Jesse Joyner, PhD

My childhood athletic hero is Cal Ripken, Jr. I had the privilege of going to Baltimore as a child and watching him play many times. Today, he and Tony Gwynn were elected into the Hall of Fame, baseball’s most distinguished honor. Whereas baseball has gone through strikes and steroid abuse, Ripken and Gwynn have been enduring role models of integrity, work ethic, and sportsmanship. Both played for the same team for twenty years (only 16 total players can claim such devotion to one team). Ripken is a two-time winner of the MVP (1983 and 1991) and he was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1982. He holds the record for the most consecutive games played (over 2,600). This is a man who went to work everyday for twenty years, and he still gives back to the community in many ways today. Congrats Cal Ripken, Jr. Congrats Tony Gwynn. May there be more professional athletes like yourselves.