No Pain No Game.

With every passion there is problems that come with it also. Football is a contact sport and there is a lot of collisions that happen. Mostly everyone that has played football has been injured in some way. But the sport teaches you toughness and builds character. I have gone through broken bones, cartilage tears, and brain damage but I bounce back and keep playing football because it is a very fun sport and you can make your body stronger through lifting so you do not get injured again. This is one thing you have to keep in mind if you want to play the sport though. In a study done on football it shows that 63 percent of athletes were injured from collisions.

These injuries were just from the head, knees, ankles, and shoulders. Coming off a injury is always hard because you have the fear you might hurt that same spot again so it changes how you play most of the time. But, there are times where you come off a injury and play your very best and that what makes football so fun you have to overcome so much adversity but in the end it is worth it. Football is a sport that will repeatedly knock you down and it is your choice to get up and keep going or lay down and give up and that is why I believe it builds great character.

So I talked about on the field problems now there is a lot that goes on off the field also. Football is a time consuming sport and practice usually range from three to four hours a day, because we work on drills, install plays, and perfecting plays for game situations. The amount of practice between high school and college football is almost enough time that is required for a full time job.With all that practice you are going to be very tired. This will effect everything you do after practice. High school football players or even college football players still need to finish homework and/or study for exams and this can be very difficult when you are to tired and can not control your body so it is hard to keep up with school and also with making money because you will be so busy. But then again with the building character idea, this will test you. Some people stay on top of everything and make sure they can get homework and jobs done and then there is some that just do not do anything which may lead to you being ineligible because you need to be a student-athlete. So when you play football you definitely will have a busy life during the school year and especially in the summer also. But it all pays off for game time when you line up to play with friends and look to the stands and feel the presence of a community cheering you on to win a game. It is a very good feeling.

SO, is it worth it?

I think it is worth giving football a chance or watching it. It is a very exciting sport to watch and if you play it you may face a lot of adversity but the times you bounce back and get on track again you grow as a player and a person. You grow some very good bonds with teammates when you spend years playing together and hour a week together practicing, watching film, and having team dinners or activities. Football is a lot more than just a sport, I would say, it is more of a lifestyle that changes people and teaches them perseverance. Football comes with a lot of pains that appear through injury or trying to keep up with your regular life but we all get through it and you have to have a great focus to keep up with everything. When game day comes around it is all worth the pain. With football being a contact sport you can take out all anger on the other team and enjoy yourself. In the game moment you have little worries besides your performance on the field and this is what I love about the game. It is a great stress reliever. You have to be tough to play football mentally and physically and you will be fine. There will be a lot of ups and downs, but this quote by William Ellery Channing says ¨Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict¨. This helps me now that through everything I go through in life and in football I can easily bounce back and be better. Without a good mindset that can stand pain you can not play the game but if you have a good mindset your ahead of the game.