American footballer receives commendation from Royal Danish Consulate for his love of LEGO

American footballer Rodrigo Blankenship has received a commendation from the Royal Danish Consulate for his love of LEGO bricks.

The Indianapolis Colts kicker revealed in December that he unwinds by building LEGO sets, and his public affinity for the brand has apparently strengthened Danish-American relations.

That was enough for the Royal Danish Consulate in Macon, Georgia to present 24-year-old Blankenship with a plaque during a family dinner at his favourite local restaurant. What would traditionally have been a grander celebration was pared back to a close-knit affair amid current COVID-19 restrictions.

Blankenship told ESPN that he uses LEGO sets to handle pressure from his athletic career, and was even building when he learned he’d been signed by the Colts. Most of his childhood LEGO collection is still taking up space in his parents’ house, meanwhile, including early-2010s LEGO Star Wars sets such as 8098 Clone Turbo Tank and 7964 Republic Frigate.

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“I don’t know about too many other football players who’d just come out and willingly say this,” Blankenship said in December. “Now, maybe some do [build LEGO], but they just don’t wanna talk about it.”

Even if LEGO is still considered a fairly unorthodox hobby for a professional footballer, the kicker is presumably pretty happy to receive official recognition from the LEGO Group’s home country.

Featured image: Rodrigo Blankenship

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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