How Football Changed My Life Essay

The famous Scottish soccer player Bill Shankly once said, "Soccer is a matter of life and death, except more important."

Growing up in a house with all boys in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, I was taught to be tough and injuries were very common but easily shaken off. When it came to sports, I would put all my time and effort into one thing: soccer. Soccer was always a true passion of mine; as a matter of fact, it was more of a lifestyle than just a sport. I would spend weekends traveling around my local area playing the game I loved with people I enjoyed being with. My teammates became like my second family after countless seasons and we did almost everything together off the soccer field. The idea of putting on my jersey and lacing up my cleats was a moment I would not trade for the world and something I would never take for granted.

There comes a time when you have to grow up or are forced to. You learn from past experiences and base your recent scenarios from it. Since the age of five, soccer has been part of my life. From having practice twice a week, to having practice every day of the week not including games. I felt like soccer was my pathway to success. I felt like I could do big things from it and I had all the confidence in the world but never would show it when others asked me if I was good. I’m the shy quiet girl that shows you what I’m capable of without saying a single word.

September 20, 2011 was the day that everything changed. Practice that day was long and excruciatingly hot. My coach did not let me take a rest as I was the only full back we had at the time. Hit after hit, it started to add up and my world was spinning but coach told me to keep going, so I did. The very next snap my world got wrecked. My form became lazy because I was beyond exhausted and dehydrated, my head lead my attempt to break the tackle and the kid making the tackle lead with his head as well. Just like that my body went numb, everything was dark, my eyes were open but I could not see. I had no sense of where I was and where I was going. My name left me. At this point I did not know if I was dead or alive. This was the last time I was ever able to strap up and play the game of football. This is what happens to the millions of kids who play football on a daily basis. Somebody was there telling them to go back in even when they were showing early signs of a concussion. The athlete takes one more hit straight to the head out of poor form or exhaustion and then everything goes from bad to worse. These events take place at such a young age that the long term side effects can be fatal.

I believe that I am a product of the environment that I have been raised in. The world that I live in has allowed me to become much more than a unique DNA sequence. I have been fortunate enough to have been blessed with a privileged life. My parents are happily married, have steady and well paying jobs, and love my sister and me immensely. Growing up, I never had to worry about money, whether that be for new clothes or to go on a trip with my church, or if we were going to be able to have a decent meal. I am truly blessed for that and I hope one day I will be able to provide for my future kids in the same way, and I feel the best way to achieve that is through a higher education. The one thing that has been always expected of me is to get

Football is a game of passion, a time when nothing else matters and the only thing that matters is going out there having fun and fighting for the guy next to you. Football has always been something that I loved and had a wild passion for. I’ve made friendships and memories to last a life time and I can always be grateful that football did that for me. Now of course I’ve had some bad memories during football as well, I remember walking out of the film room on the last day of spring ball and having Coach Antle grab me and say “Gage, I think I want to try you at a new position, I want to put you at defensive end. We need you more there and we think you can really excel there.” I remember being so furious, I had played linebacker ever since I could remember and now the last day of spring ball my senior year everything was about to change.

There has been many important events that have occurred since I have been born but there is one in particular that has sparked a light in me that has changed the way i have looked at things. It happened when I was playing with the Sacramento FC and everything was going well until the middle of the season. When we got to the middle of the season things started to look shady. I wasn't getting playing time and that really opened my eyes to reality. Soccer was not the only thing that I needed to do in order to have a good life. I needed to start focusing on my dreams and different routes to success other then just soccer. It really showed what I need to do in order to survive in the real world. If it was not for my family's support through this

Soccer is my passion because it has given me so many opportunities in life and I have most of my best memories from playing soccer. Ever since I was young years old soccer has been my number one sport, I have played other sports like basketball, softball, volleyball and tennis but soccer has been the main one that has stuck with me. Soccer has benefited my life in so many ways it has helped me stay in shape, meet new people, go to places I have never been before, taught me how to be a great leader, improved my reaction skills and fastened my decision making skills in tough situations. This sport has relieved my stress lowered my anxiety levels and overall has made me a happier person. Soccer has helped me so much with my anxiety and I am thankful

