Reflections On Football
Why Play College Football
The Once-in-a-Lifetime Meaning of Football
I’m a 77 year old man – I still workout every day – I typically will start off with 10 sets of 50 pushups in less than an hour, every morning and finish that off with some weight-lifting and hitting the heavy bag and speed bag. This orientation began in the 7th grade when I played on my school’s football team. I then went on to Captain my high school football team, then my college football, rugby, and wrestling teams. But football was my favorite! And, I still identify as a team captain and it is always anchored to football first!
There are moments in life that come only once, and the chance to play college football is one of them. It is not merely a game, not merely a season, not merely a fleeting scholarship — it is a rite of passage, a battlefield of honor, and a spiritual journey that binds you forever to something greater than yourself.
A Rite of Passage
To walk onto the field in a college uniform is to step into a sacred tradition. It is the modern equivalent of the warrior’s trial, a test that measures courage, discipline, and heart. Many dream of it, but few are chosen. And you have been given the chance — not simply to play, but to live fully in the brief and burning years of youth when strength, speed, and spirit meet in their highest form.
A Brotherhood of the Gridiron
Football is the most demanding of all team sports because it requires the absolute surrender of self to the collective. Eleven men move as one. Victory depends not on a single star but on the invisible bond of trust and sacrifice. This brotherhood is forged in sweat, in collisions, in late nights under the lights, and early mornings in the weight room. These are not just teammates — they are your brothers-in-arms, your fellow soldiers in the great contest of the game. Long after the scoreboard is gone, these bonds remain.
The Battlefield of Honor
The field is not just grass and chalk — it is a stage where life itself is played out in miniature. Every snap is a contest of willpower. Every down demands focus, courage, and resilience. You will taste victory, and you will know defeat. Both are teachers. Football reveals the truth about who you are when tested. It strips away excuses and demands that you rise, again and again, no matter how many times you are knocked down. In this way, football becomes more than sport — it becomes a school of character.
The Spiritual Journey
Football is physical, yes, but it is also metaphysical. To play is to enter a rhythm that feels timeless — the roar of the crowd, the unity of the huddle, the quiet prayer before the snap. It is a reminder that life is lived most fully in the present moment, in the collision of body and spirit, in the pursuit of something just beyond reach. To have played is to have touched greatness, not because of the score, but because you gave yourself wholly to the game.
The Eternal Anchor
When the cheering fades and the years pass, football remains. The lessons you learn, the character you forge, and the friendships you build become anchors for the rest of your life. In business, in family, in hardship, you will remember what the game taught you: to endure, to sacrifice, to trust, and to fight for something larger than yourself. Football is not just about the past — it will guide you in the future.
Closing Thought
You only live once. The chance to play college football is not just an opportunity — it is a gift, a moment in time that will never return. To embrace it is to step into a tradition of warriors, to join a brotherhood, to test yourself on the battlefield of honor, and to carry forever the metaphysical truth that you once played America’s greatest game.
When you are old like me, and the fire of youth has dimmed, you will still be able to say with pride: I played the game. I walked onto the field. I lived it fully. That truth will remain with you always.