After another season of coaching I reflect on all that my athletes learn from the beautiful game of football. After five months of grueling practices in the heat of July and the mud and chill of October. After the constant barrage of encouragement and constructive criticism, and of course the ups and downs of wins and losses, dropped passes, and missed tackles resulting in opponents touchdowns, my fourth and fifth grade boys sit on the curb in tears following a first round play-off loss to the mighty Santa Clarita program. The boys are upset of course, because they lost, but what they really regret is the end of football. Where else will they develop that kind of teamwork? Who else is going to push them past the limits they thought possible? Where else can they find the thrill of playing Saturday night at 7pm under the Calabasas lights? Football is as tough as anything these boys are asked to do but they love it because it makes them feel good about who they are and it rewards hard work and commitment to team more than it does individual ability. I know the media loves a good story and college and professional sports provide stories of selfishness and greed. But they are a small part of a larger story of why those of us who are in or near the game feel such a privilege to be a part of it. It is only December and I am already in withdrawals. Already talking about “off season” and July’s training camp. My playbook 2010 is already a file on the computer. What can I say? I love this game because even though I have a Ph.D. I have learned as much on the gridiron as I have in any classroom.
