 NFL draft" (Drew Brees Biography). Brees had a goal. He overcame his size obstacle and met it. This makes him tenacious because he held onto his goal as he was told that he wasn't going to make it. Being tenacious is heroic because it's a bold quality that's found in people good at heart.

Drew Brees and Russell Wilson (http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=13 (

Drew Brees is a hero because he helps people, he's humble, and he's tenacious through his athletic accomplishments and charity work. He inspires young athletes such as Russell Wilson, who now plays for the Seattle Seahawks. His amazing stats in his career and in Super Bowl XLIV can show why he is looked up to; "Brees was an obvious choice for Most Valuable Player honors. He set a Super Bowl record by completing 82.1 percent of his passes (32 out of 39) for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns" (Biography Reference Center). This shows how he is a role model in sports and young athletes should strive to achieve stats and accomplishments such as his. After the New Orleans-Seattle game in 2013, Drew Brees approached the Seahawks bench to say "good game" to Russell Wilson. Wilson looked star-struck because he looks up to Drew Brees and was honored to play in the same league as him, and beat him. Drew Brees inspired young athletes all over the nation. Drew Brees is the epitome of a real-life hero.