I would venture to say that the average non-Mormon movie goer, without any prior knowledge of what the movie “Meet the Mormons” is really about, but out of curiosity decides to go see it, may at first have some preconceived ideas. No doubt there may be some who may attend expecting the movie to be a media tactic used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to convert more people to Mormonism. However, what they experience from their movie going venture is something far beyond their expectations.
Viewing the Movie through Non-Mormon Eyes
This author has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for over 16 years. Prior to becoming a member, I was born and raised in a Baptist home, and at one time in my life I was studying for the Baptist ministry.
As I sat and watched the movie, I opted to put aside for the duration of the movie, my knowledge about The Church of Jesus Christ and Mormonism, and objectively watch the movie “through the eyes” of that young man of years ago studying to be a Baptist minister who had a limited knowledge of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its beliefs other than what he had learned through brief encounters with Mormon missionaries prior to leaving home for military service.
As I did so, I believe that I was able to gain some insight as to how people of different faiths view Mormons in general. The movie even begins with a brief interview on the streets of New York with people being asked what they knew about Mormons and The Church of Jesus Christ. Their answers were interesting and I am almost certain that as a Baptist, I may have given some similar answers. Their responses also left me with a sense of wonderment as to how effective my own life is in letting people know that I am a Mormon, and not so much through conversation only, but more importantly by putting my beliefs into action.
Viewing the movie through the eyes of a non-member, from beginning to end, I was overwhelmed by the examples that each of the six Latter-day Saints portrayed, and how through those examples there was always the open invitation to everyone to come and “Meet the Mormons” and learn more about who they are. The overarching message of the movie is that Mormons are ordinary people who raise families, work, actively participate in their faith, and face trials and tribulations in life, the same as anyone else.
Not another Sunday Sermon
Some critics of the movie may have expected the movie to have more of a doctrinal flair. Some may have thought that this would be another documentary about Joseph Smith and the history of the Church. Still, others may have expected a more “preachy” tone to the movie – more like an expanded Sunday sermon. However, it is obvious that is not the intent of “Meet the Mormons.” Yes, the movie talks about the importance of faith in each of the character’s lives, but it does so more effectively by demonstrating how their personal faith plays a vital role in each of their lives.
This author believes that one of the main things that makes this movie stand out and capture the attention of viewers is the fact that gospel conversations were able to be held without actually having a conversation riddled with doctrine and gospel principles. I am not saying that is a bad thing, but this movie was a fulfillment of the old adage that people would rather see a sermon than hear one any day. Each of the stories that comprise the movie are mini sermons within themselves without the actual “preaching.” Each story leaves the viewers, regardless of their faith and beliefs, with something concrete to think about.
At no time during the movie are people asked to leave their faith and become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The message that is emphasized is: “We are Mormons. This is what we believe. This is how we live our lives. Our beliefs may be differ from yours, but we are really no different than anyone else.” As the lyrics to the song “Glorious” sung by David Archuleta at the end of the movie exclaim, “It’s like a symphony, just keep listening. And pretty soon you’ll start, to figure out your part. Everyone plays a piece, and there are melodies in each one of us, it’s glorious.”
College and university campuses are filled with students from many diverse cultures and backgrounds. Among those college students there are many who are good looking, and there are many who exhibit intellectual prowess. However, charm and brainpower may not always reside on the same campus with a few rare exceptions.
25 Top Ranked Schools Where Grandeur and Intelligence Combine
According to data collected by Niche (formerly known as College Prowler), an American company headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, that runs a ranking and review site, Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, the largest religious university in the country, is ranked as the top school where students with both beauty and intellect can be found. Other schools which were ranked include liberal arts colleges, large state universities, and everything in between.
The top 25 schools ranked according to Niche’s data are listed in the table below. Also included are student comments which were taken from the Business Insider article titled “25 Colleges Where Students are both Hot and Smart.”
Ranking
Name of School
Student Comments
25
University of Wisconsin – Madison
“I love my dorm neighbor guys. I have a ton of guy friends and guys I can study with. Smart and cute is a great combination!”
