Receiving a hand-written letter is special, which is something 12-year-old Cade Pope knows well.
“It shows more expression and feelings, rather than typing it on a computer,” Cade recently told The Washington Post. “And it explains a lot more if you actually write it, because you can actually tell what they are trying to say.”
Cade, an Oklahoman, doesn’t have a home football team but he wanted one to root for. His solution: He took pencil to paper and wrote every National Football League (NFL) team with a very important question.
“I’m ready to pick an NFL team to cheer on for a lifetime,” Cade wrote. “I am writing to ask why I should choose your team to become ‘my team.’”
He received a handwritten response and a signed helmet from Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
“Cade, we would be honored if our Carolina Panthers became your team,” Richardson wrote. “We would make you proud by the classy way we would represent you.”
“I opened it and my face was just filled with joy,” Cade said.
He told the Post he doesn’t know which team he’ll pick. “There’s still time to go. But if none of the others respond, I’m a Carolina Panthers fan.”