Dexter Fowler: Great athlete, better person

 

 

Dexter Fowler is a champion.

Alongside the 2016 Chicago Cubs and the former 1908 Cubs, he'll forever be a Chicago Cubs World Series Champion. Go Cubs, Go!

Fowler made history in his first at-bat of the Fall Classic as the first black player to play for the Cubs in a World Series. Six eventful games later, Fowler made history yet again as the first player to lead off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run.

You don't have to don the red and blue, fly the W or consider yourself one of #FowlersHowlers to have known these facts… but it's who Fowler is off the field, the Fowler you might not know, that makes him a true champion.

The former Modesto Nuts OF makes it a point to make a difference, especially in his communities. Notable for his interaction with fans on social media, acknowledgment of his Fowler's Howlers and continuous charitable work, Fowler is the epitome of an athlete that gives back.

 

Just last August, long before the champagne showers, Fowler and the Fowler's Howlers organization partnered with Pay Away the Layaway-a nonprofit group-to surprise 43 families by paying off their layaway balances for back-to-school supplies.

He recognizes that baseball, or sports in general, is a platform for more than entertainment.

During his days with Denver and the Colorado Rockies, Fowler started a charity with his wife, Aliya, called "Dexter Fowler's Leadoff Leaders." That year, on a Thursday in June, the charity hosted three children from the Starlight Children's Foundation and their "leaders" for an afternoon at Coors Field. When the 2013 offseason hit, the giving continued. Fowler used Twitter during that time to raise roughly $15,000 for an organization that provides civil legal aid to those in need, such as battered women, homeless veterans and seniors without retirement.

But wait, there's more.

Dexter Fowler is a committed Christian. According to MLB.com, Fowler practices tithing-when one tenth of your annual earnings are given to the church-and with a Major League salary, one tenth makes an impact.

What's not to like about this guy? A world champion with a contagious smile and an act for giving.

Before the NLCS when Fowler and the Cubs broke the hearts of LA Dodgers fans, he gave each of his teammates a pair of Air Jordans. At the beginning of the Cubs historic season, long before arguably the greatest game in playoff history, he gave skipper Joe Maddon two bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch.

Fowler had one of the bottles for Maddon engraved with the team's mantra, "Embrace the Target," and the other remained blank until after the World Series victory.

Fowler had the latter engraved to say, "108 Years Later. Fly the W. 2016" with a "W" flag beneath it. Not just for Maddon, however… 108 bottles were ordered for teammates, coaches and Cubs' staff. A fitting number.

 

 

"I've been waiting to engrave Coach's blank bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label since the beginning of the season, and here it is," Fowler wrote in a Facebook post. "We are celebrating. This one is for you Chicago."

Chicago fans can celebrate the end of what was said to be the curse of the billy goat and relish in the fact they are World Series Champions. Nothing can take that away from them.

But let's also celebrate Dexter Fowler and all that he represents. A champion.