24
Middlebury College
“Not only are the people at Middlebury superficially beautiful and fit, but they’re also hard working, brilliant, interesting and engaging individuals who are passionate about something.”
23
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“The people you meet is really up to you. If you’re into Greek people, then you’ll most-likely get upper class, preppy, and sometimes snooty people. If you try to meet others outside of the Greek scene, then you’re most-likely to get a more diverse range of people, which could include people who are nice, geeky, etc.”
22
California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo
“I am generally impressed with the individuals I meet on campus. They are smart, outgoing, and easy to get along with. This goes for both guys and girls.”
21
Bucknell University
“Brains, Brawns, & Bills – Bucknell boys and girls are generally attractive, fit, intelligent, fun, friendly, and wealthy.”
20
Biola University
“Be prepared to think and have more questions than answers. They work you here and you will reevaluate what you believe and why you believe it. This is not a place for indoctrination; this is a place of theological, personal, and intellectual transformation.”
19
Wesleyan University
“Sure there are lots of hipsters, but these hipsters do care about stuff. Stuff ranging from just their clothes to (of course) the environment to philosophy and even math. The social life is hoppin’ every night and most people are friendly. There is a certain amount of pretentiousness but it doesn’t get out of hand. Also, important note: there are so many attractive people (male and female on this campus it’s almost overwhelming… almost).”
18
University of California, Los Angeles
“The students at UCLA are very diverse, but a majority of the students are very attractive, interested in social events and sports, and also very focused on their studies.”
17
University of California, Santa Barbara
“Guys and girls at UCSB have a reputation for being super attractive and smart. There are all kinds of people at UCSB but people tend to dress relaxed and beachy during the day, and casual sexy at night. The culture and location here reflects the way people dress and present themselves.”
16
Wake Forest University
“The typical student is the typical overachiever who is completely stressed during the week but then everyone cuts loose on Wake Wednesdays and the weekend which makes up for the high pressure academically. There is a mix of Southern and Northern brands but definitely buy cowboy boots and bring sundresses/buttondowns and ties for tailgates!”
15
Brigham Young University – Idaho
“The people are conservative in appearance and nature. The girls always wear clothing that is modest, meaning not much skin showing, but are very attractive. The Norm is to be friendly and helpful with everyone. Generally the interests are related to; the outdoors, church, and laser tag.”
14
Miami University – Oxford, Ohio
“Miami, yes, is known for good-looking people, with good reason. Campus guys and girls are generally very attractive and keep themselves up-to-date on the latest trends and fashion. That being said, Miami tends to have a certain stereotype, ‘J.Crew U,’ but it is not uncommon for most students to wear jeans to class.”
13
Yale University
“Not only are they hot, they are smart! I am partial to the people at Yale because the impression that I got was that they were much more down to earth and relaxed than people I’ve been introduced to before.”
12
Boston College
“People at BC are very attractive and very desirable. They’re often the whole package. However, BC is a hookup school, not a dating school. That can be tough in 4 years when all your high-school friends have long-term relationships from college but you graduated single.”
11
University of Miami – Coral Gables, Florida
“Students at Miami are known for being attractive. There are quite a number of students into athletics. However, quite a number of students are also very studious.”
10
Santa Clara University
“All the guys and girls at Santa Clara are super attractive. Everyone is friendly, good looking and intelligent. There are always a few exceptions and you do find some weirdos but in general, people are extremely attractive. My friends and I joke its an admission requirement!”
9
University of Southern California
“I love USC because there is a variety of people who attend. Everyone is an over-achiever but they can also be a great support system.”
8
Howard University
“Howard University, is an HBCU with style, class, personality and diversity. The guys and girls are good looking people, starting with their fashion first. Fashion is a big part of Howard culture meaning that most guys and girls are very fashionable.”
