New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez reacts with fans after the game against the Buffalo Bills in week 17 of the NFL season at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on January 2, 2011. The Jets defeated the Bills 38-7 and advance to the playoffs. UPI /John Angelillo
I don’t know how many times I’ve sat with a group of people and someone starts complaining about how the media doesn’t focus on the positive stories in sports. It’s always about arrests, sex scandals and contract holdouts.
If you’re in the mood for a positive sports story, I stumbled upon this one at ESPN.com about Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez. A couple of weeks ago he struck up a relationship with an 11-year-old boy named Aidan Binkley, who was suffering from a rare form of cancer. Aidan only had two wishes: for his two brothers to stay healthy and to meet Sanchez.
Here’s the story:
Aidan visited the Jets’ training facility Dec. 15, and he received the VIP treatment, as if he were a big-name player making a free-agent visit. He watched practice and was escorted to owner Woody Johnson’s second-floor office, where he met Antonio Cromartie, Dustin Keller, Mike Devito and others.
And, finally, Sanchez. The people who were there say Aidan’s face lit up like Broadway at night.
Sanchez was deeply touched by Aidan, who battled rhabdomayosarcoma, according to a 2008 New York Daily News article. There was a lemon-sized tumor that spread from his pelvis to his lungs, and he required 60 weeks of chemotherapy.
The celebrity quarterback and his new friend became texting buddies and, one day, he surprised Aidan by showing up at his house. The boy was sleeping when Sanchez arrived, but Sanchez stuck around until he woke up. They ended up having a long conversation, like a couple of old friends. To this day, Sanchez still wears a wristband that Aidan gave him.
“My man, Aidan … breaks my heart,” Sanchez said Tuesday during his weekly spot on “The Michael Kay Show” on 1050 ESPN Radio. “He’s so tough.”
Sanchez, choked with emotion, paused several times as he talked about Aidan, whom he met through the Teddy Atlas Foundation. Atlas, the boxing trainer and ESPN analyst, was a Jets special assistant under former coach Eric Mangini.
“He brought me so much inspiration. … It’s hard to talk about him,” Sanchez said. “He meant the world to me. I felt like I’ve known him forever. … I saw his personality. I saw his competitive spirit. I saw him fighting every day.
Read the rest of the story.
As the article points out, Aidan lost his battle with cancer and passed away last Thursday. Being such a huge football fan, all I can think about is the playoffs coming up this weekend. But after reading a story like this, it reminds you that there are much, much bigger things in life than sports.
Well done Mark, and RIP Aidan.
Late last week, FantasyPros announced that I was 