The title of the book has less to do with how he fought his disease than about how Walter Payton played football, and more importantly how he lived. Sweetness wasn t the biggest running back to ever play pro football, or the fastest. He wasn t the strongest, or even the highest paid. His conditioning regimen was famous, routinely running up hills that most mere mortals wouldn t even try to climb. Before he became a champion, he played for some pretty sad Bears teams, but Walter never gave up.
Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.
Even during those years, everything Walter did he did as well as he could, whether that was running, blocking, receiving, passing, or just making the most believable fakes you ve ever seen. I said earlier that Walter taught me a lot, even though I never met the man. Before he became the best , made the Hall of Fame, wrote a book, or passed away, he taught me the value of dedication and determination. Whether or not anyone recognizes your efforts or even appreciates it, you ve always got to try, to do your very best, then try harder, and do some more. I ll never play pro football, nor would I even want to.