As the Nike football spun through the air on a breezy fall day, all I could hear was “catch it with your eyes”. At 3 years old I could not understand what my dad actually meant when he said that.
Every Sunday afternoon at halftime of the Dallas Cowboys football game, my dad and I strolled outside and threw the football around. Together, we would run all of the different patterns that we had just finished watching on television. I shared a bond with my dad that no one else shared with me, and that was the intense love of the game of football.
When I began to play more organized football, my parents were always fully immersed in all of my football experiences. I played for the Hills Pride Police Athletic League team from the age of 5-11 as my dad served as my coach for all of those years. My mom, while not an avid lover of the game, was my number one fan on the sidelines and in the bleachers. After every play I could hear my mom screaming, “Go Pride. Move that ball!” At times it was embarrassing, especially when the team would commit a turnover or a penalty, but that was just my mom’s way of showing that she supported me and our team 100%. Whenever I would run or receive the ball for a touchdown or a complete a good play, I could hear my mom yelling and screaming for me. As I ran back to the sidelines, I would get chills
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because I knew I made my parents extremely happy. Subsequently, after every win, when my family arrived home, my dad would make whatever meal I wanted. As I took advantage of the opportunity presented, I would always request chicken wings and waffles. The support that my parents provided to me never wavered throughout my middle school years.
Despite the team’s losing records, my parents were always behind me giving me the will to push forward. In the beginning of my 8th grade year, I had the bad luck of breaking my wrist before the season started. While I would still attend every game, I wondered to myself why am I was putting myself through this torture of watching the game on the sidelines, but my dad would remind me still to “catch it with your eyes”. When my father stated that phrase to me, while I wasn't participating in football games due to my injury, I was completely
perplexed. As the years went by and I started to mature as an individual and a football player, I began to realize what my dad actually meant by “catch it with your eyes”. I surmised that he was implying that there could be a hundred distractions around you, but if you keep your eyes focused on the ball you will surely make the catch. Through the years I have translated this phrase to my off field situations as well. As long as you keep your eyes on your main goal, it does not matter what obstacles you are faced with, you will always remain successful. This astonished me because for so long I thought my dad was only referring to the game of football. It was amazing to me that my dad could teach me my most important life lesson through the thing that I loved the most. That unconventional method of guidance molded me into the scholar athlete I am today. Without the life lessons I learned on the field coupled with the wisdom and guidance of my parents off the field, I would not be an honor student and athlete that I am today.
“‘Athletics last for such a short period of time. It ends for people. But while it lasts, it creates this make-believe world where normal rules don’t apply. We build this false atmosphere. When it’s over and the harsh reality sets in, that’s the real joke we play on people’” (Bissinger xiv). “Friday Night Lights” shows the darker side of high school football. Players are taught to play games to win, and thats all that matters. Football players are put under a tremendous amount of pressure, almost enough to be considered unfair. Even though football is a “team sport”, pressure on individual players is unnecessary. Some players have the burden of the team, the city, their family, and their future, resting on their shoulders. These players are put under pressure that is physically and emotionally damaging, not to mention future ruining.
The piece was meant to commemorate an American society where football is not just a job or a pastime, but a way of life, an obsession. It also exemplifies the constant body preparation and consciousness that athletes have to endure, as well as the exhaustion created from this constantly prepared state.
Football has been my life for over half of my life and I am so excited that the dream I had when I was little that I would play Division I ball has come true. I realize that most boys do not get this opportunity and I have to thank God the most for helping me get here, because it is a blessing. Also, I thank my dad for always putting me in camps and football programs and always making it to at least of 5 of my varsity games a year even though he lives in Georgia. But most of all I have thank my mom for always making me do my homework even when I didn’t want to do it and always staying on me when I wanted her to leave me alone. My mom never gave up on me in school and always made me do what I needed to do. I know if she didn’t I would not be here
In “How I Learned to Love Football”, Felisa Rogers sheds light on how her relationship has greatly influenced her flare of interest towards football. During her childhood, she was led to believe that sports or even the likes of it was definitely not her cup of tea. She grew into a life of “intense dislike for playing sports, or even hearing about sports”. But as fate would have it, she ended up married to Rich, who was “a Green Bay Packers fan”. His love for this football team and its players unintentionally drove her nuts and as a result, “it began to cause a rift in our [their] relationship. Life took a turn for the worst for the writer when a series of unfortunate events befuddled the pair and this was when she realized that her husband’s view of the
The sun beating down on my neck, I stand in the end zone looking at the perfectly manicured field, the drops of dew on the freshly watered grass that glimmer like crystals, and the orange flags on top of the neon yellow goal posts flap in the wind. Soaking it all in, I look at the empty seats that will soon be filled with people expecting to see me do everything I can to help this team win. Twenty-point predicted underdogs; I think about the task at hand. It’s gonna be easy. I can envision it; I’m gonna be on SportsCenter tomorrow: “High school quarterback has NFL-type game.” Who am I fooling? I’m an undersized seventeen year old quarterback, playing on a mediocre Lake Brantley High School team, trying to play Henderson High. The Henderson High. Six time consecutive state champs Henderson High. We’ve lost the past three years in a row to them; not just lost, we’ve been massacred. It wasn’t even close. It’s never been close; why should this year be any different? I can’t think this way. I’ve gotta have faith. We’re gonna win... I hope.
