Steve Smith Sr.

(www.baltioreravens.com)

There are many people in our lives that we admire and respect. When someone says "put your goggles on cause there's going to be blood and guts everywhere" you might think they are a negative impact to society (Alper). However, when you're an NFL player and ultra competitive, that type of language could give you an edge with your competition. Steve Smith Sr. is currently a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He is highly competitive on the field and has leveraged his childhood trials and tribulations to manage his actions on and off the field. Steve Smith Sr. is not only a talented football player but is also passionate about helping others. Steve Smith Sr. is an accomplished NFL player, created his own foundation and is active in helping the community and has received several awards for his work.

(www.zimbio.com)

          Steve Smith Sr. wasn't recognized as a high potential football player during high school.  It wasn't until he went to Santa Monica Junior College and played with Chad Johnson when he got attention from NFL scouts.  He was drafted in the 2001 NFL draft in the third round, 74th overall pick and played for the Carolina Panthers from 2001-2013 ("Steve Smith").  He was known for his tenacity and aggressive behavior on the field.   Steve Smith Sr. is considered small for an NFL player with a stature of 5'9" but was considered one of the strongest and relentless players.  Steve Smith Sr. continued to play after his leg was broken in half and his arm broken twice with little fear and a lot of heart (Posnanski). He was a 5 time Pro Bowl selection and was one of the league's rising stars.  In 2004, Steve Smith Sr. broke his leg but he did not let that get the best of him.   The next season, he had his best single-season performance of his career and won the NFL comeback player of the year ("Steve Smith").  His football performance shows his determination and inspired him to create his foundation and support the community.

(www.omaze.com)

           Steve Smith Sr. had a difficult childhood and grew up in South Central Los Angeles with a single mother.  He would accompany his mother to her job where she would counsel people with drug addictions.  At an early age, he was exposed to people that had severe addiction problems and he was determined never to let that happen to him ("Steve Smith").  He worked at Taco Bell to support himself but knew he could do more.  After he was an established NFL player, he would go back to the Taco Bell he worked at to remind himself of where he came from.  Steve Smith Sr. decided to create a foundation to support the community while he was still a prominent figure in the NFL.  He created the Steve Smith Family Foundation with their mission "to focus on the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of our community, one person at a time".  The foundation supports the community but primarily focuses on ending domestic violence and giving a "voice to the voiceless" (Mink).   Steve Smith Sr. decided to leverage his NFL fame to help others and stay connected with the community.

(ftw.usatoday.com)

          Not only did Steve Smith Sr. create his own foundation, he plays an active role in his community.  He was awarded the Stewart B. McKinney award for holding football camps for children of military members, all at no expense for the families (Wilson).   During the presentation of the award, he handed a check for an additional donation during his acceptance speech.  During April 2016, Steve Smith Sr. made an autistic teenage girl's dream come true by taking her to her high school prom (Shaffer).  Steve Smith Sr. heard that Aubrey Bridges wanted him to take her to prom.  He was eager to help and excited to take Aubrey to her prom with no hesitation.  Steve Smith Sr. wanted her to have a special high school prom and made sure she was the focus of attention and not him.  He also wanted to be polite and ask her to prom and made a "promposal" on YouTube asking Aubrey to prom.  Steve Smith Sr. was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award for all of his work that he had done in to help the community.  Steve Smith Sr. is recognized as a valuable NFL player as well as a humanitarian.

          There are many great NFL players, but not all leverage their status to support the community, donating their time and energy to help people in need.  Steve Smith Sr. has determination, perseverance and extremely generous.  He donates money, time and effort to help people and remind him of his humble beginnings.  Steve Smith Sr. wanted to make sure that his life was more than just playing football but also giving back to people who need it most.  Steve Smith Sr. will be remembered as one of the greatest wide receivers that ever played as well as a great human being.

Works Cited

Alper, Josh. "Steve Smith on Facing Panthers: There's Going to Be Blood and Guts      everywhere." ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 May 2016.

Mink, Ryan. "5 Reasons Why Steve Smith Sr. Should Be NFL Man Of The Year ." News RSS. Baltimore Ravens, 30 Dec. 2015. Web. 16 May 2016

Posnanski, Joe. "Steve Smith and Useful Rage." NBC SportsWorld. NBC Sports, 09 Jan. 2015. Web. 15 May 2016.

Shaffer, Jonas. "Ravens' Steve Smith Sr. Will Take Autistic Panthers Fan to Prom in N.C."

Baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 15 May 2016.

"Steve Smith." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 120. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Biography in Context. Web. 15 May 2016.

Wilson, Aaron. "Steve Smith to Be Honored for His Work on Behalf of Homeless People." Tribunedigital-baltimoresun. The Baltimore Sun, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 May 2016.