Originally published at: CAF Athlete Featured in Super Bowl Ad - Slowtwitch News
Photo: Kristi Mickey
I was the first journalist to refer to Elijah Schultz as a superhero, but when I described him that way during an interview, his father couldn’t help but agree with the analogy.
“I’ve often thought about Eli that way – when he wakes up in the morning, he might crawl to the bathroom and then hop around the kitchen to get his cereal,” Tobin Schultz said. “But once he puts that prosthetic on, he becomes a superhero at that point.”
Elijah Schultz might be only 13, but his story is already inspiring those around him who have seen him excel as his school’s starting quarterback, along with playing a big roll on his club baseball team (as a pitcher and centre fielder). He also plays basketball, too. Elijah was born in Ghana and spent the first year of his life in an orphanage. He was adopted by Tobin and Shannon Schultz, which is how he ended up in Joplin, Missouri. Born with amniotic band syndrome, Elijah was missing his left leg below the knee and only had three complete fingers when Tobin and Shannon first met him.
Photo courtesy Tobin Shultz
Elijah got his first running leg from the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) when he was four. Started in 1994 to raise money for para triathlete Jim McLaren, the CAF has raised over $180 million in order to fulfill 48,000 funding requests from people with physical disabilities from around the world to “provide opportunities and support to those who aspire to lead active, athletic lifestyles.”
CAF co-founder Bob Babbitt is no stranger to the triathlon community – in addition to his “Breakfast With Bob” show, he’s been inducted into both the IRONMAN and USA Triathlon Hall of Fame. This weekend, for the third time since 2022, Babbitt has managed to produce a commercial that will air during the Super Bowl broadcast. Elijah Shultz will be featured in the commercial, which will air in the “Four States” (the four corner region of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma) during the pre-game show. (The local 60-second spot will cost $1,000.)
The commercial tells Elijah’s amazing story and demonstrates how the CAF changes lives. In the commercial Shannon explains that, thanks to the CAF’s support, “Elijah doesn’t have any limitations.”
You can watch the 60-second commercial here.
Multiple sports … not multisport
Photo: Kristi Mickey
We might have to wait a while before we see Elijah competing in any endurance events, though. In addition to football, baseball and basketball, he also runs track. His events? 100 and 200 m.
“He considers anything over 100 m to be long distance,” Tobin joked.
I’ve managed to catch up with Tobin and Elijah as they are driving from a 7 on 7 football practice to a club baseball practice on a Sunday afternoon. Which makes me wonder what Elijah’s favorite sport is.
“Football, because you can hit,” he says. (As only a 13-year-old could.) Turns out that in addition to playing quarterback, he’s also an outside linebacker.
So what does he think is important about the commercial that will air this weekend?
“I can show people that I can play sports with disabilities,” Elijah said.
“Elijah’s journey is a great example of the power of sport and family,” said Babbitt. “From receiving his first running leg at age four to playing football and baseball at the highest levels, his future as an athlete and eventually as a mentor to others is incredibly bright!”
Elijah hopes to play college football and eventually go pro, and, as far as he’s concerned, there’s “nothing holding him back” from achieving those goals. And, if this weekend’s commercial is anything to go by, he’s showing the kind of leadership that any college recruiter would be thrilled to see. As media outlets have reached out to document his story leading up to Super Bowl weekend, he’s been happy to share the spotlight with his teammates, who have appeared in photos and videos with him.
“He’s pulled in his buddies to be part of the stories with him,” Tobin said proudly. “He knows there’s 10 other guys on the field with him, so he’s happy to provide opportunities for the people around him.”
Sure seems like a hero to me.