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Posted

When we're not watching, they're still working

 

April 14, 2009 11:00 AM

 

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

 

How powerful it must feel to make 80,000 people, some of them wearing your jersey, ascend from their seats and cheer your effort.

 

How exhilarating it must feel to be completely surrounded by fans, pumping their fists and screaming their throats hoarse for you.

 

To consider the massive audience beyond the confines of the arena, the millions watching at home and around the world on television, or those who don't care one whit about your uniform but maybe drafted you in their fantasy leagues, the sensation must be profound.

 

NFL players affect the way people feel every time they snap up their Riddells and stride onto the field. In many cases, what transpires on Sunday can buoy or ruin a town's mood for an entire week.

 

Yet some players' greatest accomplishments happen nowhere near a stadium, aren't broadcasted and have only a handful of witnesses.

 

These moments often are the greatest feats players will achieve as human beings.

 

Overlooked too often are remarkable acts performed in the community by the same men who garner so much attention for participating in a football game. They help children, comfort the sick and encourage the destitute -- and don't expect any applause in return.

 

(more at link)

 

Okay, I admit that I might go a little overboard at times shilling for my friends, including our man Graham's work on ESPN. But even though this one mentions our Bills only briefly, I still think it's well worth a few moments of your time.

 

Great stuff, Tim. Thanks for writing it.

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