Growing up in a Nigerian household, I struggled to fit the idea of stoic masculinity that my mother and father valued. They would often echo the words "be a man" which made me feel like I had to be an adult. At the age of six, I sprained my ankle for the first time playing soccer with my older brother, and I remember the overwhelming pain I felt as I cried uncontrollably. "Stop crying" were the first words my mother chose to comfort me, and without hesitation, I wiped my tears quickly to avoid seeing the disappointment in her eyes. I lived in a home where I felt compelled to portray a mature and emotionally stoic demeanor, regardless of the circumstances. I felt like an outsider within my family and was burdened with internal conflict. I talked …show more content…
I watched my older brother play for years, and he often spoke about the camaraderie football facilitated. I craved that same sense of belonging and became determined to turn my silent burden into a valued asset. Every day, I attacked the field with a steadfast mindset and could finally express myself freely. Morning practices on the football field meant "X Factors," where my teammates and I would crawl at dawn until our palms numbed against the cold, wet grass. With every repetition we completed, our coach yelled, "Hold each other accountable!" constantly reminding us of the purpose behind each drill. My teammates and I struggled intensely, but we steadily learned to lift each other. Inevitably, this experience formed an unbreakable bond that fueled us through any ounce of adversity, and for once, I felt as though I belonged. I developed an inner strength through these experiences that became my guiding principle. My coach used to say, "A tree stands tall, not by its roots, but by the earth that nurtures it." Initially, I didn't understand what he meant, but I quickly learned that true strength was only found within one's
Playing football has given me the opportunity to meet new people and make new friendships that will last a lifetime. Those friendships are made in the hot summer workouts, when everyone is tired, hot, and thinking about giving up, teammates are right by their side motivating them. After a brutal beginning of the season players are scraped and bruised and during mid-season practices, some players may think that the team doesn’t have any chance at being in the playoffs. Teammates unite together and remind each other that if everyone works together, everything will fall into place. A good team involves also being in good physical shape. Players are banged up and have little annoying pains, but that doesn’t stop a good team so the conditioning doesn’t stop. Everyone has to do it, but being on a team that helps motivate each other, it helps the pain feel more tolerable. In any sport you will be thrown into rigorous situations and being with your teammates and sticking together through it all will not only make the team better, it also will help bring you closer to your
One incident that happened to me that change how I thought about sports was when I first started playing soccer. It all started when my mom said that I should join a sport to get me more active. It took me awhile to choose soccer at first because there were so many sports to choose from. I told my mom I wanted to play soccer. She signed me up to play for a non competitive league (GYSA) so I can learn the basics of the sport. She also told me to play I would have to maintain good grades. After hearing that i always tried my best in soccer and school.
Do you have that certain something that has affected your life for better? Football is that thing for me. I have played it as long as I could walk. I still remember the time when I was very little and my dad would take me to the front yard and we would play catch and talk about football for hours. I have enjoyed football in three big parts of life: Pee Wee, Junior High, and High school.
Everyone has life experiences. Some can be new and fun, like the first time ever going to Disney World as a child. Meeting your favorite movie characters and seeing stories come to life. Other can be tragic, like losing a loved one or suffering a car crash. No matter the experience we all learn from them. I am here to tell you about an experience of mine that I went through at an early age. At the age of 15, I told my parents that I wanted to play football. The sport of football really changed my view on life and taught me that things don’t come easy and that if you really want something, you’re going to have to put in the time and work. One of the many experiences of being in the sport of football is that practice is one of the toughest things I’ve ever went through, physically and mentally. Football taught me a lot about team work and working with others on doing and executing a job. Football made me faster stronger smarter and wiser. I had great coaches who always encouraged me to keep going whenever I wanted to quit because something was too hard or I was feeling
“Football changed my life and it gave me a platform to get out my aggression and it gave me a sense of value.” said by Dwayne Johnson. When I had nothing to do at home I could always go and play football with my friends instead of going out and doing something I shouldn’t. When you grow up with a family that loves football and goes to a school where the passion is mainly playing football. I ask myself every day what would my life be without football. If it wasn't for football, I don't know where I would be right now. Football kept me out of trouble and it also helped me out in school when I needed it the most. If I were to describe what makes me, me I would have to say its football.
