If you ask just about any person alive today, they’ll tell you the last thing they want is people wearing shirts, jackets or any other attire with their deceased, airbrushed face on it after they have passed. Firstly, these tributes always look ridiculous. Secondly, most folks don’t wish for that kind of attention, even from beyond the grave. And that brings us to the Utah #22forever helmets.
Look, I get that the loss of Aaron Lowe and Ty Jordan had a massive impact on the Utah Utes football team. I also understand the need for the team to mourn their deaths. But c’mon. These helmets aren’t the way to do it.
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Let’s start with something very important. Football is the ultimate team game. The team is put above all. No player would ever want to be placed above it in the manner Lowe and Jordan are on the Utah #22forever helmets. It would most likely make them feel uncomfortable.
Extending that thought even further, this kind of tribute is less about the deceased but those who knew them. There are much more meaningful and powerful ways to pay respects to fallen loved ones than this. Because this, like it or not, is an attention grab. The Utes can frame it however they please, but the helmets scream, “Look at me, I miss my brothers.”
But if your goal is to celebrate someone’s life and pay tribute to their contributions, don’t make it about yourself. Wearing their likeness isn’t about them at all. It’s about you and your needs. And that is selfish.
The #22forever hand-painted helmet will debut on 10.15.2022. #LLTJ #LLAL pic.twitter.com/2pEkC9bjLE
— UtesEquipment (@UtesEquipment) August 29, 2022
We should go return to the point made at the start of the video as it ties into that last thought. The Utah #22forever helmets look bad. Frankly, they are tacky. Like something you would see on the back of a pickup truck. No one wants to be memorialized in this manner and doing so is selfish.
Death is a crappy reality of life. But it’s incredibly important we all remember how we feel alive when mourning and paying tribute to those no longer with us. Because most of us wouldn’t want our airbrushed photos plastered random apparel. In fact, the majority of people prefer their friends and family move on and live their own lives the best they can.
Utah, please don’t wear the #22forever helmets.
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