Boise State star Ian Johnson weds girlfriend

So for any girl growing up as a sports fan, watching Ian Johnson propose to his girlfriend Chrissy Popadics after scoring the two-point conversion for a victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl was pretty darn romantic. She was completely shocked and completely thrilled.

For those of you that were under a rock during the last bowl season, here’s a video clip to get you up to speed.

Boise State on ABC World News

While we live in a country of many great freedoms, one being the choice to marry whomever we wish it is unfortunate that there are some who can’t see beyond color of skin. In case you couldn’t tell in the above video, Ian Johnson is black and his new wife is white.

It was reported on Wednesday that Ian Johnson had hired security for his wedding because he had been receiving threats in the form of letters and phone calls from people who objected to their marriage.

In my opinion, Johnson handled the matter beautifully. His comments were straight to the point and well said.

“You take it for what it is — the less educated, the less willing to change,” Johnson, 21, of San Dimas, Calif., told the Idaho Statesman for its Tuesday editions. “But we’re not acting like we’re naive to all the stuff that’s going on. We know what’s been said. We’re going to make sure we’re safe at all times. It’s an amazing day for us, and we’d hate to have it ruined by someone.”

“It’s really sad because a lot of people that are probably doing it are the same people who were cheering me on,” Johnson said.

Their wedding which was held yesterday at Cathedral of the Rockies United Methodist Church in Boise went off without any problems and they began their ceremony with a prayer to end prejudice.

How beautiful is that? A couple that has been harrassed by those objecting to their wedding, harrassed by the media for comment was able to rise above and pray for those who, for a lack of a better word, were their enemies.

They ended their ceremony with the African tradition of jumping over the broom to symbolize their new life together.

Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, best of luck and God Bless.

The ESPYS Pt. 1

So it’s almost that time again. That yearly event which makes sports fans giddy with glee. Ok, maybe not but giddy with glee, but watching the ESPYS is 20 times more fun than watching The Grammy’s or some other lame awards show.

What I like about the ESPYS is that they are awarded based on fan votes. There are 19 Best In Sport categories and 17 individual sport categories and two sponosored awards. They will also be presenting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award and the first ever Jimmy V Award for Perserverance. You can cast your vote for the ESPYS here.

I also thought I would take the opportunity to post my votes and just a brief explanation of why I voted for them. My personal selections will be shown in bold and the explanation behind my choice will be below all of the names of the athletes/teams. So check after the page break for the first set of my choices. I will share more of my choices in my next post.