The Blind Side

The movie that is captivating the hearts of football fans everywhere, especially in the South, really is something extraordinary. Undoubtedly, the story of Michael Oher and his football career is moving in itself. Yet, Michael Oher and The Tuohy family's journey together is way bigger than football. It's more valuable than a national title game or a Monday Night Football game, and it's worth more than any Super Bowl ticket.

Unlike most sports movies that shed light on racial controversy and social classification, 'The Blind Side' doesn't take place in segregated 1960's America, it takes place in today's world. This remarkable story is about sport and society, racism and rarity, faith and family, and hope and hardwork. To put it simply, when the credits roll and pictures of the real Tuohy family and Michael Oher are shown, you feel one thing - inspired.

Athletic ability and being part of a sports program can lead to personal visits by all-time great coaches, a higher education, sometimes even professional league careers, but this movie reminds us that the most important of all things is self-discovery.

Whether we are white or black, rich or poor, an honor student or below average, we all must discover the person we are through our life experiences. The experience that is shared between the Tuohy family, a well-to-do white family, and Oher, a then young and homeless African-American student from a broken home, is about self-discovery and teaches many of the valuable lessons of life.

A lot can be learned from the exceptional life of Oher. Hard work on the practice field. Discipline in study. Persistence in life's turbulence. Appreciation for life's rewards. Protection for the ones we love. Admiration for the ones who love us back. Never give up, never quit, the sky's the limit. With God, all things are possible.

Because the plot is so special, the appearances of some of college football's best coaches, the Oscar-worthy acting of Sandra Bullock, and the Southern handsomeness of Tim McGraw, aren't the big deals in 'The Blind Side.' It's the inspiration and own self-discovery that you experience as you witness the coming together of Memphis' projects and high society and the story you'll want to tell your children or grandchildren one day.

After this moving story, though, you will hope that stories like the one of Michael Oher are far more common by then.


Roll Tide!
-BJJ