7
Colgate University
“The vast majority of people at Colgate are very well put-together and preppy (and also usually really good looking). Students are also pretty well-rounded and like to participate actively in campus life. Students are hard-working when it comes to classes but they also work pretty hard to keep an active social life!”
6
Vanderbilt University
“You’ll find a lot of different people at Vandy but the majority of girls and guys are preppy and good-looking. We get a lot of northern people and they definitely bring their style down here. Expect Sperry’s, sundresses, pastel polos, and cowboy boots. Despite the ‘Vandy Girl’ stereotype, girls are smart and the fratty boys are smart too. All are friendly!”
5
Stanford University
“There is a HUGE range of people here at Stanford, even more than at most other schools, so unless you’re a recluse and don’t ever get out or do much, you’ll have no trouble finding hotties of every shape, size, talent, hobby, personality, and sexual orientation. Trust me. When I first got into Stanford I was really afraid that everyone here would be a super awkward nerd or a huge snob, but the complete opposite is the case.”
4
Georgetown University
“There’s a sporty atmosphere so quite a few students hit the gym often; however, the library is never empty (and the 2nd floor study space’s coffee shop makes it a social hangout). Most social interactions take place through clubs and campus groups (ask any Georgetown student what they’re involved in on-campus and you’ll get a list of at least 4 clubs and/or a sports team). The campus groups are often the ones hosting the parties, but at the same time, they give you a chance to know guys and girls pretty well through daytime activities.”
3
University of Virginia
“UVA has a lot of very, very attractive people. It has a reputation for having students that are stuck up, but that’s surprisingly not the case. The fact that people here are ridiculously good looking has not made them jerks. Most people are down to earth and friendly.”
2
Pacific Union College
“Because we are such a diverse school, you will find guys and girls from all over the world. This just allows you to go out of your dating comfort zone, you are to open to a ton of new cultures. You are never limited to the kind of people you can date.”
1
Brigham Young University – Provo, Utah
“Mormons are attractive. I don’t know why but they are. And smart. Everyone is hot and smart here and it’s crazy! They can come off as a little judgmental, but most of them aren’t, they just seem like it because they’re stereotyped that way.”
Someone has wisely said, “Beauty alone is not impressive. Put an Attitude to be attractive and add Brain to be sophisticated.” This is a statement that is sincerely echoed by the students attending the top 25 schools that have been ranked as having students who are both good looking and intellectual.
Kenneth Va’a Niumatalolo, an American football coach and former player, was born on 8 May 1965 to Lamala and Simi Niumatalolo in Laie, Honolulu County, Hawaii. He was the fifth of seven children. Both of his parents were born in American Samoa. His father, Simi, retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and later worked in food services at the Polynesian Cultural Center. His mother, Lamala, passed away on Thursday, 5 September 2013.
Niumatalolo was promoted to Head Football Coach at the United States Naval Academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, on 8 December 2007 by Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. He is the second person of Polynesian descent to be named head coach of a NCAA Division I Footbal Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football program and the first Samoan collegiate head coach on any level. He was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on 23 January 2014 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
From Starting Quarterback to Promising Coaching Career
Niumatalolo graduated from Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1983. During his high school days he exhibited his prowess in athletics by excelling in both basketball and football.
After high school, he attended the University of Hawaii in Manoa where he played college football and eventually became the starting quarterback for the Rainbows (now the Rainbow Warriors) after returning from a two-year full-time Spanish speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Ventura, California, area. During his time with the Rainbows he ran an option-oriented offense under the direction of Paul Johnson, who was then the offensive coordinator, and led the team to their first postseason bowl game in 1989. After graduating from the University of Hawaii, Niumatalolo stayed on as a graduate assistant under Coach Johnson, and by 1992, he had been promoted to the full-time assistant position.
