I love that image of the guy dragging the sled yelling "Gotta Eat!" I know that guy. This might be annoying, since we mostly expect praise in the comment thread, but I wonder how this essay might land if it resisted resolution at the end? A friend once noted that my essays tended to lean toward the didactic near the end, and he recommended E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake" for reflection. There's some wonderful indeterminacy in his final lines. I find myself much more drawn to the paradox in the earlier sections of the essay than to the lessons at the end. Some of us don't ever learn, we keep putting ourselves in impossible situations, perpetually getting in over our head. There's something kind of admirable about that, even if it is quixotic.
Thanks for reading so carefully. I think the resolution was something I needed in my actual life, not just this essay, and I've only come to it recently. As you read, there are certainly some negative memories I have associated with football, and I've been in the paradox stage with them for awhile. I'll definitely read that White piece though. My writing certainly leans didactic (My favorites things to read are as well) and it's always helpful to branch out. Much appreciated!
Thanks! Yeah, it's incredibly difficult to do both effectively. Most football players have to take up a lighter major in the humanities because an athlete's schedule is deeply incompatible with STEM requirements. The ones who can do both, however, go on to do incredible things later in life.
I really don't think they should be offering scholarships for sports. Those should be saved for academic excellence and financial need. I don't think being good at a sport guarantees success at anything else. It has it's own value but it's definitely too connected to higher education.
Football is unique in that it's one of the few sports that seems to encourage unhealthily high BMI's, add in the head injuries and unlike running or weight training it's overall worse for your health.
This is exactly why I defend college athletics. For me it was karate but the effect was similar. College is supposed to teach something more than marketable skills.
My biggest pet theory is that, aside from engineering, college isn’t for learning about your major. It’s for social development, doing things you don’t want to do simply because you have to do them, and becoming the best possible adult version of yourself.
Very nicely done! I completely understand what you mean by saying after [some things, here football] other things are no longer scary. And the level of talent/training/athleticism/dog in football is spectacular. Insane, probably, but spectacular. Anyway, keep up the good work!
I think this post is lovely but dishonest. I do not believe for one second that the young you killing himself out there trying, really didn’t think he would make it. Now you’re spinning that disappointment into wisdom, a rational thing to do… but a lie!
I appreciate the compliment you lead with. Trust me though, it was readily apparent from the very start that I would not see the field for this team. I definitely thought I would play at my first college, but not this one. There were plenty of reasons to keep going aside from playing time (Not wanting to disappoint my friends and family, the perks and privileges of being on the team, the singular experience of running out the tunnel on Saturdays). But I mostly stuck around because every time the idea of quitting crossed my mind, a voice inside of me said "You're going to regret this in the future." I couldn't envision what that future was, but I knew I'd be better off if I kept going. Potentially a post-hoc rationalization, but its my memory of my interior life at the time.
I love that image of the guy dragging the sled yelling "Gotta Eat!" I know that guy. This might be annoying, since we mostly expect praise in the comment thread, but I wonder how this essay might land if it resisted resolution at the end? A friend once noted that my essays tended to lean toward the didactic near the end, and he recommended E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake" for reflection. There's some wonderful indeterminacy in his final lines. I find myself much more drawn to the paradox in the earlier sections of the essay than to the lessons at the end. Some of us don't ever learn, we keep putting ourselves in impossible situations, perpetually getting in over our head. There's something kind of admirable about that, even if it is quixotic.
Thanks for reading so carefully. I think the resolution was something I needed in my actual life, not just this essay, and I've only come to it recently. As you read, there are certainly some negative memories I have associated with football, and I've been in the paradox stage with them for awhile. I'll definitely read that White piece though. My writing certainly leans didactic (My favorites things to read are as well) and it's always helpful to branch out. Much appreciated!
Good read but this doesn't sway me from thing sports and education need to be seperated more.
Thanks! Yeah, it's incredibly difficult to do both effectively. Most football players have to take up a lighter major in the humanities because an athlete's schedule is deeply incompatible with STEM requirements. The ones who can do both, however, go on to do incredible things later in life.
I really don't think they should be offering scholarships for sports. Those should be saved for academic excellence and financial need. I don't think being good at a sport guarantees success at anything else. It has it's own value but it's definitely too connected to higher education.
Football is unique in that it's one of the few sports that seems to encourage unhealthily high BMI's, add in the head injuries and unlike running or weight training it's overall worse for your health.
This is exactly why I defend college athletics. For me it was karate but the effect was similar. College is supposed to teach something more than marketable skills.
My biggest pet theory is that, aside from engineering, college isn’t for learning about your major. It’s for social development, doing things you don’t want to do simply because you have to do them, and becoming the best possible adult version of yourself.
Intense exercise does burn out the dead wood. Nicely phrased.
Thanks! It’s forest management of the soul.
Very nicely done! I completely understand what you mean by saying after [some things, here football] other things are no longer scary. And the level of talent/training/athleticism/dog in football is spectacular. Insane, probably, but spectacular. Anyway, keep up the good work!
Thanks for reading! And yeah that’s probably the peak of physically difficult things I’ll ever have to do
I think this post is lovely but dishonest. I do not believe for one second that the young you killing himself out there trying, really didn’t think he would make it. Now you’re spinning that disappointment into wisdom, a rational thing to do… but a lie!
I appreciate the compliment you lead with. Trust me though, it was readily apparent from the very start that I would not see the field for this team. I definitely thought I would play at my first college, but not this one. There were plenty of reasons to keep going aside from playing time (Not wanting to disappoint my friends and family, the perks and privileges of being on the team, the singular experience of running out the tunnel on Saturdays). But I mostly stuck around because every time the idea of quitting crossed my mind, a voice inside of me said "You're going to regret this in the future." I couldn't envision what that future was, but I knew I'd be better off if I kept going. Potentially a post-hoc rationalization, but its my memory of my interior life at the time.
Was that little voice not that devil trickster, Hope?
lol if it was that devil trickster, any time he made an appearance he was quickly smashed into pieces by future first round NFL draft picks.