Why Football Is Important To Me Essay

Wherein a sport lies it’s value? Does it only exist in the final score? Are its benefits only reaped when your will beats your competitor’s, when you win? Or does it instead come to fruition in the lessons and experiences gained? In my biased opinion, victory is the least important aspect of any sport. I believe that sport, especially football, teaches so much more than just how to win. Football has developed in me hard work, commitment, and belonging much greater than I could’ve gained through any other after-school activity.

To say that football has been a big part of my life would be a gross understatement. I still remember when, in 2nd grade, I walked onto the field in my comically small gear and had my first practice. Now, senior year, the last game of my ten year career is over. Crushing defeat. Sedro-Woolley walloped our undersized team 42-6. After that game I cried. I cried not because we lost, but because football, for me, was over. Looking back objectively I should have been glad it was done, we were not what you would call a winning team. My senior year was the first time we had won more than a single game in years. But in that moment, and now, that is

irrelevant. Football helped turn me from a selfish child into a man. It made me understand what it means to sacrifice, it gave me the ability to put myself aside and go to practice for my teammates, when honestly I would rather be doing anything else. It gave me the courage to get back up after being delivered back to gravity by a muddy giant. It gave me the commitment to lift all offseason every year to prepare for the next. It gave me the heart to lead my team as captain and keep leading through the crushing weight of defeat. It gave me integrity and character and the ability to help an opposing player up, even while losing badly. Football helped develop in me characteristics I can be proud of, and in turn made me a person I can respect.

Now looking back I can say that don't even remember the individual game’s scores.

What I remember is the fraternity shared. I remember the team dinners, I remember when the whole team rolled their pants up on a thursday practice, hanging jerseys low to create the illusion of pantslessness. I remember the sound of each individual helmet crashing against the blue lockers of Blaine high school when we came in at half time up 30 points.All the memories I have of football are good, and I think that football and sport have the ability to do that, create immense good. Not only in memory but in character. Now after It is over I recognise the role it played in shaping who I am, someone who is able to work through adversity, through pain, with commitment, and with courage, and score had nothing to do with

that.