United States Naval Academy Football – The Beginning Years
In 1995, Coach Paul Johnson left Hawaii to become the offensive coordinator at Navy and took Niumatalolo with him as his running back coach. The following season, Johnson left the Naval Academy to take a head coaching position at Georgia Southern, and Niumatalolo was elevated to take his position. During his time as offensive coordinator, he tutored quarterback, Chris McCoy, who in 1997, set a Division I-A record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 20 touchdowns. The record would not be broken until a decade later, in 2007, by Florida’s Tim Tebow. On 12 December 2009, at the annual Army-Navy football game, Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs reclaimed the record with 24 touchdowns in the 2009 season.
Niumatalolo left the Naval Academy in 1999 to become an assistant coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for three seasons (1999-2001). While there, he called the plays (2001) and worked with the kickoff return unit. Under his guidance, UNLV ranked sixth in the nation in kickoff returns in 2001 and finished second in 1999.
Return to the Naval Academy and Ready for Action
In 2002, Coach Paul Johnson returned to Navy as the head coach and hired Niumatalolo as his offensive line coach. Niumatalolo soon proved himself when in four of his first five seasons he established a rushing attack that led NCAA Division I-A/FBS in yards per game, which included an unparalleled three consecutive seasons (2004 – 2006) of leading the nation in that category. In 2008, Navy once again led the nation in the number of yards per game with an average of 292.4 yards per game on the ground.
The rushing attack strategy which Niumatalolo had established helped Navy football to realize a level of success that it had not seen in decades. With Johnson as the head coach and Niumatalolo as the offensive line coach, Navy maintained a record of 45-29 and appeared in a bowl game every year from 2003 through 2007, Johnson’s last season in Annapolis. During the same period, the Midshipman won the coveted Commander-in-Chief’s trophy every year.
Coach Johnson left the Naval Academy for Georgia Tech in 2007, and Niumatalolo became the 38th head football coach in Naval Academy history when he was promoted to the position by Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk on 8 December 2007. On 7 January 2009, Niumatalolo was given a contract extension, although the terms and length of the extension have not been released to the public.
With Coach Niumatalolo at the helm, commencing with the 2008 season, the Navy football team has continued their run of success and have been able to accomplish things that have never been done in the 132-year history of the Navy football program. According to his profile on Navy Sports, the official website of Naval Academy athletics:
Niumatalolo’s 49 wins are the most in school history by a coach in his first six years and rank third all-time at Navy, just six wins behind the all-time leader George Welsh.
He led Navy to a 10-win season in 2009, which tied for the most wins in school history, and he is the first coach in program history to lead Navy to a bowl game in each of his first three seasons. He is also the first Service Academy coach to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy in his first two years as a head coach.
This past fall, Niumatalolo was selected to the inaugural class of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame and was inducted on January 23 in Honolulu.
Niumatalolo is just the second coach since World War II to lead Navy to a winning record in each of his first three seasons at the helm and joins Eddie Erdelatz and Wayne Hardin as the only Navy coaches to beat Notre Dame in consecutive seasons. He and Paul Johnson are the only coaches in Academy history to start their careers 6-0 against Army.
Navy finished the 2013 campaign with a 9-4 record, won the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the ninth time in the last 11 years, qualified for a bowl game for the 10th time in the last 11 years, won a bowl game for just the eighth time in school history (beat Middle Tennessee, 24-6, in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl) and defeated Army for a series-record 12th-consecutive year. The 2013 squad is just the fifth in Navy history to win at least nine games in a season, beat Army and win a bowl game. The 1957, 1978, 2004 and 2009 teams are the only other teams to have achieved that feat.
Highlights of his first season as head coach (2008) include: an upset in Winston-Salem over #16 Wake Forest, 24–17, the Midshipmen’s first victory over a ranked team in 23 years, and a 34–0 shutout victory over Army. Other Highlights of Niumatalolo’s career as head coach at Navy include:
Navy has defeated Army every season (six times). The Midshipmen have won 12 straight Army–Navy Games which is the longest winning streak for either Navy or Army.
The Midshipmen captured the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in 2008, 2009 and 2012, with an outright capture of the trophy in 2013 when they defeated the Army football team with a score of 34–7.
