Call Me a Bromosexual: I Love Drew Brees

Have you ever heard of the term "man crush?" Urbandictionary.com (please do not accidentally click on "man crusties" or "man credit card") defines it as "respect, admiration and idolization of another man. Non-sexual. Celebrities, athletes and rock stars are often the object of the man crush." Chances are, if you have never played fantasy sports, you do not necessarily know what the man crush is. However, examples can be found anywhere you look. Take for example Greg Jaffe's love for Dwight Freeney, Bryan Hamilton's admiration for Stephen Curry, or Ryan Turcotte's dream to be Neil Patrick Harris.

The man crush is planted early in an athlete's career in college, in spring training, training camp, the combine, or the playoffs. You may accidentally stumble on a small article about them in ESPN the magazine or see them on Sportcenter's top plays. You find yourself cheering for these certain players in circumstances where it does not matter if that person's team wins. You may even defend them if you know they are in the wrong. As the man crush deepens, you find yourself taking this person in fantasy drafts way before their actual draft position. The man crush solidifies when this player evolves into one of the best players in the league. Nothing is more devistating than when a buddy of yours takes your man crush in a fantasy draft just before you. As they taunt and tease you, you are thinking about ways to punch them in the pancreas and ultimately, cripple their soul. In essence, what they have done is ruin the next 4 months of your life. Nuclear winter would be a welcome sight if you somehow don't land this player.

If you have known me for more than a week, you should know my man crush is Drew Brees. Not only was he slept on and underrated when he was drafted by SD in 2001, this cat was also S.I.s Sportsman of the Year in 2010, personally helped rebuild N.O. after Katrina, has helped numerous charities, and was named co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. How can you not cheer for this guy? He is the epitome of a leader, a fantastic father, and even has a sense of humor. I contemplate buying NFL League Pass every year just for the chance to see the Saints play every Sunday and he has been my fantasy QB in 8/10 leagues in the past 3 years. Let me give you an example that makes me believe it may gone a little too far and is spiraling downwards to rock bottom. Last week, my loving girlfriend (who acknowledges that she comes second behind Breesus) woke me up to watch him early in the morning...on the Ellen Degeneres Show. Now before you put on the white wig and judge me, please be aware this happened and is further proof of why he's man crush worthy. He is polite in interviews, gracious towards the other team win/lose, and he never loses focus on the big picture. The guy watches endless hours of tape and is constantly adapting throughout a game. Despite being undersized, he is the only voice you can hear calling audibles and reading defenses on Sunday. He is a constant giver on/off the field and never gets on his guys when they run a bad route which leads to a pick. He is what every professional athlete should be.

Other examples of my man crushes include:
NBA
PG Chris Paul
SG Monta Ellis
SF Kevin Durant
PF Josh Smith
C David Lee
MLB
C Buster Posey
2B Chase Utley
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Andre Ethier
NFL
QB Drew Brees
RB Jamaal Charles
WR Roddy White

So, as the NHL, NCAA, NBA seasons are in full effect and the NFL season comes to a close, I propose you take a step back and analyze your man crushes. It doesn't have to be a superstar. However, it should be someone that you have followed since they were relatively unknown to the sports world.

I invite you to post your man crushes in the comments section.