The best motivation for any given athlete is their desire to win. It’s the inherent knowledge that if they don’t win, they will go home empty-handed with nothing to show for their effort and sacrifice. Whether or not that proves to be enough depends on the specific athlete you’re talking about, but the motivation is usually the same.
Unless of course you’re Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, unlike other athletes, has plenty to go home to regardless of whether he wins or loses.
On a completely unrelated note, meet the winner of the 2012 Miss America Pageant: Miss Wisconsin Laura Kaeppeler. During Saturday’s competition, Kaeppeler decided to use her public platform to do something really important – shout out the man who would go on to lose to the New York Giants the very next day.
"If you're watching, Aaron Rodgers," she said, "Call me!"
No doubt most of you sat back and watched the pageant on Saturday night, but for the folks that didn’t, here’s a bit of background on Rodgers’ biggest fan (via AOL Sporting News):
Kaeppeler won the pageant's talent competition with an operatic performance. She also said during the competition her secret wish is to swim with dolphins. (Note the lower-case D—the Miami Dolphins got nowhere near the playoffs.) Wisconsin wasn't the only state whose contestant had an NFL moment. Katie R. Stam of Indiana gushed about her home being host for Super Bowl XLVI.
Kaeppeler said she wants children of incarcerated adults to feel less alone, to have mentoring and as much of a relationship with their parents as possible. "There are many of you out there – and I was one of them – but it doesn't have to define you," Kaeppeler said. "What happened with my father is not what my year is going to be focused on," she said. "It's going to be focused on looking forward and moving to the future because that's what my family has done and that's what I'll encourage others to do, as well." Kaeppeler estimated that there are more than 2 million children with a parent in jail. Kaeppeler's father, Jeff Kaeppeler, told the AP he served 18 months in federal prison for mail fraud,
And here she is living out her moment in the sun:
Will Rodgers call her? Or, now that she’s the bigger winner in this would-be couple, should she be the one to call him? Find out all that and more on the next episode of Keeping Up With The Kaeppelers.
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