The Midshipmen have had five winning seasons. They have played in 5 bowl games during Niumatalolo’s tenure, and were victorious in the 2009 Texas bowl and the 2013 Armed Forces Bowl.
Navy defeated longtime rival Notre Dame in 2009 and 2010. This was the first time that Navy has defeated Notre Dame since 1963.
For the Love of Family
Coach Niumatalolo and his wife Barbara live in Annapolis, Maryland and have 3 children, a daughter, Alexcia, and sons, Va’a and Ali’i. He and his wife first met at a dance when she was a student at BYU-Hawaii and he was recently returned from his mission in Ventura, California.
His son, Va’a Niumatalolo, is a 2011 graduate of Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Maryland. While there, the 6’1”, 226 pound athlete demonstrated his own sports prowess on the football field by playing the position of Inside Linebacker for the Broadneck Bruins. He is currently a freshman at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he plays the position of Linebacker for the BYU Cougars. Va’a is also an Eagle Scout and served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ in St. George, Utah.
Ali’i Niumatalolo is currently a junior at Broadneck High School. The 6’2’, 226 pound athlete is also making a name for himself as a Middle Linebacker for the Broadneck Bruins’ varsity football team.
Alexcia Niumatalolo, the oldest of the children, was enrolled in the College of Letters and Sciences while attending the University of Maryland. She is also a star athlete in the sport of lacrosse. It is noted that she chose the University of Maryland because she wanted to play for the most prestigious lacrosse team in the country and also because of the excellence of the coaching staff. While at Maryland she played the position of starting defender for the Maryland Terrapins and was recognized as a Division 1 Athlete.
Her father states that she showed an interest in sports at an early age. She did not start playing lacrosse until her freshman year at Broadneck High School, but it was the fundamentals that her extremely competitive father helped develop at home that paved the way for her future success. He further commented:
I didn’t want to push her, but I wanted her to play sports,” Ken said. “Thankfully for her, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed playing basketball and soccer and always wanted a ball in her hands. … She was always very athletic, even at a young age – things kind of came naturally to her.
Alexcia further commented, “He would coach me all the time and set up drills for me. Everything with him was always competition.”
Faith Precedes Football
Coach Niumatalolo is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his family are members of the Broadneck Ward of the Annapolis Maryland Stake.
The day that he was named head coach at Navy, his life and that of his family dramatically changed, in that they went from living in a humble home on the Naval Academy grounds to a more spacious home which was once occupied by some of his predecessors. However, the success that Niumatalolo has been able to achieve has not deterred him from living a life that is based on faith and gospel principles, and it is also that faith and those principles which he uses as the patriarch of his home to help keep his family well grounded.
My number one title is not the head football coach at the Naval Academy, my number one title is being a husband and a father. I read all the time about guys monitoring their players and stuff and I think that’s fine, making sure they’re going to class and all those things. That’s important. I’ve always thought, if you’re monitoring your players 24 hours a day, who’s monitoring your own family? Who’s watching your own kids? I make sure that we’re not burning the midnight oil here. I feel like we can be efficient in our work hours here. We’re probably more of an early morning staff, guys get here a little bit earlier but I want guys to go home after practice. I want them to go home and see their families. They can do their recruiting stuff at home.
I go to conventions all the time and I hear all these coaches talk about some of the regrets they’ve had in their careers, and these are all great coaches that have accomplished a lot of great things, and a lot of them mention, “I wish I’d spent more time with my family.” I don’t want that regret. I’d rather at the end of the day look yourself in the mirror and be like, “You know what? I was able to be a father and a husband.” And I want my coaches to have that same opportunity. To me, family time is very important. I’ve always taken this approach: if it takes you 24 hours to watch tape and you’ve been in the film room all day, how are your kids going to figure it out in a 45 minute meeting? You’ve just got to make sure it’s not that complicated, try to keep things simple. Don’t get me wrong, we’re working. We work early. I want to make sure our guys are efficient and go home and be a father and a husband.
