Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s most valuable player. He’s the best player in the game. And he also has earned recognition from beyond the boundaries of his sport.
Time has named Mahomes one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The designation comes with a short essay from Peyton Manning.
“Patrick is setting new bars,” Manning wrote. “All these young players around the country are trying to imitate his sidearm throws and incredible plays. But I hope they know he’s also an incredibly hard worker. He appreciates the cerebral part of the game. And he understands his platform, as the MVP quarterback of the Super Bowl–winning team.”
Let’s take it a step farther. Mahomes is the Michael Jordan of the NFL. He has changed the way the game is played. He has made conventional and predictable the various unconventional and unpredictable things quarterbacks used to do.
He has shown young players that they can play the position in a way it has never been played. It will prompt a new generation to try to do what Mahomes has done. And it will create, hopefully, a new generation of players like Mahomes, who will unlock and develop a new set of skills that will be brought to the table, in future years.
That’s where Mahomes has his greatest influence on the game. There’s another important way he has influenced the sport. Six years after he became a surprise top-10 pick when the Chiefs traded up to get him, Mahomes has never changed. He’s still the kid he was in 2017. He’s polite, respectful, humble, down to earth.
Superstardom has not caused him to act like a superstar. That’s a quality that hopefully will have influence far beyond football.
