What Does Courage Mean to You?
Courage. People throw the term around in situations that really aren't that deserving of it.
Let's say a hockey player blocks a shot. “That was a courageous shot block by so and so." Or say a player has the flu but decides to play that night. “Look at his courage for playing with the flu."
I think that the term courage is something that should be saved for the extraordinary.
Craig Sager was extraordinary, Craig Sager was courageous, and Craig Sager was the model for what humanity should strive to be. Like San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said, “If any of us can display half the courage he has to stay on this planet, to live every (day) as if it was his last, we would be well off."
That's quite the glowing endorsement from one of the most successful NBA coaches of all time.
The Turner Sports sideline reporter represented some of the greatness that is really out there in this world. You don't have to look that far to see the kind of impact that people have on this planet every day if you just open your eyes a little.
It's probably not a coincidence that we've seen prominent athletes like Carolina Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton and New York Giants Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. speak out and show their respect towards the late Sager. It shouldn't surprise anyone how much of an impact Sager had on the sporting community.
Here's one thing that really got me thinking. What does it all really come down to? How do you want your legacy to be defined? Sager is leaving behind one of the most powerful legacies in NBA history, and he never even played a game. Sager is going to be remembered for being a loving father and husband, for his passion of sports, and how could we forget his fantastic wardrobe?
If you want to talk about people that are honorable in society, look no further than Sager. Some of the stories that are being told now, as we reminisce on the great life he lived, really demonstrate the kind of courageous individual that beat the heck out of the sadistic disease that is cancer.
When you hear about individuals with cancer, you don't think of them driving across the country to work a basketball game. You don't think of them putting a smile on their face and working their tail off. You think of someone that's tired because of their treatment and with little energy.
Not Craig. Craig was still everywhere he could be. That's courage. Having a lifeless disease and not letting it defeat you, that's courage. Craig Sager stood for a lot of things, and these are values that everyday citizens should try and abide by. He was a special person and an inspiration for me in a career field that I am trying to get into. If you want to emulate someone in the business, Sager is the type of person you should look up to.
I hope that one day I can demonstrate the type of courage that Craig Sager had.
We should all strive to live like Sager did, and I'll always remember him by one of his ever so powerful quotes, “Each and every day is just a canvas waiting to be painted."
Now go paint your canvas. We are forever #SagerStrong.
