Here is a thing that Cade Pope, a 12-year-old from Oklahoma, said Tuesday about the power of hand-written letters: “It shows more expression and feelings, rather than typing it on a computer. And it explains a lot more if you actually write it, because you can actually tell what they are trying to say.”
This is a correct and completely true statement. Hand-written letters are ace. Anyway, Cade knew this, so when he decided that he needed to find an NFL team to support, he sat down and wrote a letter.
Well … he wrote a lot of letters.
He wrote letters to every single NFL team, to be more specific.
In a phone interview with The Post, Cade’s mother, Heather, said that it took a little time to get all the notes in the mail. The first batch went out the day after Christmas.
“I am ready to pick an NFL team to cheer on for a lifetime!” Cade wrote, perhaps not realizing what he’s getting himself into here. “I am writing to you and all of the other NFL teams to ask why I should choose your team to become ‘my team.'”
Well, good news for both Cade and fans of letters — earlier this month, he got a response. Yeah! A really good one!
Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson sent a package back to Cade — which included a signed replica helmet, according to the CBS affiliate KOTV. The gesture might have earned Carolina a new fan.
“Cade, we would be honored if our Carolina Panthers became your team,” Richardson wrote. “We would make you proud by the classy way we represent you – you will love Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Cameron Newton, Greg Olsen and all of our players.”
Cade! You will love Cam Newton! Very cool.
“I opened it and my face was just filled with joy,” Cade said. “It was great.”
And it didn’t stop there. Cade also got an email on Tuesday from John York, co-chairman of the San Francisco 49ers, who was born in Oklahoma. Cade’s mother called the note, in which York discussed his experiences trying to pick an NFL team when he was a boy, “very touching.” The family didn’t provide the email to the Post, citing its personal nature.
“I do not yet,” Cade told The Post, when asked if he knew which team he’d pick. “Because there’s still time to go and it is early so, I mean, I’ll give them a little more time. But if none of the others respond, I’m a Carolina Panthers fan.”
See? Never doubt the magic of a hand-written letter.