Jimmy G: A Triple Threat

So long as the legend looms long, let's run with a lesson to be learned from the San Francisco Forty Niners' new quarterback: James Richard Garoppolo, aka "Jimmy G." Since the front office of the Niners orchestrated what Forty Niner Faithful are starting to believe might be the greatest trade in the NFL's recent troubled history, tall tales of Jimmy G, like his stock are on the rise. My favorite of the many is from a former teammate who told him "Ah c'mon man, don't even talk to her. You'll break her heart." When I heard this story, I thought to myself: he's a triple threat.

Take one look at the 6'2" quarterback and you might understand why his teammate said what he did and/or where the cliche "tall, dark and handsome" originated. Jimmy G is talented. Since joining the Forty Niners, this team has two of its threw wins of the season. In his first drive as the Niner QB, he threw 1o yards for a touchdown. He's calm, cool and collected in the pocket and a natural leader. He is kind and friendly; he smiles a lot. He looks like much more than the face of a team, he has a face that both men and women can recognize as handsome. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but with Jimmy G, all beholders can reach consensus easily. I thought about these qualities of Jimmy: talented, handsome and kind. Such attributes are earned and unearned, some given others are cultivated. My Sports and Spirituality mind immediately declared a triple threat.

In basketball, a player who can dribble, pass and shoot is known as a triple threat. In football, a triple-threat man is a player who excels at running, passing and kicking. Most sports have their own variation. This idea has caused me to consider what that means in golf  (driving, chipping and putting) and what a triple threat my look like everyone's line of work. A triple threat in teaching might include speaking, questioning and assessing. Coaching might not be all that different. Leading, inspiring and executing? Motivating, teaching and facilitating? Discuss...

But the example of the triple threat I see in Jimmy G is much more holistic. His three outstanding qualities reflect a little more than who he is as a professional athlete. I do not want to divorce that component of his identity from who he is; it is not to be undermined. I also want to recognize a quality like "good looking" isn't something he has had to work at; I call that raw material. Whereas he has developed his talent, or a basketball player works hard to become a good shooter or ball handler, some of our gifts are just that: gifts. Recognize and enjoy! 

Bottom line: the triple threat need not be sport specific. I invite you—the reader—to consider: What three talents or gifts do you have? How might these skills work together for the good? What do they offer your family...your community...your workplace...the world? Name them. Share them. Offer them to your corner of the world. I hope they are met with the same enthusiasm we have around here in San Francisco for our starting quarterback. I'd be more than happy to talk to him...

Photo Credits
TD Jimmy
Press Conference