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
Scott Fujita in the controversial article “Would I Let My Son Play Football?” argues that the famous, most loved American sport, football has given him so much in life. Fujita was a former linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs. “...Football gave me so much. How can I bash a game that produced
The way the game has evolved over the years also intrigues audiences to gather around to watch. The sports industry today has become a great part of entertainment in the world. Because football is a very large portion of the sports industry, it is very important to many people. Large groups of people dedicate their entire lives to the game of football, and without it, the world would be a completely different place. Sources New World Encyclopedia 1991
One of my earliest memories as a kid was how much I grew to love football and my family did. At an early age my uncle and dad loved the game and showed me it all the time. We used to have family games when i came to visit him in the summer. There was so much football that I would get tired of it and upset of losing. There was a time once before I told my dad I never wanted to play and it looked like when i had said that tears seemed to be creeping in his eyes. I'll never forget that moment.
In particular, I want to talk about my experiences playing football and baseball. First, at the school I attended they did not have a football team so I figured I was out of luck. However, I discovered there was a club team that anyone in the county could play for. I joined the team as soon as I found out about it, which was in sixth grade. I played all the way through my senior year of high school. What made these times so enjoyable was the family type bond shared between all of the players and with the coaches. The coaches were father like figures, who were there to teach us more than just football. They cared more about us being outstanding young men than they cared about the type of players we were. Sure, they wanted to win as we all did, but they were interested more in developing our characters. This team dynamic made the one hour commute each day well worth
Football is more than just a game. It is a lifestyle. I joined my high school football team as a freshman and continued to play until I sustained an injury to my knee during my sophomore year. Ever sense I played the game I found the history of football very interesting. Sense its conception in the 1820’s, football has been a source of entertainment and physical competition. From the iron grid to the modern turf field, football has taught young men key values and responsibilities. It has had a profound affect on advertising and even television itself. It is also played in almost every university to this day. To me football is more of a mental sport than physical. In this essay, I will demonstrate my expertise of football to illustrate my ability to help others understand the history of the game.
Many children dream of playing football. Them being able to catch the winning touchdown or throwing the winning touchdown is a dream come true. Parents too love to see their kids chase or accomplish their dreams. To be able to brag on their child for winning the game for a catch or throw is rewarding to some parents. I also had the same dreams of playing football but I soon learned the dangers of this sport. So what most people do not see is the side effects of letting their child play. Parents should be on guard with letting their children play football because it can be time consuming harmful and non-beneficial.
Football, America’s great pastime and most popular sport. Why do we love it so much? People enjoy the shared experience, the socialization it offers. Others appreciate the technical aspects of the game, the strategy involved, what it takes to win. Some are in it just for the money, playing fantasy football leagues to owning the teams themselves. This passion has led to the technological improvement of all aspects of the game, how it’s viewed, played, and managed.
Football is one of the three most popular sports in the United States. The modern game of football most likely originated from England (hornetfootball.org). Walter Camp, a football coach for Yale, is known as “the Father of American Football” because he made several changes to the game of football (historyoffootball.net). The first professional football league was established in 1920, and it was made popular because of the invention of the television. Football is a mixture of science and religion which can be proved in the science of football, the religious interpretation of football, and the players’ use of their religion.
Though he had already stopped playing football after his teary high school graduation ceremony, I still wished he could resume his football career. When I was small, I repeatedly waited for him at the front door of his school while stretching hard to reach my dad’s big and balmy hands. He was already the leading player in the school’s football team, and had played at the position center-forward while being fully enclosed by his opponents. Nevertheless, even in these worse situations in the matches, he could still drag the ball to his teammates like a meandering snake. After the training that day, we were invited to the match by the enthusiastic coach with his large lively hands. Though sitting in the farthest seat to the pitch, I could still feel the current of passion rushing from every player on the field towards me, which left me infected with more desire to crush the rival. I detected him on the green sea filled with white clothing by searching for the zebra-like cuff he wears in every match he has attended. He seems to be dedicated to many beliefs I had never thought of before. “For me, this cuff is a symbol of my sweat I sprinkled for this one game. This faith will follow me to finish this game, and every other game.” The words had appeared on a luminous morning in his apartment before the match. The harsh wind sliced his dense and thick hair backwards into few scattered pieces while his eyes still gazed at me like a leopard waiting for his