The Football Life | Teen Ink

The Football Life

October 4, 2017
By Anonymous

I have always loved football. I love watching it and playing it, and I think about it everyday. I played football since kindergarten when I played flag football, started tackle football in 2nd grade all the way until eighth grade, and it has always been my favorite sport. We won all the time. I wasn’t always the best but I enjoyed it, but, in about 7th grade, I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to. We ran more than we used to, the practices were harder, and I was beginning to not be able to handle the grind anymore. Despite this, I continued playing even though it wasn’t very enjoyable. I played in 8th grade, which was just more work, effort, and commitment. I knew that I was going to high school soon, and everyone would be much bigger, stronger, and faster. The practices were longer, and so were the games. They were also much harder. Plus, I knew school would be harder and more work. My dad told me that I would eventually regret it if I quit, and he would eventually be right. The downside is that I have been playing for so long, and it was always my favorite sport. I was going to challenge the status quo since I was expecting to play. Also, my teammates were expecting me to play. It was a really tough decision but I ended up quitting for my Freshman year.


It was a little strange to not be playing football in August, but, on the bright side, I didn’t have to practice in the hot sun for three hours every day, and plus, I could relax and go on vacation during the summer. For a long period of time, I was happy with the decision I made. As the year went on, my school was winning a ton of football games, made it to the state semi-finals, and I was there for almost all of them. I was beginning to miss the practices everyday after school and the games and winning and just being a part of the team. After the season was over, I still was fine with my decision, until somebody asked my why I didn’t play. I thought in my head for a minute, and I asked myself, “Why didn’t I play?” I told him that I just didn’t enjoy it anymore, which was part of the reason, but I realized I was wrong.


After this, I knew that I should really consider playing. It’s my favorite sport. I watch every game on TV that I can, and I always play backyard football with my little neighbors when I can. I would be challenging my own status quo if I played, since I thought it may have a negative impact on me. Then, another one of my friends told me he was playing even though he had never played before. I thought for about a minute before I made up my mind. His decision made my decision a whole lot easier. I decided that I was going to play. About two weeks later I see that there was a meeting for anyone that wanted to play football. I signed up at the meeting and thought, “Well, there is no turning back now.” I was going to play football even though I went against my own self. Lifting started the day of the meeting, which was about a month after my school lost during state semis. I was excited, but I was also nervous because I didn’t want to end up saying, “I shouldn’t have done this.” But, I ended up being so excited to play that I continued to play even after my friend quit. I have not yet regretted my decision, and I probably will never regret it. The football team is doing very well so far this year and I am having a lot of fun. I learned many valuable lessons playing football. It was definitely worth the time and the grind. It is a great experience and I will remember it for the rest of my life. It will always be a happy memory. During this experience, I learned that challenging the status quo may have a positive outcome, but it won’t always.



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