The sun like a beaming lamp shined down in throbbing waves of heat on September 19th. Older men screaming profanities, paced the sidelines waiting for action to stop, so they could one by one raid the playing field until every flaw could be pointed out.
“Run it again!!”
Sighs overtook the field as the men retreated to their box. The play was repeated. No stampede. Once again sighs overtook the field but this time in relief. The relaxation lasted until the next set of commands came in.  Like lions stalking their next meal, the men watched as the hand signals were translated to words and next into a play. Helmets clashed as the play was executed until a whistle was blown and made the players tighten because they assumed the worst. Only one mistake this time and it was by the “best” player, so no worry. He wasn’t running full speed which wasn’t a big deal… for the star. He was a new kid at the school and seemed to be a blessing; after all, he was the most talented kid on the team. The star knew that no matter what he did in practice he would still get the call for the game. In his mind no one could take his spot. Everyone knows it. The star had a long stride with a massive build. He no doubt looked the part. Looks can be deceiving.
A new set of faces stormed the green field while starters retreated to the sidelines for a break. All the men took their eyes from the field except for one coach. Coach had more experience, wins, and state championship teams than any other head coach in the state and this was planned to be his last year. It was rumored that he was just a lucky man who always seemed to have great players. Coach was guilty of having extremely talented players on most his teams but they weren’t always the best players on his team and he knew that the selfishness of these talented players could be the kiss of death for any team. The team was 0-3 with district play right around the corner. This was the worst start for any of the teams Coach was a part of. He knew the problem and he began to get the feeling that the team knew the problem after hinting at it for the past 2 weeks in team meetings, but he needed a replacement. That is why Coach kept his eyes peeled on the field of play waiting for his nightly prayers to be answered if it be the will of God.
Helmets hit in a similar way as the 1st string did but with less force. Through the air the ball sailed but with less spiral and accuracy. The ball was plucked from the air and tucked tightly under the armpit of a shorter receiver. The lone coach smirked – thankful for a keen eye not for talent, but hard work.
“Ones back out!”
Secretly through his shades, Coach watched the kid report to the sideline. Emotionless the kid jogged to the bench, removed his helmet, took a knee, and to Coach’s surprise studied the ones. Every time the star caught a ball at half speed the kid cringed with aggravation and looked at all the men to see if they were going to say anything but of course not a word was uttered. Once he realized none of the men were going to say anything, a look of discouragement took over him.
After practice Coach approached the kid and, disappointed in himself for not knowing, asked, “What’s your name, son?”
Surprised but thankful for the attention, he responded, “David, sir.” Coach smiled at what seemed to be God’s humor.
“Well David I think you might have just earned some P-T with the ones. Keep up the hard work, son.”
“Yes, sir”, David replied. Trying not to show his excitement, David jogged to the locker room with a recognizable pep in his step that was too obvious and too often seen for the old coach.
September 20th practice seemed to be normal until Coach applied his zero tolerance attitude to practice. It seemed that Coach was ready for the day that their season would change. Anyone that messed up was getting chewed out. Confused by Coach’s emotion change, players practiced extremely hard. Coach held to his promise and gave David his playing time which aggravated the star. With every annoyed look the star would give, Coach would smile on the inside. They were so predictable. If the players thought practice was hard then conditioning was Hell. Close to the almost never ending sprints, up-downs, and suicides the star began giving in. Coach would announce aloud to the team that they were running one more for the star’s lack of effort. By the time the team had to run 3 extra sprints players began to turn on the once beloved star. One of the line men lost all control and ripped the helmet off the star and threw it into the stands.
“I’m not going to run for your laziness! Just quit already! We don’t need you!” Astonished and frightened for his life the receiver backed up until Coach called the lineman off like a dog but not with anger.
Coach turned his attention to the frightened receiver. “Now go get your damn helmet! You caused this with your selfishness and laziness! I’m not gonna sit back and watch you do everything your way anymore cause guess what! David is the new starter!” The player walked off the field. No longer a star, he quit. The player that once had everything – popularity, respect, friends, playing time – now had nothing.
Coach ended practice on that high note. As he was walking off the field he noticed the team get together in the middle of the field encouraging each other and telling each other that the team is better without the “quitter”. The men were all astonished and called for Coach to look at what the players were doing but Coach simply walked off and smiled as a feeling of nostalgia came over him. It was orchestrated perfectly just as he had done all his years of coaching and more importantly just as he had experienced as a player. Now the team that had nothing had everything – leadership, unity, and at the end of the season a ring.