As a freshman in high school, I had nothing else to do with my life but study. My grades were extraordinary, I was awarded the principle honor roll every year and the National Honor Society was inviting ME to join THEIR club. School became so easy to me. There was a loop whole to passing every class, you just had to find and adhere to it. But at this point, I was craving something different, something that would test me mentally and physically. Because of that, I decided to take part in my high school’s football team. Ever since I made this decision, I believe it turned me into the man I am today. Football is a very passionate sport and you have to play with your heart on your sleeve which why I fell in love with it and became a part this community. It allowed me to voice myself and pushed me to achieve my goals. There is no embargo on how you can feel. Taking part in this discourse community not only develops a strong mental and physical will, but it also taught me life lessons like manners, how to be a leader, and how to be resilient when adversity hits at a young age.
There are tons of sports in the world. Hand sports, sports with a stick, some sports have a ball, others a disk. In America kids are presented with opportunities to play sports at a young age. As a child, I played soccer. I faced trials and victories in soccer and I learned lessons that will last a lifetime.
Growing up, the face of my refrigerator told a story. It was covered in sports pictures, drawings, and good report cards. It was the who’s- who of the house with detailed information about upcoming soccer tryouts, reminders of the early-out on Wednesday, and a checklist of items to grab at the grocery store. Most importantly, were the hand drawn masterpieces that hung from sparkly magnets.
Going into 9th grade I was just like any other eighth grader and I was still trying to figure out who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do with my life and in school. That summer before ninth grade I thought long and hard whether or not I would play football in ninth grade, I had played the year previously, but I had not really found a sure position that I played and I was unsure whether I was cut out for football or not. The week before summer camp, I decided that I would give it a try and I fell in love with the sport and the coaching staff at State College Area High School, the coaches cared just as much about our school and our character as how well we played football, and they taught me how to act as a young man and to properly represent
Being part of a team creates a bond between teammates that can last a lifetime. Also, enduring the criticism of the coaches distills proper direction and discipline that you would likely not learn off the field. In “The Real New York Giants”, the author, Rick Reilly, writes about how a football team of firefighters loses many teammates and friends due to the attacks on September 11th, 2001 on the twin towers, and how the bonds and closeness of that group helped them to keep playing football and honor their fallen friends whom they became so close with through the sport (**insert beginning pg #). While in this certain circumstance, the importance of sports did not affect
Being a member of the South football program has affected my life in several ways. It has not only taught me the game of football, but also valuable life lessons. It was not always an easy journey but it was incredibly rewarding in the end. Going into double sessions of my freshmen year, I was really excited. I came home exhausted every day.
In the cool, crisp autumn air, my childhood was woven with the memories of football; it was its excitement, its comradery, and its intensity that shaped the cycle of each of my days. From the moment I could grasp football, my world became a tapestry of practices, games, and bonding moments with my father and brother. I will forever remember and cherish the memories of rooting for my family's favorite football team, the New York Giants, while enjoying pizza and nachos with everyone at my grandparents house. Picture a skinny, fourth-grade kid, adorned in a football jersey that was slightly too large, with a smile that stretched from ear to ear, ready to take on anything. That was me before the first game of the football season, against Apalachin, one of the toughest teams at the time.
The first time I played football I ran on the field full of joy ready to start practice with my big shoulder pads and my big helmet,my thigh pads,knee pads, side pads, and butt pad making my pants fall down off of me. I pull my pants up every time I run chewing my mouth piece sweating running learning the game of football and seeing the way it is supposed to be played.
After a long school year, plenty of of my friends and family would plan vacations to places all over the country. From the “Big Apple” in New York to the “Windy City” in Chicago, the well-deserved summer break was the time to get away. For me, I would always take a trip to a resort where the grass constantly stayed green and the sun everlastingly shined bright. As soon as I arrive, the visible heat waves would greet me with a warm welcome and I would begin to do what I love most, play football. The game that taught me more than just how to score a touchdown, became one of the greatest learning experiences in my life. My love for playing football has helped me understand and develop skills that I will use for the rest of my life. The hardship
Have you ever seen a girl play JV football at North Dickinson? Neither have I because I’m the first. I’m a freshman at ND. I played football before but his is my first high school team. It’s a lot different than Pop Warner football in 5-8 grade. The coaches were a little sketchy of me playing they tried to talk me out of it twice! I couldn’t believe they didn’t think a girl could do it. Yeah they worked me harder but it played off in the first game.