Inspiring Examples of Resistance: J.J. Watt Strikes Back

Dan Bolton
02/06/2013
Share

 

This is unprecedented, but the same person has met the standard for making it onto my Inspiring Examples of Resistance series two months in a row. The month after I made an example of J.J. Watt's negativity on my blog a few weeks ago, he turns around and surprises me with an act of resilience, resisting the negativity of the most negative fan base in all of sports! 

Before I started blogging and putting my ideas out there I never really understood how many critics there were out there. Don't get me wrong, I get plenty of positive feedback as well, but I am always surprised at how tremendous amount of pressure one can feel in light of one negative comment, even amidst multiple positive comments. Somehow we can put a lot of weight one the negative even when it is far less frequent than the positives. After his pre-game ritual made headlines here in New England, J.J. Watt was flooded with negativity as bitter and typical as the cold here up in New England, yet he maintained a positive attitude and demeanor in pits of this. This is exactly the reason J.J. Watt is making a repeat appearance.

New England fans - negative even after winning- seems like they are looking for something to be angry about. How do I know? Well, every year the Patriots lose one game, and especially when they do not win the Superbowl, start talking about how Tom Brady "sucks," Bill Belichick should be "fired." Then, as consistent as the seasons changing, these same fans talk about how Brady and Belichick are "the greatest" after a couple of winds. It goes up and down like this every year, and being surrounded by this upheaval of negativity has a drastic effect that weighs heavy on the city of Boston, which fortunately hasn't quite reached the levels they were at before the Red Sox broke the curse of the Bambino in 2004. No, I did not like Watt's pre-game ritual either, but sending the man threats? Really? I truly feel New England sports fans could easily qualify for a collective diagnosis of some form of anxiety disorder. Bravo J.J. for staying positive in the face of the collective agitation of New Engalnd sports fans!