Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley walks on the floor during media day, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Atlanta. Georgia and Alabama will be playing for the NCAA football national championship on Monday, Jan. 8. (AP Photo/David Goldman)ATLANTA – Calvin Ridley didn’t exactly sidestep the question Saturday morning. Asked whom his mother might root for in Monday night’s College Football Playoff championship game – given that Calvin stars as a wide receiver at Alabama and his younger brother Riley plays the same position for Georgia – the Crimson Tide junior said, “She doesn’t have a favorite.”
But.
“If she had a favorite, it would be him. My younger brothers are pulling for Riley, too.”
This isn’t exactly the Smothers Brothers’ classic comedy routine, “Mom always liked you best.” In fact, there wasn’t an overabundance of humor displayed by either brother during their only large-scale media event prior to the conclusion of the title game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Instead, there was an enlightening glimpse into the mindset too many young athletes are forced to embrace regarding organized sports.