Missionary work is near and dear to Coach Niumatalolo’s heart and he is often asked questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which he is always ready and willing to answer. However, he does not believe in forcing his beliefs on anyone, especially players.
Being the head coach you have a captive audience, but it would not be right for me to push anything besides the principles of teaching and coaching football to my players. They can believe in what they choose. We all have free agency. I try to be an example,” he said. “That is the way I approach things.
He further commented that if an LDS young man were to ask him advice about whether or not he should pray about serving a mission, his response would be:
Why do you need to pray? The Lord has already told you through his servants what you are supposed to do – you are supposed to go. Prepare yourself and when you are 19, you go. Now, if someone is praying to confirm a mission call, that’s different. That’s good. But confirmation about going on a mission, you don’t need to pray. The answer is yes, so prepare yourself. That is how I feel.
Niumatalolo believes that putting the Lord first and listening to the voice of the Spirit are the real keys to success. He begins each day by reading and studying from the Book of Mormon. In addition to personal scripture study, he also admonishes that devotion to family, church service, and living the gospel have played a major part in his being able to handle the stress and rigors of being a college football coach for almost two decades. As head coach at Navy, he made the surprising decision to cancel all staff meetings on Sundays.
Ken Niumatalolo will be one of six Latter-day Saints who will be featured in the new feature-length film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called “Meet the Mormons” which will premiere in select theaters on 10 October 2014.
On the evening of Wednesday, 25 June 2014, viral YouTube sensation, Lindsey Stirling, an American violinist, dancer, performance artist, and composer, performed at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center. During the event hosted by the Washington D.C. North Mission and the visitors’ center, Stirling a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of her faith and demonstrated her music prowess by playing her violin.
Stirling, who is well known for her amazing choreographed violin performances, both live and in music videos found on her YouTube channel, was a quarter-finalist in 2010 on season five of America’s Got Talent, where she became well-known as the hip-hop violinist. Since then, she has released two studio albums – a self-titled album, Lindsey Sterling, in 2012, and her newest release, Shatter Me, which reached number 2 in America and was nominated for Top Electronic/Dance album at the 2014 Billboard awards.
She has also released an EP and several singles. Her repertoire includes a variety of music styles ranging from classical to pop and hip-hop to electronic dance music with original scores, as well as covers of songs by other musicians and various soundtracks. Her music video “Crystallize” was ranked as the eighth-most watched video in 2012, and her cover version of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” with Pentattonix won Response of the Year in the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013. As of June 2014 her YouTube channel has more than five million subscribers and 675 million total views with 100 posted videos.
During the event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, Stirling performed “Shatter Me,” the title song of her second album. According to Stirling’s twitter account, the song, which was released in April 2014, quickly rose to the top of the charts and became the No. 1 album on AmazonMP3 and iTunes. In a recent video, Adweek featured her in a video in which she relates how her videos have gone viral on YouTube.
Stirling performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2013 and this summer she will be touring the United States and Canada.
The name Jabari Parker is well-known in the sports arena. The Chicago-born, 6’8”, 235 pound, all-star athlete will long be remembered for his basketball prowess at Chicago’s Simeon Career Academy. While attending Simeon, he quickly gained the favor of several recruiters, and in fact was a top recruit in the class of 2013, when he became the second player in the history of Illinois high school basketball to start on four state championship teams. After incisive deliberation, he made the decision to play for the Duke University Blue Devils. In an interview with DukeBluePlanet in July 2013, Parker was asked why he chose Duke University to which he responded,
I chose Duke because I thought it was the perfect fit for me. The student population is very tight. It’s a family-oriented community. It’s very nice and diverse and a community that will prepare me for the real-world someday.
The Key Players Who Have Influenced His Basketball Career
My greatest influence basketball-wise is probably my father because he played in the NBA and I’m trying to get to where he has been. He played in college at Texas A&M. Just seeing what he did in college, I think that he made a real big impact and I’m trying to live up to his expectations and what he did.
