Recently, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the school’s men’s basketball team, hosted its annual “blue-white scrimmage.” Appearing for the game was a father and son duo, though not one that looked typical for a college game; rather, the duo that caught the eye and warmed the hearts of many there was a man who was obviously fresh off the job from a coal mine with his young son.
The Wildcats’ coach, John Calipari, shared an image of the duo on Twitter, saying:
My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.
From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!!
My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home.
From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son & watch our team. Don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him & his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!! pic.twitter.com/a5BJXUnK2v
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 24, 2022
And while it was the Norman Rockwell-like image of father and son that warmed the heart of Coach Calipari and caused him to offer to treat the two as VIPs next time they come to a Wildcats’ basketball game, it turns out the whole family was there.
The wife and mom of the father and son from the original image went viral posted about the game and the men in her life , saying:
My amazing husband started his day at 4:45 am that morning and worked all day. Then drove straight to the arena to meet us and enjoy the game with our son! We are truly blessed with such an amazing man, and beyond thankful! We love our coal miner.
— EthanLamarUSA (@TheEthanLamar) October 24, 2022
She also said (or at least someone claiming her said, the account is not verified), in a post on Twitter, “This is my Husband Micheal McGuire with our son Easton! Sorry I had to create a new twitter account. Lost access to my old account since I rarely use twitter. We can be reached by Instagram, Facebook or this Twitter account!”
A long day, but good for him for going to such lengths to have a nice moment with a family, and a major shout out to Coach Calipari for turning the moment into a heartwarming, touching one!
Commenters on Twitter also joined in to make the touching moment even better. One, for example, promised to arrange a car service for the two to get to their VIP treatment at a future game, saying:
Provide me with the details and I will arrange car service for the evening. Men likes this are the backbone of America!
Another commenter pushed back on those who were attacking the man for wearing his work clothes to the game, saying:
No leaving early in the energy sector and I bet he worked a long and grueling shift and didn’t have time to get out of his FRs so he could make his boy’s dream come true. He’s a hero. (I went from Due Process Stable to the natural gas fields of Clarksburg)
As could be predicted, however, a number of accounts tried to ruin the moment by attacking the coal industry and cheering “renewables”.
By: Gen Z Conservative
