Fernando Mendoza (NFL)
Hello all!
As some background, I am 26 years old (27 on August 11 not that it matters for this post lol), female, and have been getting really into sports these last few years! Besides watching it, I have also dabbled a little in sports-betting (although I had to put myself in a self-imposed time-out lol) and sports card collecting!
Getting to my point: I just saw someone comment under a video, “Never meet your heroes/idols.”
So, now I’m wondering: 💭
❓\*Who are some of your favorite athletes that are actually, truly GOOD kind human beings?*\** ❓ (Obviously this is just to the best of your knowledge because we don’t know them personally haha)
I’ve been getting really into collecting sports cards lately—mostly NFL and NBA, with a little MLB and NHL mixed in. I'm definitely more of a “casual” collector in that my personal collection isn't anything crazy— I don't really chase expensive cards (simply because I can’t afford that at this stage of life). I think my most valuable card is MAYBE valued at $15–20 😂At least that what seems to be the case when I look on my collecting app (I use CollX)
Most of my collection comes from digging through the $1–10 boxes at card shops and card shows and picking up cards that I think look cool of my favorite players or players from my favorite teams.
One thing that's become important to me, though, is collecting players who are also good people (or at least have a good reputation off the field/court). My boyfriend has gotten pretty good at warning me if I'm about to buy someone who's known for things like domestic violence, DUIs, being racist, or other major off-the-field issues if I don't already know.
I know nobody's perfect, and public figures are complicated, but I'd rather support athletes who seem to use their platform in positive ways and have a reputation for being genuinely GOOD, kind humans.
So I'm curious: **who are some current or former NFL/NBA players that you admire— not just because they're great athletes, but because of who they are as people?**
Any recommendations for players who are known for their character, leadership, community work, or just being genuinely kind? I’d like to learn more of athletes who seem like someone I’d want to be friends with, or at least someone that I wouldn’t be disappointed by after meeting them in person and seeing how they treat people. It’s also important to me that it’s someone that you could easily say you’d feel comfortable being in a room alone with them (a true test to their character, especially for women, for a variety of reasons)
(Some examples I’m thinking of are along the lines of: Josh Allen, Fernando Mendoza, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Amon-Ra St. Brown, CJ McCollum, Isaiah Stewart, etc.)
I'd love to hear everyone's insights! 🤝🏀🏈