January 22, 1973

These NFL stars from recent seasons have something fascinating in common; see if you know what it is:

Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Adam Vinatieri, Tony Romo, John Randle, Adewale Ogunleye, Willie Parker, James Harrison, Wes Welker, Jeff Saturday, Jake Delhomme, Priest Holmes, Antonio Gates, and Rod Smith. There are many others, but we’ll leave the list at that.

I’ll tell you at the end of the post the intriguing factor they have in common.

But first: Today we observe a tragic anniversary in our nation. This day in 1973 began an era in which the United States of America officially placed conditions on who is entitled to the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which are endowed upon us by our Creator. Yes, rights endowed by our Creator—not by any branch of government. And yes, you remember correctly, these rights are inalienable, according to our nation’s founding document. That simply means no human being has any business alienating people from their God-given rights.

This date also gave rise to the victimization of countless women who have been misinformed, ill-advised, and outright lied to about a choice that not only ended the life of their unborn children, but would traumatize them—emotionally, spiritually and physically—for years to come. (It is agonizingly ironic how a movement that calls itself “feminism” can inflict so much harm on women.)

So today we pause to remember and pray for all victims of this heinous tragedy: the children who have died and the women who bear the deep and lasting scars. And we pray for the enlightenment of our country, that all Americans will see the value of each and every human life—no matter its stage of development or circumstances.

Now for the answer to the question: All of these football stars were passed over in the NFL draft. When coaches and front office staff evaluated and chose who they deemed worthy to participate in the life of the NFL, football “death” was chosen for each of these future stars. Their potential was not recognized, and they were discarded as useless. But because they were able to speak and act on their own behalf, they were eventually signed as undrafted free agents and enjoyed life in the NFL.

Of course this is a very imperfect analogy for the right to life. But if it offers something for our sports-influenced culture to think about, I'll leave it on the table.