Philip Rivers

         Philip Rivers: A Modern-Day Hero

 "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles (Christopher Reeve)." Philip Rivers embodies these characteristics, making him a modern day hero. From a young age, Rivers worked hard to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a quarterback in the National Football League. Despite being overlooked as a rookie quarterback, Rivers was determined to claim the position of starting quarterback. Through his pursuit of the starting quarterback position, he developed heroic traits such as courage, charity, and humility.

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Philip Rivers is courageous because in a society of ever-changing morals, he continues to challenge the status quo by clinging to his beliefs, which some view as unimportant. Rivers stated in a press conference, "there are not a lot of us, and we need more of us (qtd Sporting News Conversation: Philip Rivers)." Being raised in the south as a Catholic rather than a Protestant, he was a minority among his peers, and by holding strong to his religious beliefs he is still considered a minority. At a young age, Rivers married his middle school sweetheart and now has seven kids.  To him, his greatest accomplishment is not the fame of being a professional football player, but his family. In an interview, Rivers stated, "It's faith, family, football -in that order (qtd Sporting News Conversation: Philip Rivers)." Rivers is a family man, and finds a way to balance his seven kids, football, his church, and his charity organization. Rivers is courageous not only for challenging the status quo of the NFL, but of the entire world through his strong faith and belief in family.

In a self-centered world, Rivers finds opportunities to be charitable. Besides being charitable by volunteering with his church, Rivers also helped to cofound the Rivers of Hope Foundation. The mission statement of the Rivers of Hope Foundation is to, "help unwanted, abandoned, and orphaned children find permanent and loving homes (Rivers of Hope Foundation)." Not only does Rivers donate substantial amounts of money, he contributes his time, which is often more valuable than money. During the offseason, Rivers spends time helping the children of the Rivers of Hope Foundation. By spending time with these children, Rivers exemplifies core values and the rewards of persevering. Rivers believes that it is more important to, "help build forever families in San Diego (Rivers of Hope Foundation)" than to improve his own skills as a football player. By focusing on the needs of others before himself, Rivers displays true charity.

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Despite Philip Rivers' outstanding football skills, he remains humble. Rivers is always trying to improve not only himself, but his team as well. Rivers reflects on his past, "Those two years were long for me and difficult. But I think I'm going to look back and say those two years were important for me and it really paid off (Rivers)." Rivers paid his dues on the bench, but he took that time to develop his skill set. Rivers already has remarkable talent, but he keeps practicing to improve himself, and encourages his team to do likewise. In an interview Rivers stated, "There hasn't been profanity on either side; it hasn't been vulgar (qtd Sporting News Conversation: Philip Rivers)." Although Rivers likes to trash talk, he understands that he represents his family and his teammates. This realization is important because it helps him to focus on keeping football fun, rather than getting carried away. Rivers is a humble, fun-loving person who strives to improve himself both on and off the field.

Rivers is a perfect example of being courageous, charitable, and humble. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in even if it is not popular, he donates time and money to the charity organization he helped found, and he stays humble despite growing amounts of fame. Rivers inspires me to develop these traits in myself. "One of the greatest traits a quarterback can have is to make a decision to manage himself within the team and give his team the best chance of winning (Sporting News Conversation: Philip Rivers).'' Rivers makes decisions based on what's best for the team and not what will make him stand out as the star. Rivers quotes his dad, "My dad always said that if you're going to do something - do it all the way. If you're going to be a Catholic man, be it all the way. If you're going to clean your room, clean it the right way. You know, all those little things add up and they stick with you (Rivers)." Rivers gives one hundred and ten percent in every aspect of his life. He inspires me to do my best in all the daily decisions I face. Not only did he work hard to become a star quarterback, he works hard to be a modern-day hero.

Works Consulted

NFL. "San Diego Chargers." NFL.com. NFL. Web. 10 May 2012.

"Philip Rivers." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Gale Biography In Context.

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Porteous, Eric. "Catholic in the NFL: A Philip Rivers Interview." LifeTeen.com for Catholic

Youth. Life Teen, 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 May 2012.

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Rivers of Hope Foundation. "How We Help." Rivers of Hope Foundation: Adoption and Foster

Care AssistancePhilip Rivers San Diego Chargers Football. Rivers of Hope Foundation. Web. 09 May 2012. .

"Sporting News Conversation: Philip Rivers." Sporting News 233.13 (2009): 34. Biography\

Reference Center.Web. 8 May 2012.