Benjamin Watson
A Super Bowl champion tight end who transformed his platform into a powerful voice for racial justice and family advocacy.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American football player·Birthday: December 18·Generation X
Biography
Benjamin Watson’s story extends far beyond the gridiron. Drafted in the first round by the New England Patriots, he immediately tasted championship glory as a rookie. Over a 16-year career that included stops in Cleveland, Baltimore, and New Orleans, he was known for his reliable hands and intelligent play. But Watson’s true impact emerged through his articulate and thoughtful commentary on social issues. In 2014, a lengthy Facebook post he wrote about the Ferguson protests went viral, establishing him as a rare athlete willing to engage deeply with complex national conversations about race. He later served as a vice president of the NFL Players Association and authored books on faith and fatherhood, leveraging his athletic career to champion causes close to his heart.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Benjamin was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Benjamin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Benjamin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won Super Bowl XXXIX with the New England Patriots in his rookie season.
- Played 16 seasons in the NFL as a tight end for five different franchises.
- Served as a Vice President of the NFL Players Association from 2020 to 2022.
- Authored the book 'Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race' following his viral 2014 post.
Did You Know?
His father was a U.S. Army chaplain, and Watson is one of six children.
He earned a master's degree in theology from Covenant Theological Seminary after retiring from the NFL.
He caught a career-high 74 passes for 825 yards with the New Orleans Saints in 2015 at age 35.
He and his wife, Kirsten, have seven children.
“I’M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem.”
