The big day is finally upon us.
We've fantasized about the pomp and circumstance of this royal occasion for weeks. We've been inundated with interviews and commentary about this once-in-a-lifetime April day. Some of us even feared this day wouldn't come.
Now, we're just days away from watching another future king dress up in his suit and kiss his destiny.
Grab the popcorn and pigskin. It's time for the NFL draft!
Yippeee!!!
This is a love story, but not the sugary-sweet kind involving William and Kate.
It involves football fans, players, parents and all those who still believe in the magic of watching dreams come true.
Never has any NFL draft been so anticipated. Football fans have been beaten over the head in the past few months with mind-numbing information about the NFL lockout. Last month, rumors swirled there would be no draft until NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah confirmed a boycott for incoming rookies was false.
The boycott idea wouldn't have worked anyway.
This is a day for celebration, not condemnation.
"I never had a doubt in my mind that if I got called I was going," former Florida lineman Mike Pouncey told me a few weeks ago.
Pouncey is boarding a plane today and flying to his future at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. He'll be sitting in the green room with his parents, brother, friend and former Gators teammate Aaron Hernandez, former Gators assistant coach Steve Addazio and his agent on Thursday.
The NFL draft day dream doesn't belong to Mike Pouncey alone.
"It just seems like it takes forever to get here," said 21-year-old Pouncey.
His words reflect the true mentality of a young person — excited and impatient.
But if you place yourself in his large shoes for a moment, it has been a long journey. Like Pouncey, most of these young men visualized walking toward the podium, shaking hands with the NFL commissioner and putting on the hat since their Pee Wee football days.
It's like a bride walking to the altar, embracing her groom and slipping on her ring.
These are ceremonious days built on the hopes of little boys and girls. They remind us of why it's important to have dreams and, even better, to celebrate them when they come true.
Pouncey got a taste of that a few months ago when he and his family flew to Dallas to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. His twin brother, Maurkice Pouncey, wanted to play, but an injury prevented that opportunity.
Maurkice can try for another Super Bowl championship. The same can't be said for the NFL draft.
Like the wedding for a future king, this is a one-time coronation.
It's easy to lose sight of the true happiness of this moment if we meditate on the coldness of the sports business and the ugliness it can extract.
We see it in the Brandon Marshall stories. We see it in the nasty contract feuds. We saw it with this lockout.
But for a moment, let's remember this day isn't just about money.
Although the NFL lockout has been lifted, there is no certainty about what the future holds.
Like William and Kate, these rookies are taking a leap of faith into the unknown with the hope that everything will be fine.
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