More than a golden arm

Type Aaron Rodgers’ name into YouTube, and a long list appears: unbelievable highlights he’s compiled as the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback, interviews with his girlfriend Olivia Munn, or people talking about him as a football player or Munn’s boyfriend. It takes a little more effort find Rodgers’ personal YouTube channel. But once you do, you’ll find videos of Rodgers spending time with cancer patients or survivors, you’ll find evidence of Rodgers The Human.

In one clip from 2013, Rodgers surprises a young boy named Dijon who had been diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. Dijon is being asked on camera who his favorite team is—he says the Packers. He’s asked who his favorite player on the Packers is—he says Aaron Rodgers. And the second Rodgers’ name escapes Dijon’s mouth, there’s a knock at the door. Dijon is shocked to answer the door for his hero, and the two play football and video games together.

Rodgers’ YouTube channel, called itsaaroncom, is dedicated solely to the children he has met and helped.

Second stop: Green Bay Press Gazette via the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, where Roy Linnane notes that Rodgers has helped to raise over $2 million since May 2010 for Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund (this was written in October 2015, so it’s probably safe to assume Rodgers has raised more in the last year). Linnane asked Rodgers why he’s involved with MACC and helping fight childhood cancer.

“It’s multi-layered for me,” Rodgers told Linanne. “I was able to get to know a young kid with leukemia when I was in junior college and he had a big impact on me. Learning about the stuff he had to go through: weekly checkups and getting his blood drawn, chemotherapy, how it affects families. That had a big impact on me to where I felt if I had the opportunity to use my platform to make a difference for kids, that’s something I really wanted to do.”

Later in the interview, Linnane asks Rodgers about his other charity involvements. And it turns out the difficulty in trying to learn more about Rodgers’ humanitarian side might be intentional on his part—as might be the fact there are only 35 videos on his YouTube Channel, and he hasn’t been active on YouTube in a year.

“I’m involved in more anonymous capacities with a number of organizations,” Rodgers said to Linnane. “I’ve always wanted my involvement to not overshadow the cause so I try and look for opportunities to make an impact without needing to draw attention to yourself. If I’m spending time with organizations or people, it’s not documented; I’m not putting it on Instagram or Twitter. It’s doing it because you want to make an impact, not because you want to get recognition for it.”

So where’s the meaning in all of this? A dichotomous and dynamic human being is not something that’s especially rare, even when that man is one of the best players in the NFL—one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football. What is rare, though, is somebody who delves into the multiple parts living within and lets them breathe for the betterment of other people, whether or not they get recognition for it.

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Rodgers gets recognition for everything. His Hail Mary throws, his relationship with Munn, his non-relationship with his younger brother, Jordan Rodgers, who recently won the latest season of The Bachelorette. Why doesn’t he gain more recognition for helping people? Because fans aren’t entertained by it, or because he doesn’t want you to praise him? Both?

The answer is subjective, and mostly irrelevant. The special experiences Rodgers shares with children, and all people, are fact. Those experiences live with those people, and Rodgers, forever.

Those who need to know Rodgers on that level, do. And really, that’s all that matters.