Hall Of Fame Worthy

II recently began a new venture. I am now a board member of the Rutherford County Sports Hall of Fame (RCSHOF). In short, that’s a local body in my hometown that selects the best athletes across a wide variety of sports to be honored for their accomplishments.

Recently, I got to help choose the newest class of inductees and it was harder than I thought it would be. What made it so difficult was that each nominee had wonderful credentials and merit that made them worthy of consideration. What the committee had to do was separate the really good and great careers from those who are Hall of Fame worthy.

I didn’t enjoy that part. Who am I to arbitrarily judge and put more value or worth on one person’s accomplishments over another? Having to go through that process though made me realize, whether intentional or not, that’s what society does. They intrinsically ascribe more value to a person if they have good looks, are athletic, can sing or have a similar talent. That’s why people (including myself) are paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to go watch the World Cup this Summer. Being the best soccer players in the world has value and fans are willing to pay top dollar to see that talent on display.

Just because society does not recognize it, I believe every single person has talent and value. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching Mr. Rogers, but his message of “It’s you I like, just the way you are”, is still a message everyone needs to hear.

This is particularly true for those of us with a disability. Society judges us on appearance and all to often, they assign our value based on what we can and can not do. Even people I have known casually for years are surprised when they discover that I have written for many outlets throughout my career and they are shocked to hear the list of big events that I have covered. I am not saying that I belong in a Hall Of Fame. Instead the message is that every single person has value and they should be celebrated and recognized for being just the way they are. That’s why I resonate so strongly with Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. They share that same inclusive message with each bag of treats made.

Like people, dogs deserve to be Hall of Fame worthy just for being man’s best friend, not based on whether they are a pure bread or a show winner. In fact, some of the best dogs I have had over my lifetime came from baffling ancestry.

As for Gabe, he is a purebred and deserves to be in a Hall Of Fame, based on athletic ability alone. He is a contortionist who can wriggle through the smallest crack in the door to come jump on my bed. He can jump flat footed in the back of the van to lick the back of my head and ears while I am waiting to go to work. That’s not to mention he can chase down and catch a squirrel or rabbit.

While all of those are strong attributes that make Gabe who he is, the best ones are the rare times where he is calm enough to sit by my chair and shake howdy or the times when he falls asleep on my bed with his chew toy and I can just pet him (for all of 5 minutes) before he is back up and at it again.

I’m sure you feel like your dog deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, too, for a variety of reasons. So why not reward them with a bag or two of Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats? Not only will you be celebrating how special your dog is, but also helping to recognize the accomplishments of others who are often overlooked and marginalized by society. In sports, even Hall Of Famers lose sometimes, but this is a guaranteed victory.