Walter Payton: “Is it hard to be a modern hero?”

I want to be remembered as the guy who gave his all whenever he was on the field."- Walter Payton

Almost every person in this world, consciously or subconsciously, has a hero or a role model. People not only remember, admire and respect their idols, but also copy their behaviour and share their beliefs. They apply high standards to their shining examples and can’t even imagine that in fact they are as imperfect as anyone else, or even more than that. These super humans become icons and ideals far from the image of just a human being. People need role models to learn how to overcome challenges and obstacles. They soak up their actions and opinions, deeds and attitudes. They find somebody to admire in literature, movies, politics, sports, and so on.

Sports gives us a lot of examples to be impressed with. Sportsmen show great moral and physical courage, outstanding bravery, sheer persistence and extreme patience. The history of American football started with rugby football and association football. These two games can be traced to the mid-19th century in the UK, where they existed in two variants of kicking a ball at a goal and/or running over a line. In the first half of the 19th century, there were lots of games known as "football" and played at colleges and universities in the USA.

Modern American football originated in a historical game played between Harvard and McGill University in 1874. Rutgers University and Princeton University played the first game of intercollegiate football on 6 November 1869 and Rutgers won that game, 6-4. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the game was developed by college coaches such as Eddie Cochems, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Knute Rockne, and Glenn "Pop" Warner. They all helped take interest of the newly performed forward pass.

The Father of American Football is Walter Camp. Walter Payton used the strongest and most dominant running back in the NFL. To put it simply, Payton is the best versatile football player in the history of the league. Walter could throw a 60-yard spiral, kick a 30-yard field goal, punt the ball 40+ yards, return kickoffs and block like no other back in the league. He used to promptly ask Mike Ditka if he could play defence, along with his running back duties. All those records are inseparable from his memory. They make him the epitome of an encouraging role model.

There is a treasure making this memory tangible and strong. This valuable item is Walter Payton’s premiere authentic jersey signed by him aka "Sweetness". The shirt has the inscriptions of "Sweetness, MVP 1977, Super Bowl XX, HOF 1993, 16,726". The jersey has sewn on name and numbers and is size adult XL. The item comes with a Walter Payton Foundation numbered tamper-proof hologram and certificate of authenticity. This is a perfect example how memory about heroes can live on not only in our hearts, but in our hands. An example that inspires to struggle and achieve success.