The Blind Side

"Did you know the highest paid player on any NFL team is the quarterback? Did you know the second highest paid player is the left quarterback? That's because the left tackle protects the quarterback's Blind Side..."

I'm starting out this blog with a heart-filled entry about a movie that I just saw. As the year winds down, everyone is thinking about those things that they are thankful for. In the movie, The Blind Side, Michael Oher (played by Quinton Aaron), showed everyone what we should really be thankful for -- a chance.

The Blind Side is a the true story of Baltimore's own Michael Oher and how a particular family took him in under their wing and raised him alongside of their own children (which is great reminder to everyone out there that good deeds outweigh material goods). The Tuohy family, Leigh Ann and Dean (played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw, respectively) find Oher, a homeless teenager, meandering about the streets in Memphis, Tennessee in just a polo and shorts -- his only clothing besides one other t-shirt. Oher attended the same school as their children (where he was referred to as "Big Mike"). After deciding to take Oher in for the night, the Tuohy family decides to take him in and give him a chance -- a chance to start over, a chance to be a teenager, the chance to have a life.

Throughout the movie, Leigh Ann discovers that even thought Oher scored low in his learning tests -- she discovered that he scored in the 98% percentile for protective instincts. Leigh Ann makes every effort to find out about Oher's pasts. Throughout the movie, flashbacks show the viewer that Oher's mother was a drug addict, his father had left them and he had been in and out of foster homes than the amount of turnovers Carolina has.

Oher attends Briarcrest Christian School with the Tuohy children, which he got into not because of his grades (which we very poor), but because "it was the Christian thing to do", but in reality, it may have been because of his large statue and his speed. The teachers find ways to help Oher learn, and in the spring, his grades are good enough to join the football program. Once Oher learned the game, he turned into a fine football player, thanks to Leigh Ann's ability to motivate him. Soon enough, some of college's biggest football programs are looking to recruit him.

The relationship between Oher and the Tuohy's is pretty balanced-- the Tuohy's give time and effort to help Oher, and in return, Oher gives the family something to contemplate -- what they should be thankful for, not their big house or all of their Taco Bells, but each other.

In all, The Blind Side combined a drama with humor -- in fact, this may perhaps be one of the most touching sports movie created yet. I would recommend it anyone and everyone out there!