I love rooting for the underdog. There is certainty in being able to cheer on the favourite - you’ve got a higher chance of acheiving your desired outcome. But there is poetic beauty in the people that defy the odds. Those that saw their chances and gambled anyways. Those that knew that they had something that others didn’t see - an insight, a work ethic, a transferrable skill - that would set them apart.
Something special that was overshadowed by the bias of hiring, drafting or team building. Something stupid like requiring a college degree or a pedigree from a certain school. And every time that someone gets shit on by the system AND succeeds in spite of it, it lights me up with joy. The joy that it’s a poetic “fuck you” to a broken system of talent evaluation. To an imperfect hiring process.
And that’s why undrafted free agents are my favourite. Nay, they are ALL of our favourites. Because we all love a good underdog story. For those of you that might not be as fluent in sports analogies as I like to lay on, an undrafted free agent (or UFA) is someone who is not selected in a professional league’s annual entry draft. That means that 30+ different teams, their general managers, their scouting departments and their coaches took a look at them … and said no. They didn’t think that they could help their team. They didn’t think that they could make it in the league. But they got there anyways.
They might have taken the long route - a couple of seasons playing overseas. Or maybe bouncing around on practice squads, in development leagues and the like. But eventually they made it to the league. Through grind, irrational belief and hard work. Through tough introspection and improvement. And of course, with the help of some luck.
So here are three reasons why we all love undrafted free agents:
1/ PEOPLE TOLD THEM NO. AND THEY SAID “YOU’RE WRONG”
By very definition, not a single undrafted free agent heard their name called on draft day. Their phone didn’t ring. They didn’t get recruited. They got cut in tryouts. They got told their not good enough. They probably got encouraged by their family to “get a real job”. Rejection after rejection after rejection.
Being told by the decision makers that they weren’t good enough. Being told by their friends and family that it’s probably not going to happen. But still believing that they could make it. Still putting in the work. Still grinding to get better. Knowing that if they didn’t look like a prototypical draft prospet that they would have to bring something different.
The resilience and confidence to have the professional sports world say no and for them to say “you’re wrong.” You’ve got to fucking admire that.
2/ THEIR MENTAL RESILIENCE
You’re not just born with a strong mindset. It’s built. How? By dealing with tough shit. By getting the living crap kicked out of you, dusting yourself off and getting back up. Mental resilience is a muscle and undrafted free agents are the swolest people in the room. They’ve tasted failure. Rejection. They’ve heard the haters say that they weren’t going to make it. So when they experience that on the professional level, they are ready. They’re willing to take the big shot. They’re willing to go up against the best player in the world.
And if they get schooled, they learn from it and then get up to do it again. Their playing with house money. When others are playing not to lose, they’re playing to win. The mental toughness that you see reminds us all that when you go through shitty moments in life, it’s how you react to them that matters. That lemons can always be turned into lemonade.
3/ IT’S PROOF THAT EFFORT MATTERS
Genetics matter. Where you’re born matters. Your family situation matters. If your parents can afford to pay for private quarterback coaching when you’re 13 years old … that shit matters. But so does effort. Darious Williams is a starting cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams. A couple of years ago, he was a delivery guy for 1-800-FLOWERS. He worked his way up from the practice squad to the starting roster. From picking off a starting quarterback as part of the scout team to playing under the bright lights at SoFi stadium.
When you hear these stories. When you understand where undrafted free agents come from, the lesson that you learn again and again and again is that it’s all about the work they put in. It’s not always hard to put in the work for a day. Or a week. Or a month. But to show up every single day for YEARS. The consistency of effort compounding over time is what brings them success. And the beautiful thing about that is that all of us can put in the work. We can all devote immense consistent effort to what we’re doing. It’s entirely within our control. And that’s fucking magical.
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My favourite player happens to be an undrafted free agent. He was nominated for the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. But he didn’t win. His name is Fred VanVleet. He came up in the Raptors 905 G-League team, balled out there with Pascal Siakam and made his way on to the Raptors squad. He’s not the one sitting with the MVP trophy (that would be the beloved “fun guy” Kawhi Leonard). He’s the one with the stiches on face. Who brought the same grit, resilience and effort required to make it into the NBA to the Raptors championship team. Who was a defensive menace on the best shooter in basketball.
Every time something seems out of your league or a gatekeeper tells you your dream isn’t going to happen, remember Fred VanVleet and bet on yourself.
- Christian