To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day weekend. What better way to celebrate moms and the families they create than with a public call for young adults to find happiness through marriage and starting a family? Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker delivered such a speech in the form of a commencement address at this alma mater.

Butker is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech. That is where he delivered a surprising bit of advice to the graduates – in order to achieve happiness in life, get married and start a family. He acknowledged as he delivered his pro-marriage and pro-family message that his was a controversial message. How sad that our culture is such now that something as basic as marriage and creating a family is a controversial bit of advice.

Butker played for Georgia Tech from 2013-16. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He has two Super Bowl rings but described his wedding ring as his most important ring. He was more interested in talking about life off the field than on the field. The school did show a highlight video of his game-winning kicks in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVII before Butker spoke. He mentioned that he is not much older than the graduates, having sat in one of those seats just six years ago.

“I am someone not much older than all of you, yet I’ve been asked to speak, not because I am a great orator or because I have a number of impressive accolades, well, I guess I do have two Super Bowl rings,” Butker said as the crowd laughed. “I just happen to be blessed by God to be really good at kicking a funny-shaped ball between two yellow posts. So as someone who is not paid to speak for a living, I’m about to pop off some hard truths.

“I don’t care if you have a successful career. I don’t care if you have a big bank account or you fly private. Many of you in this crowd will achieve these things. Some of you maybe already have, but in the end, no matter how much money you attain, none of it will matter if you are alone and devoid of purpose.”

“It is important to use today as an opportunity to take stock of your mission. Our culture is suffering,” Butker said. “We all see it. It doesn’t matter which political persuasion you sit on, or whether you are a person of deep faith or not. Anyone with eyes can see that something is off.

“Studies have shown one of the many negative effects of the pandemic is that a lot of young adults feel a sense of loneliness, anxiety, and depression despite technology that has connected us more than ever before. It would seem the more connected people are to one another, the more they feel alone. I’m not sure the root of this, but at least I can offer one controversial antidote that I believe will have a lasting impact for generations to come. Get married and start a family.”

Two-time Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City #Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gives a graduating class a SUPER POWERFUL speech:

“In the end— no matter how much money you attain— none of it will matter if you are alone and devoid of purpose… I can offer one controversial antidote… pic.twitter.com/g9MYOPjrH1

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 9, 2023

His speech garnered both praise and criticism. I think that’s the mark of a good speech. He went on to say that happiness is temporary and all too often today, young grads are encouraged to pursue their own goals and ambitions, at the expense of forming solid relationships and starting families. Some people took exception to his advice about having children. He spoke about the confidence his marriage gives him and his role as a father builds his confidence, too. If the video clip is any indication of the whole commencement address, the graduates were well-served in the selection of Butker as their speaker.

There are studies that prove the pros and cons of all issues and the level of happiness that marriage and children provide an adult’s life is no different. One study shows that the U.S. marriage rate plummeted nearly 60% over the past 50 years.

The National Center for Family & Marriage Research shows the marriage rate in 1970 was at 76.5%, and today, it stands at just over 31%. The groups seeing the biggest decline in people getting married include Hispanic and Black women. What is most troubling to me is that I think the breakdown of the America family is responsible for so many cultural woes. That includes juvenile crime and young adult crime. In my humble opinion, Butker is right. The family unit is the foundation for a solid society.

Some critics blasted him over his participation in supporting an anti-abortion amendment in Kansas in last summer. He’s consistent.