Personal Narrative: A Career In Professional Sports

Softball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a little kid my dad would teach me how to hit in the backyard with a Wiffleball bat that was taller than me. As the years passed, I started to fall in love with the sport more than I imagined possible. From little league to travel ball and all the way through varsity high school ball, it has always been a huge part of my life. Most people don’t understand the sport or how someone can be so engulfed in every aspect of it. However, they don’t get to experience the life lessons that this sport of extreme highs and lows teaches the player. It teaches you patience. It teaches you that imperfection is normal. It teaches you that things can turn around in the blink of an eye and most importantly, it teaches you that all good things must come to an end.

When David Charles Johnson was a child, he wanted to become a professional football player. He always wanted to become a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. As his parents raised him in Madison, Wisconsin, they encouraged him to try new things and would push him to do his best. David had a lean build with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. He participated in multiple sports, but he enjoyed baseball and football the most. In both sports, he enjoyed the throwing aspects of each game. He enjoyed pitching in baseball and being a quarterback in football. When high school arrived and David was a sophomore, he decided that he only wanted to play baseball and football. He and his parents decided it would be better for him to focus on his academics

Blood, sweat and tears. All for one sport you love. Going to the fields, putting my cleats on and batting.(Cumulative) From the time I stepped on the diamond, I knew softball was going to be something I was good at. Usually most people start off playing t-ball and work their way up to the big leagues. Not me. I started my third grade year. Of course I was hesitant (nervous), but I got over that fast enough. I played every position possible. I was a strong hitter (usually making it on base every time). But that’s 10 u. Over the years, I became exceptionally good at softball. I had many compliments on how good I was. Parents were telling my parents how good I was. But that was only the beginning.

Since I was five years old softball and sports have been a huge part of my life. In softball, specifically, there are many times of failure and success. High school sports, for me, has taken a lot of my time, effort, and commitment. From the first day I stepped onto the court and field to the last, I want to be able to say I did my best. It has been tough and frustrating at times. I experienced failure many times, even when I did not want to admit it. My moments of failure within high school sports have turned me into the character and person I am today. It has taught me how to take failure and turn it into success. Failure has made me realize that the only way for you to succeed is for you to fail first.

If I didn’t get to bat, I learned it was equally important to cheer on my team. If I was placed in the outfield, I was just as eager and ready to make a big play. I learned at an early age the importance of unity and being a team a player. Win or lose we all worked together in order to overcome challenges and strive for success. Because of my positive attitude and devotion to boosting team morale I ended up winning the Best Sportsmanship Award during one of our last games at state sectionals, something I’m extremely proud of. I have since had to take a leave of absence from softball due to a serious knee injury, but I continue to put forth the same amount of perseverance and allegiance towards all other aspects of my

What is the only thing harder than disciplining a dozen ten year olds? Disciplining them on ice! All throughout my life I’ve played sports, and no matter what sport it was, there was always one person who seemed to have it out for me…the referee. The referee is one of the most hated people in the world of sports, but is also one of the most crucial. I grew up with the mindset that the referee was the enemy. Whenever they made a call against me or my team, they were always wrong, no matter how obvious the penalty was. But one day, my whole perspective on referees changed---the day I became a referee.

My involvement with softball affects many aspects of my life. Playing for a travel organization since age twelve, I definitely learned responsibility and commitment at a young age. While most of my friends could relax after school, my schedule required me to stay out until ten at night traveling to and from practice on a daily basis. I quickly learned time management, like taking advantage of the traveling time by studying or doing homework. Adapting these qualities at such an early age provided a positive and

It was a good day to play baseball. Sun in the sky, cool breeze in the air. Nothing that could stop me from playing, or messing around. It was the Brentwood Pony All-Star game and I was fired up to play. Since I had the coolest Coach ever and my team just recently won the championship, my coach let us slack of a little bit just because, why not? It was about four o’clock in the afternoon and I was up on deck taking my practice swings, lefty! I was using a batting sleeve to weigh down the bat to make the illusion of it feeling lighter. But as I was watching on deck I realized something, the pitcher was throwing some serious heat. Even though I was experienced hitter, I was just a beginner lefty. I take a deep breath and walk to the plate, one of my teammates walks back to the dugout in deep despair as I go to the plate. As I start walking I hear my mom screaming my name and cheering for me as she always does, and I look back to see my sister laughing so I then let out a quiet giggle.

As the crowd boos, you hear the New York Yankee commentator say “coming up to bat after a long year of suspension it’s the third basemen for the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez”. I grew up in awe watching great Yankee third basemen Alex Rodriguez. I remember playing baseball and trying to do everything he did, like how he chewed his gum, and how he wore his baseball socks. I would also imitate his batting stance as played. But all of a sudden the player I once looked up to tested positive for steroids.

“We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.” You all have that someone or that something that has helped us grow up throughout the years. For me softball has been one of the biggest thing that has impacted my life and helped me grow. Soccer, track, basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics have also impacted me but not to any level that softball has. Softball has not only been a fun journey for me but has taught me so much and has been a major part of my life.

I wake up and I am not entirely sure where I am at. I am laying in a bed and rolling around as someone is pushing me. The door infront of me opens manually and I am pushed through the door still not knowing what is going on. I have a sling on my arm, but I cannot feel it at all. My right arm is numb from the shoulder down, but as I am rolled into my room I see my mother, father, and grandma sitting and waiting on me. I remember now; I just came out of shoulder surgery that could possibly make or break my baseball career. The doctor comes in and explained what happened in the operating room, and explains that everything went very well. He had no complications and that after I get food in my system that I could leave. Everything was happening

My profession as a baseball player has been all about development since I was a little kid. After reading the article and chapters from the book I can see where Strengths Based Leadership has been used on me to promote growth at certain times in my career.

1.5 seconds. I had developed an automatic timer in my head, and when it hit 1.5 seconds, I was in trouble. It was physically and mentally agonizing playing quarterback behind an offensive line that was known as being the smallest (and worst) our state division has ever seen. On average, my offensive line would give me 1.5 seconds to throw the ball before getting sacked by opposing defensive linemen. During many plays, I failed to find an open receiver in my allotted time, so I ran for my life - trying to extend the play, avoid getting sacked, and most importantly, avoid getting hurt. I grew up playing wide receiver, but switched positions when our quarterback decided to transfer schools because he couldn’t handle the brutality he faced during

A career in major league baseball helped set the stage for his womanizing. Being a professional athlete there is a certain level of fitness to maintain he prescribed to order. The energy he played with on the field help drives his motivation for business.

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.