Here's Why JJ Draws The Smiley Face

It's become part of a bigger idea along the way, but it all started with a very simple message from one young fan.

If you're a Michigan Football fan, you've likely seen the smiley face that quarterback JJ McCarthy draws on his hand prior to each game. While the message behind the smiley face has grown over the course of time, it started with as a very simple - yet extremely impactful - message from a young fan. 

As the story goes, JJ McCarthy was signing autographs for fans after a tough loss during his high school playing days. Yes, even back then JJ McCarthy was popular enough to be signing autographs. JJ was approached by a young girl who asked him to sign a news paper, when she asked him why he looked so upset - almost like he wasn't having fun out there. JJ told the young fan that he didn't play well and that he was unhappy with losing the game. 

The young girl explained to JJ that he should be having fun while he's playing football. After all, football is a game and games are supposed to be fun...right? She then took the Sharpie marker that JJ was using to sign autographs and drew a smiley face on his hand as a reminder to always have fun. 

From that moment on, JJ has drawn the smiley face on his hand before every single football game he's played - including every game at the University of Michigan. 

The smiley face has grown into something much bigger than it originally began, now being used as a logo for JJ's For the Kids Foundation , a non-profit organization that distributes sales and donations to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor and the Lurie Childrens Hospital in Chicago. 

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— J.J. McCarthy (@jjmccarthy09) July 20, 2021