The Philosophers Playground

Jalen the Stoic

You don’t see Philosophers roaming the streets anymore like you did back in the 1st century. It’s likely because the subject isn’t really taught in schools anymore — which is likely a bigger issue than we realize but that’s for another time.

Philosophy in the NFL is usually discussed in terms of strategy and coaching style. Bill Belichick’s philosophy is to take away your greatest strength and highlight your weaknesses. Andy Reid’s philosophy is to build through a good offensive and defensive line. Doug Peterson’s philosophy is to be aggressive, especially on 4th down. But rarely do we hear of philosophy in terms of coaches and players understanding themselves and the world around them.

Of late, Stoicism, specifically Ryan Holiday’s book, “The Obstacle is the Way”, has infiltrated NFL and college locker rooms including the Patriots, Saints and Alabama football. However, when athletes are asked by reports about a game — a great opportunity to project one’s personal philosophy — most are coached to give a scripted answer; repeat the question, give your opponent credit, and then talk about the team instead of yourself. Occasionally you’ll get an athlete that goes off script, giving the world what we’re looking for, a sound bite. And it usually doesn’t put the athlete in a good light.

And then there’s Jalen Hurts. Like many athletes, Jalen has gone through a lot to get to the point where he is. We all know about his benching at halftime of the National Championship game.

How did he respond?

You don’t need to be a psychologist to see that his response was genuine.

Then he transferred to a new team, with a new system, and new teammates. His response? He handled only what he could control and threw for a career high 32 TDs and 3851 passing yards. He even led the nation in passing yards per attempt over Joe Burrow, who put up one of the best college seasons in the history of the game.

The result? He watched 52 guys get drafted ahead of him, only to be drafted by a team with an MVP caliber QB already on the squad. Philly fans couldn’t understand why we would waste a draft pick in the 2nd round for another QB — off with Howie’s head!

However, all of this was out of Jalen’s control and he knew it. So he kept his head down and put in the work.

After an injury to Carson Wentz, Jalen was finally inserted into the starting role with mixed results. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about him after the season. No one was. I didn’t even draft him in my dynasty league the following year because I wasn’t sure he was the Eagles long term solution.

And I’m not the only one.

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Jalen’s not trying to get back at this reporter or prove anyone wrong. He truly doesn’t care about your opinion. He never cared. Your opinion is out of his control and he understands that he can only impact the things that he has control over: his mind and effort.

His approach to adversity is reflected in his quotes, which align with Stoic principles. For example, Hurts has said, “You can’t control everything in life, but you can control how you react,” echoing Epictetus’ statement, “We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.” Hurts has also been quoted to say “success is a journey, not a destination,” a sentiment shared by Marcus Aurelius.

Win or lose, Jalen is always on script — the one he’s been writing himself for decades.

Jalen Hurts is a modern day philosopher.

Post-Super Bowl edit: Jalen’s words after losing the Super Bowl, “You either win or you learn. It’s something that I know will motivate me”, naturally fit Marcus Aurelius’ quote, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

The journey continues…

Here are more examples of Jalen Hurts’ quotes with corresponding Stoic quotes.

On Embracing Challenges and Growth:

On Focusing on the Present Moment:

On Preparation and Hard Work:

  • Jalen Hurts: “The work will always shine through if you’re willing to be patient and trust the process.” ​quotesanity.com+5theenemyofaverage.com+5lifesuccessjournal.com+5
  • Epictetus: “No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.” ​

On Resilience and Perseverance:

On Self-Belief and Purpose:

Marcus Aurelius: “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”

Jalen Hurts: “I had a purpose before everybody had an opinion.” ​Smash Negativity+1en.wikiquote.org+1

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