In today's world of sports, there are many superstars who are idolized by both children and adults across the country. These athletes are personified as immortal beings that are more revered then workers in any other profession. All types of people scrap for memorabilia from these stars, whether it is in person or something bought on eBay. By owning an autographed or game used piece of memorabilia, one feels a certain connection to that player, despite having never met or spoken to the athlete. Most of these stars, and even the average players, don't answer fan mail, and don't communicate with fans on a daily basis. However, there are few exceptions from players with very special character engrained in their personas. One of these extraordinary individuals happens to be touted as one of the next great pitchers in Major League Baseball. He finds the time to communicate with his fans, and to give back whenever he can. While doing this, his stardom continues to grow. This man is Philip Hughes, 21 year old pitcher for the New York Yankees.
Phil Hughes is perhaps the greatest exception to the adage that star athletes do not care about their fans. Hughes isn't quite a superstar yet, but he has attained those expecations after a superb rookie season in 2007. Yet Hughes shows his care for his fans more then any other player in sports. Until it recently closed down, Phil had an official website, http://www.philiphughes.net. Not only was he a part of the creation of the site, he posted on the site's message boards, and gave away memorabilia. He gave away autographed baseballs, cleats, hats and more to fans who won the contests that he or another administrator ran. Phil Hughes chatted with his fans and had a section for fans to ask him questions. How many players do you see taking questions from fans? You can count them on one hand. The site closed down a short period ago, but that did not mean Phil stopped communicating with the Yankee faithful.
After his official website closed down, Phil took on a new project. Phil Hughes soon created his own blog, The Phil Hughes Weblog (http://philhughes.wordpress.com/). It chronicles his life in baseball from the player's perspective, and it also delves into his personal life. Fans can learn what type of music Phil listens to, what he does with his free time and how exciting it is to be a young man with so much excitement surrounding him. Not only that, Phil has transferred the contest idea onto his blog. He gave away a baseball autographed by the 2007 New York Yankees baseball team, excluding a few players. Other players have joined in with this project, including fellow young pitchers Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain who have donated autographed memorabilia for future contests. As personal has Hughes gets with his blog, it is not even the most incredible thing he has done to give back to his fans.
There is one more thing that makes Philip Hughes unlike any other star athlete you can find. Hughes communicates with a select group (including myself) through AOL Instant Messaging. Now tell me how many athletes with the popularity that Philip Hughes has garnered are willing to talk to their fans directly online. Talking to Phil for the first time was unreal. I could not believe that a player would care about the fans as much as he does. The first time I talked to him I thanked him and let him know how remarkable it is that a player with his stature would converse with the average Joe. It is living proof that perhaps famous athletes are stereotyped; and they care about the fans more then anyone thought to be true.
Now just because Philip Hughes takes the time to share with his fans does not mean that all players would do the same. It takes a man with exception character ot continue his blog and conversations through instant messaging after becoming a star. Phil has displayed that character by updating his blog frequently and by his enthusiasm to interact with his fans . His public image is on top of the world for these methods of staying in contact with the New York Yankees fan base. His love for the game and the fans who share that love with him have enabled his fan base and popularity to spike. After learning about all the things that Hughes does to give back, he soon became one of my favorite players for his willingness to let fans in. This kindness towards fans is uncanny and has distinguished Hughes as one of the good guys in sports. Here's to you Philip Hughes, a man with not only extraordinary talent but an extraordinary heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment