NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Tennessee Titans selected Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and with that will come the normal side glances and questions of whether he will be a bust or not. However, with his selection, there may also come a bit of hate, and that’s not his fault.
It’s no secret that this Draft had a heavy focus on another QB, Shedeure Sanders. And with Sanders not being selected early, especially in the first 10 picks, there will be some hardcore fans of Sanders who will take their frustration out on Ward. Sorry, but that’s not fair at all.
It’s one thing to dislike a player based on a team-related rivalry, however, it’s another to just hate on a player because you feel that he took the spot of another. Ward deserved to go No.1, even if the Tennessee Titans selected Sanders, Ward was still a debatable option.
There should be no one looking for Cam Ward to fail. What did he do to warrant such disgust? It’s possible for Ward to have success and Sanders to have his. At the end of the day, it’s another two black QBs fulfilling their dreams to play in the NFL.
What those fans can look at is the friendship that they share. During the process of leading up to the Draft, there were countless videos of Sanders and Ward working out together. Nothing was forced; they are friends. But in the time of social media and the world being split, those same people watching them will try to find a way to like one and dislike the other.
It’s cool to root for both players. It’s okay to like Sanders and not throw shade at Ward. It’s okay to like Ward and not throw shade at Sanders. The media will do their job of praising one and casting out the other. However, we don’t need to fall into that trap.
The Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns will face each other soon enough, that’s when you let the die-hard, crazy fans come out. Now, this could become a rivalry if both QBs do their jobs, respectively, on the field. But to make this out to be something that it’s not is not fair to either of these young men.
If the NFL or an advertising company is smart, they will continue to build on their close bond. A commercial showcasing both their personalities in the same way they did before the Draft. All QBs drafted in the same year will be compared, dissected, and graded according to how they perform. It’s the way society and the game are. But still, knocking one because you want the other to thrive is nonsense. There’s enough room in the league for both of these young men to thrive.