Being around Coach K, I just want to pick his brain as much as possible. He has a lot of knowledge, a lot on his resume. I’m trying to get to where he has been and accomplish at least 25% of what he has done. His knowledge and love of the game at his age is real rare. Hopefully I can do half as much for him as he will do for me because that’s going to be a lot. He’s going to do more than I expect because, you know, he’s Coach K.
What impressed me most about Coach were his experiences and relationships with his players and how he wants them to be a part of the program forever. He wants them to come back. That’s real big on my end because it’s a family.
A Humble Giant among Men
Although Parker is a basketball phenom, he has not allowed the stardom and recognition to discredit his true character. To understand who the real Jabari Parker is, a person would need understand the things that matter the most to him, namely his family and his faith.
He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attests that it is his faith that has helped him to remain level headed and well grounded, thus keeping his head in the “real” game. Because of his strong faith and unfailing support from his family, he has been able to accept all of the recognition that he receives with great humility. In the May 21, 2012, issue of Sports Illustrated which had a feature article on Parker, he was quoted as saying, “Basketball is what I do, it’s not who I am.” During the interview with DukeBluePlanet he was asked to elaborate on his comment:
At the end of the day, being a good person is more important than basketball because you are only going to be remembered by what you do and how you carry yourself. You can be the most amazing athlete in the world, but if you’re not there for people and you’re not there for your community, your family, then what is your worth? That’s what separates the greatest from the average people. That little bit of selflessness, that character. I want to live my life not as Jabari Parker the basketball player, but as Jabari Parker the good guy, the helpful guy.
Staying True to the Home Team
Although Parker has achieved status as an outstanding basketball player and has been afforded many opportunities, he has not forgotten his real roots. He still considers Chicago to always be his home base, as it is there where it all began. He realizes, especially growing up on the South Side of Chicago, that the city is incessantly represented in the news media in a negative light. He has stated that he wants to be that person who helps to shed more light on the positive and help to eliminate the focus on the negativity.
Oh Chicago is the best. That’s the reason that I am the person that I am now. The hard-nosed style of basketball that we play around the city is from the community that I represent. Being from the South Side, I want to make a positive impact as much as possible. You see on CNN, they talk about the crime rate, there is a lot of negativity. I want to be as positive an influence as possible and be that guy who helps the city be looked at in the right way.
When he is off the court, Parker describes himself as a “relaxed cool guy.” He says that he enjoys being around different types of people and getting to know more about them, as they learn more about him. He also loves music. One of his future goals is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, his immediate goal and purpose in life is to have a positive impact both on and off the court. There is no doubt that Jabari Parker is a name that people will be hearing for some time to come. The video below highlights the first 18 years of his remarkable life and career.
As I sat and watched the movie, I opted to put aside for the duration of the movie, my knowledge about The Church of Jesus Christ and Mormonism, and objectively watch the movie “through the eyes” of that young man of years ago studying to be a Baptist minister who had a limited knowledge of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its beliefs other than what he had learned through brief encounters with Mormon missionaries prior to leaving home for military service.
Some critics of the movie may have expected the movie to have more of a doctrinal flair. Some may have thought that this would be another documentary about Joseph Smith and the history of the Church. Still, others may have expected a more “preachy” tone to the movie – more like an expanded Sunday sermon. However, it is obvious that is not the intent of “Meet the Mormons.” Yes, the movie talks about the importance of faith in each of the character’s lives, but it does so more effectively by demonstrating how their personal faith plays a vital role in each of their lives.
Although Parker is a basketball phenom, he has not allowed the stardom and recognition to discredit his true character. To understand who the real Jabari Parker is, a person would need understand the things that matter the most to him, namely his family and his faith.
Although Parker has achieved status as an outstanding basketball player and has been afforded many opportunities, he has not forgotten his real roots. He still considers Chicago to always be his home base, as it is there where it all began. He realizes, especially growing up on the South Side of Chicago, that the city is incessantly represented in the news media in a negative light. He has stated that