Micah Inspires

I know some people don't feel athletes should be role models, but then again some parents are not role models either.  We are all human beings and are fallible. We make mistakes because it is our nature too.  I try to raise my own son right.  He will be 5 years old today.  I can attest that it went by fast.  He is everything to me and I would never try and steer him in the wrong direction.

That is where this brings me to Micah Richards.  He is a 23 year old young man but you would never know it by the way he handles himself off the pitch.  I think he is way ahead in the composure department.  This past month we saw him not get selected for the England squad and rather then take to the TV or Twitter he kept his composure and thanked the fans for the kind words.  The racist abuse on twitter he replied "keep it coming"  He didn't allow them to bring him down.

He may have been gutted in private, but he kept his chin up when in public.  He didn't act like the 23 year old athletes we usually see. His character showed this week with the media reports of a bust up with Mario Balotelli.  He spoke well about his teammate and said they shook hands.   That was class.  That showed the youth that you can always have your differences and make up with people.

Did I mention that he is 23 years old?  I was 23 and I was  in the US Air Force and I probably didn't have class like that.  It took me another 10-12 years to think the way Micah does when it comes to being the nice guy.  If my son said Micah was his role model, I wouldn't have a problem with that.  Micah can inspire your kids to work hard, play hard and still be the gentleman.  He can also inspire adults to have more civility in their lives.

Micah Richards hasn't even fulfilled all of his athletic talent yet, he is still growing everyday.  He has though fulfilled what it takes to  live in a complicated world with unwritten rules. We all make mistakes and gaffs now and again.  Who could forget him in his first live interview.  We can look back and laugh at that.  He was even younger then.  I look at him this past month in an interview and see this young man, well spoken with a confidence about himself in the spotlight.  Whatever the future holds for young Micah Richards, just keep smiling.  That to me is inspiring enough.