The Heart of Sports: #AllRise – Time To Create a Lifelong Memory

Aaron Judge reminds us that - no matter who we are and what we do - the most valuable thing we each have to give is our time and attention.

July 29, 2019 by Michael Kasdan Leave a Comment

“The Heart of Sports” is a weekly column that curates the stories, pictures and moments that provide a window into the beating heart of sports:

The thrilling moments from your childhood that you never forget.
The speeches to teammates and fans that are larger even than the game itself.
The tender moments among teammates.
It’s why we watch. It’s why we play. It’s the stuff that rises up out of sports and settles down into us.

♦◊♦

Today’s Heart of Sports moment comes from Major League Baseball.

Last month, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played a series out in London. Yankees right-fielder and superstar slugger, Aaron Judge has made a name for himself with how friendly and down-to-earth is with fans. At Yankee Stadium, he often casually chats with youngsters and even plays catch with kids in the stands between innings.

In London, Judge took his pre-game autograph signing to the next level, inviting some of the young fans onto the field with him and casually chatting with them the whole time. Take a look:

Some things are #BiggerThanBaseball. Aaron Judge, don’t stop being you.#LondonSeries pic.twitter.com/N8WvVpRmZB

— MLB (@MLB) June 30, 2019

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Why does this matter?

For the kids, it makes a lifetime memory. But it also teaches both them and every one of us that the most valuable thing we can give of ourselves is out time and attention. And to do it so easily and authentically – even when you’re a bigtime star – that really drives home the message.

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Photo Credit(s): @MySonsJJM/YouTube

About Michael Kasdan

Michael Kasdan is currently Director of Special Projects for The Good Men Project. He has held a number of leadership roles at the Good Men Project over time, including Senior Sports Editor, Lead Editor, and Executive Editor. He has helped to develop the Good Men Project's corporate Diversity and Inclusion workshops focused on allyship. Mike is father of two wonderful kids who lives in Maplewood, NJ. Mike's day job is intellectual property lawyer, but his interests and avocations are numerous. He is passionate about education, entrepreneurship and technology, and has served as a board member and advisor on strategic and legal issues to start-up for profit and non-profit companies throughout his career. In the rest of his ever-shrinking spare time, he enjoys focusing his energies on projects and causes that impact the world and our society.

Mike frequently speaks and writes on a variety of topics, including intellectual property, technology, business, social media, sports, mental health, parenting, education, and social justice. He has spoken on a variety of issues in major media networks, including CNN (Headline News), Al Jazeera America, National Public Radio (NPR), and The Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC), and his writings have appeared in well-known publications such as The Huffington Post, Salon, Yahoo! Parenting, Good Morning America, The Daily Dot, and Redbook.

His latest venture focuses on mental health and wellness and authentic leadership in the legal profession. It is called "Lawyering While Human." You can find more information about that on Twitter @law_while_human or on Instagram @zen.mayhem

He enjoys playing basketball, biking, fumbling around on the guitar, creating and singing parody songs, and an on-again-off-again relationship with running. Mike spends entirely too much time on Facebook and can be found (over)sharing and linking on a variety of topics on Twitter @michaelkasdan.