Wide Receivers at Their Finest

Wide Receivers at their Finest

Football is a game of strategy to maneuver the ball from one end of the field to the other. Each player on the team has a specific responsibility, if one member does not fulfill his task the entire team fails. Wide Receivers play an important role in every football game. Among these receivers, all can be categorized as either humble or arrogant. Wide outs like Marvin Harrison are breathtaking to watch, but allow their performance to do the talking, on the other end, players similar to Terrell Owens, openly showcase their talents and never shy away from the spotlight. Each of these players is arguably among the best to play the position and both reached their success in vastly different manners. In the category of a wide receiver's role as a teammate, Harrison and Owens epitomize the extreme cases of humble and arrogant.

A Receiver's role on a team is shown through his post touchdown actions. The humble teammate is one who will not cost their team yards or bad publicity with an overly celebrated play. Harrison shows his humble character through his lack of celebration. Sports writer, Bob Kravitz, exemplifies Harrison's selfless actions when he writes, "Forget the look-at-me histrionics. Harrison wants you to look at the scoreboard" (Kravitz). Kravitz explains Harrison's uncanny composure to hand the ball back to the referee after a touchdown. On the contrary, the arrogant teammate is notorious for his touchdown antics. In one of Owens' more notable touchdown celebrations, "he pulled a sharpie from his sock and tossed an autographed football to his financial advisor" (Banks). This charade shows Owens was more concerned about publicity than the reputation of his team, proving arrogant wide receivers are more concerned about celebration than the recognition of their teammates.

Although touchdown celebrations are what are seen on ESPN, what defines a player's role on a team is his relationships among teammates. Humble wide receivers treat their fellow players with respect by coexisting in a manor that benefits the team. Harrison's teammate, Bill Polian, depicts Harrison's positive team attitude when he says,

He [Harrison] worked so hard at his craft, he was always so prepared and he did every little thing he could to win. And he did it with quiet dignity, superb professionalism and with a sense of contribution to the team, that really is second to none. ("All-Pro")

This testimony of Harrison's dedication proves that humility is a valued characteristic within a team. While humble receivers routinely create positive relations among players, arrogant wide receivers frequently result in poor team chemistry. Owens is infamous for the disputes he causes among teammates. After the loss in Super Bowl XXXIX, Owens criticized quarterback, Donovan McNabb, by making the remark, "I wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl" (114). Owens' condescending comment, regarding McNabb's play, impaired the relationship of his closest friend and resulted in his release from the Eagles.

Given player relations, a receiver's team contributions are demonstrated through personal outlook. Humble players embody a confident yet non-verbal persona. Harrison understands the meaning of a humble teammate and summarizes his actions by "I've never been a loud guy," says Harrison, "It's just the way I am. I'm not the type of guy who looks for a lot of attention. On the field I let my actions speak for themselves" (qtd. in Demasio 32). A humble wide receiver leads by example and works hard