Air Horns, Yelling, Sweat, Tears and Blood, this was the moment I knew all the hard work put in over the last fifteen years came to an end. All around me I could see my teammates, my brothers, kids I go out everyday and work my ass off for crying and shaking their heads. The look of defeat was all around me, the feeling of emptiness filled my heart faster than liquid fills a water bottle. This was the second time my High School hockey team had lost in the state championships game. Losing two times doesn 't only hurt the heart but it affects the community as well. As I made my way back to the locker room I hugged my fellow seniors and their parents, and congratulated them on an amazing high school career. As I was changing into my suit and tie, the feeling of failure overcame me and I could tell the same for my fellow teammates. It was the worst feeling imaginable, all the dedication I put into winning this state championship was stripped away and I couldn 't help but feel sad. Cheer up Zach is all I heard for the next two days, as my father constantly tried to enliven my spirit. My father has constantly been there for me, he has been my inspiration and my mentor over the years. At a young age my father taught me the importance of work ethic and discipline. I have carried these traits with me my whole life and without my father 's guidance and mentorship, I wouldn 't be the man I am today. My life has revolved around these traits and after that horrible defeat, I had a dream

felt as if all my years of enduring health issues and training had led up to this point in my soccer

People in this world, have a heart that makes them fall in love. I'm not talking about, love with another person, but instead with an activity, a hobby or a job. As for me, my heart pulled me towards soccer. I was born in Mexico City, and us Mexicans are huge soccer fans. I was raised in a soccer family and ever since, a ball has followed me around my whole life.

I never liked playing with dolls, painting nails, pretending I was a teacher or even acting like I was baking with fake food. All that girly stuff sounded boring to me, so the one thing that kept me busy everyday was going outside and playing whatever sport was on for that day with all my neighborhood friends. We played everything from kickball to football in the streets. Ever since I was a little child, playing sports was my passion. In my free time I played every sport you can think of, but sports that I actually was on a team for was baseball, hockey, soccer, and I ran track. Being an athlete is how people knew me, I guess you could say I was and still am a tomboy. Being involved in a sport ever since I was four years old, has really taught me a lot about not just playing the sports itself, but at life as a whole. Being apart of a team, can teach someone many skills, and life lessons. Because there are uncountable reasons why one should be involved in a sport, the main skills, and lessons include learning how to work together, and developing communication, and organizing skills. Additionally, one could develop a good work ethic, and learn how to control body language/temper.

It all started when I was about three years old when my good friend Anthony Williams and I became friends when he ran his bike into my sand box. Football has been an event in my life since I was three years old and it still is today. “The key to life is not what life gives to you but what you take from life. It’s not how life treats you but how you treat life. You have a choice in life. You can either thrive or survive.”_ Coach London. Football has made me into the person I am today, hard working, and determined.

Playing football has had the most impact on the development of my character. I started playing football when I was 5 years old. Playing football has taught me many valuable lessons. While playing football, I have better understood the values of hard work. Football taught me that the only way to succeed in something is by working harder than anyone else. Football has also taught me that when working with a team, everybody has an important role and if one person slacks off it hurts the entire team. There is no “I” in team and teamwork is a valuable life lesson. Whenever teammates are focused on individual accomplishments, instead of the team’s success, the team as a whole does not perform as well. I have learned through this that when you

For as long as I can remember football has been a part of my life in some way, shape, or form. When I was first born my grandfather said that I was solid and built to play football. I used to throw the football with my mother when I was a toddler and she always told me that when I tried to tackle her I hit really hard. My first organized football experience was when I was five. I had just moved to Manassas, VA from Washington, D.C. in 1994. It was around fall and that was right at the beginning of football season in the area. I remember telling my mother that I wanted to play, so she looked for a local organization for children. She came across the Greater Manassas Football League (GMFL) and that is where I began to play the game I