We have come to a point where just being normal is noteworthy and newsworthy.

Two Colorado athletes recently reached the pinnacle of their respective sports, and what many observers took note of was not only their compelling life stories, filled with struggles and challenging crossroads.

What made news was they both reject the ego-driven, navel-gazing, all-about-me persona of many sports stars. They are men with quiet, private lives, refusing to be solely defined by what they do – extremely well – for a living.

Wyndham Clark and Nickola Jokic get this year’s Colorado MVP for normal.

Clark, a Denver native, won golf’s U.S. Open, holding off future hall-of-famer Rory McIlroy by one stroke. He was marked as a special golfer at a young age, winning state championships while at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, the son of a successful dad and a mom who took him to the driving range at age 3. Her mantra to him: “play big.”

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And when she died of cancer in 2013 when he was 19, his world was rocked to its core. Amid his grief, he left Oklahoma State for the University of Oregon, wondering at the time if he would ever play competitive golf again.

After a long road on the PGA Tour, he won on Sunday in Los Angeles, only his second win on tour. With the world’s sports media spotlight on him, quiet Wyndham Clark spoke of his faith, his family and said he would just like one more hug from his mom.

At a time when pro golf is trying to heal a massive schism fueled by nine-figure paydays, players sniping on social media and and controversial Saudi investments, it was nice to have a normal, no-drama guy triumph over crushing tragedy.

And then we have the Joker.

Do a web search on the Denver Nuggets MVP big man and, after page upon page of records obliterated and honors won, you will find stories of Nikola Jokic’s deep humility, gratitude for the role others play in his life, and his love for his family and his home country of Serbia.

But here’s the best part. The two-time MVP, already lauded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, doesn’t want the spotlight on him, and is blissfully unconcerned with fame.

When he set NBA Finals records, instead of trumpeting his own greatness, he called them “just a stat.”

When the Finals were done, and he won Finals MVP, he held his little daughter and lifted up the MVP trophy only to then leave it on the dais, with Coach Michael Malone having to hold it in the team picture.

And when asked how excited he was for the big championship parade in downtown Denver the following Thursday, he said Thursday didn’t work for him because he needed to go home to Serbia. Maybe we could do it Wednesday. As if it was a haircut appointment.

We need more stars like Jokic and Clark who can show young men and women it’s OK to reject the the isolation of ego and public adulation and embrace the joys of private life outside the spotlight.That being famous for basketball, or golf, or just being a social media “influencer” is insufficient for a full and happy life.

We need them because our young people are in a deep crisis of identity and meaning.

A recent study showed depression symptoms for eighth graders to 12th graders has doubled since 1991. This is pegged, of course, to the mushrooming of the internet and social media in the past three decades which kids believe the idealized life’s they see online among their peers creates an acid bath of comparison that eats away at them.

The study highlighted statements by young people that they feel like they cannot do anything right; that life is not useful and that they do not enjoy their lives. No wonder there are feelings of hopelessness.

Life isn’t perfect, especially for those who thought having a million social media followers would make them happy.

We get real inspiration from the real lives of well-rounded, solidly grounded people like Wyndham Clark and Nikola Jokic who overcome deep challenges, climb, and claw to the top of the mountain and inspire us with humility, good humor and deep gratitude.

They then turn from the spotlight and go home.  

Well played.

Sean Duffy, a former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Bill Owens, is a communications and media relations strategist and ghostwriter based in the Denver area.