Football by Juan

Football by Juan - November 2013 Scholarship Essay

Football, to me, is more than just a pastime, more than just a high school sport. I have learned more valuable life lessons from it than from any other aspect of my life. It showed me how not to be an individual and how not to be selfish. When I joined my freshman year, I could not even grasp what I was getting myself into. Even though I had been playing the sport since the seventh grade and knew it was hard work, nothing would prepare me for the sweat, blood and tears I would put into my high school football career.

The thing about football is that it is more of a mental sport than anything else. Coaches try to push players to their breaking points. The sport trained me to deal with pressure and to keep a composed attitude even when things got rough. Football takes 22 guys, 11 on defense and 11 on offensive. At the beginning, I was immature and only thought of myself, sometimes even giving up when I was exhausted or aching; but after four years of playing alongside the same individuals, these individuals are not merely teammates anymore. Every last player on my team is like family to me. We watch each other’s back and pick each other up, on and off the field. Thus this sense of unanimity among us made each of us not only play hard to win but play for each other. Contrary to popular belief, there most certainly is an "I" in "team." It is the same "I" that appears three times in responsibility. Football has taught the importance of finishing every play, the importance of always finishing the last set, and most notably the importance on never giving up on each other. Football is said to be an underdog sport, that it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. My coach, Coach Thomas, has taught over the years how to have an iron of will. His two favorite phrases: “impose your will on the guy in front of you game night” and “dominate”. Coach Thomas lives the story of an underdog. He was born with only one arm but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he went on to play football all his life and has coached two state winning football teams. He’s a man with a true “iron of will” who has shown me that no matter what God gave you in this life, you’re able to do anything with it if you put your mind to it.

Football is more than just a sport; it is an honest game, it is a game about sharing, it is a team game and so is life. It is a learning ground for many to strengthen their disposition and personality for their lives. One thing my coach always said is, “Imagine that you have just ran 100 sprints and a giant bear starts chasing you. Are you just going to stand there and let it attack you because you are too tired?” The answer, of course, is no, because you can always put it in another gear even if you think you have nothing left in the tank. This to me means that you can always control your attitude and effort, mind over manner. So, no matter what, if you maintain an “iron will” and always give whatever you are doing your best effort in any aspect of life, you will never be disappointed.