Some people look at professional sports and all they see is a game. But for others out there, sports are way more than that.

Many kids play sports growing up – maybe because they enjoy it or because their parents forced them into it as a form of physical activity. I personally was very into basketball and played all throughout my childhood up until college.

I am fortunate enough that my family has rarely struggled with putting food on the table. For me basketball was just an after-school activity that I participated in because I thought it was fun and I enjoyed the people it put me around. However, there are less fortunate kids whose families struggle every day just to pay rent and keep food in the house. A lot of those kids play sports simply for an escape, and a good portion of them also see it as a path to a better life.

For example, a number of professional sports players come from underprivileged situations.

Kevin Durant, the two-time NBA finals champion, told a story when accepting his NBA MVP award about how his mother had to go hungry some nights just to make sure they stayed fed, and how she had to work multiple jobs just to afford an apartment. He talked about the work he put in everyday and how it led him to where he is now. He would run up hills in the middle of the night, put shots up for hours everyday, just for the chance at creating a better future not only for himself but for his family as well. Now Durant is a multi-millionaire and a popular celebrity throughout the whole world.

Durant is just one of many athletes who has gone from desperate situations to the top level of his sport. Another is Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing world champion from 1987-1990. Tyson went from battling addiction—which started when he was just 11 years old—and living in poverty in New York to being one of the most iconic athletes in all of history.

Another recent example of a player who came from a tough background is football player Najee Harris, who grew up in a homeless shelter. Harris played football at the University of Alabama and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL draft. He even held his draft party at the same homeless shelter that he lived in as a child.

These are just a few examples of athletes who come from humble beginnings. This narrative is common among many professional sports figures.

Although it’s true that chances are slim of ever getting to the professional level in sports, it is also true that a player doesn’t need to make it that far to better their life. There are tons of people out there who receive scholarships to play college sports and use that as an opportunity to get an education that they may not have been able to get otherwise.

Looking up to athletes such as Durant, Tyson and Harris gives an important reminder to underprivileged children that if they work hard enough they can change their situation. And this doesn’t just apply to sports. The work ethic they develop through sports can be applied to something else, whether that be music or sports or education, and they can learn to shape their own futures.

Without these athletes there would probably be a lot of people out there who never found their inspiration to work hard and make a better life for themselves.

For most of us at Seattle Pacific University, it can be hard to see why having role models like Durant, Tyson and Harris is so important. But for a lot of kids out there who are less fortunate, he is someone who they can relate to and who they can look at and say, ‘If he can do that, then I can too.’