Personal Narrative: Football

I was nine-years old in 1952, and it was on a brisk August Sunday afternoon when my Dad took me to my very first 49ers game at Kezar Stadium for an exhibition contest against the Cardinals, from Chicago. As I remember the weather was overcast and the temperature a cool 60 degrees.

Football wasn’t just a sport for me. It shaped my life in a lot of different ways it helped me become the person I am today. I started playing football when I was twelve years old when I started play it became the best sport ever. I started learning how to do a lot of different stuff on the football field. Football allowed me to take my anger out on the field.

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.

Hearing him say that to me made me want to drop my things and walk out of the room, I wanted to turn away from football and never look back. Instead I went with it, that whole practice I was mad and everyone could tell. Many times, that day players would come up and ask “hey man is everything okay?” The only thing I could even say back was “I’m fine,” but they all knew I was anything but fine.

Football is back as the first preseason game was played last Thursday. With football coming back, so does fantasy football. Like a lot of people (myself included), you’re scouring the internet for rankings. There’s plenty of rankings out there, but none of them tell you where to take a defense. I am going to present my strategy.

My stomach tightened. I had never played free safety before. The ball was snapped, and I watched as the tailback widened out to receive the pitch. Never had I felt such an adrenaline rush.

Football has been a big part of my life for as long as I could remember. Ever since I was in 2nd grade football has been my passion. Currently, I stand at 6”8, 260 pounds and I play right tackle for the Fayetteville Bulldogs. Football has shaped me up to the young man I am today and helped me get through the most tragic moment in my life.

As the bells rang out Edgar gleefully said , “ Hurry up James we need to get there in time to be picked, or else we’re gonna be stuck with the nerds out in the field watching!”, as he ran out to the field toward the road where we would be playing tackle football.

A bunch of people showed up to watch the game. The game started on of their friends was the ref. Quan got the ball first and he made a three.Heffay got the ball and dunked the ball the score was 3 to 2.Quan as in the lead.He hit a nice two it was 5 to 2 then heffay hit a three.The score kep bouncing back and forth.

I could hear it, the bell, signaling a touchdown. Except this time it wasn’t one of my teammates, it was me. Oh how I had dreamt about hearing that bell it was the ultimate sensory experience. I knew at that moment that there was a reason you never stopped believing you could do something.

I never expected my life to turn out this way!! 2020 Darren Clayton enters the NFL draft to contend against top players most teams wanted. I was surprised that I had made it that far.Now imam take you back to my childhood. I was only 10 years old in 2010 I wasn’t really a football lover, I was mostly a basketball fan. I mainly played basketball and watched it more than football. I never played football in my life the only sports I played was basketball and baseball but I never pursued it to the fullest it was just something I would do in the mean time to kill sometime in elementary school and middle school. In middle school I got curious about football so I joined the flag football team and played at an tournament against other people. At the tournament we played three teams, we only won

Do you ever wonder how to play a sport called American football. Well if so, then you've come to the right person. On a football team you must give it all and then some, you can never give up/quit. On a team you don't say that they are your team you call them your brothers. You give them your best they’ll give you their absolute best. This is where the quote “ I got your number I got your back” comes in.

It was my turn I looked at that ball straight in the eye and waited for the pitch, “You can do it!” said Josh

The chills creep up my spine, uncomfortably I notice every single person there was watching my every move. We were going head-to-head with the Vikings, they did very well at intimidating our team to death, but inside I knew we could try. They had some tall buffy people that didn't seem afraid that our dignity was high and on the line. We couldn't waste it here, right now. Next, a loud Screech the referee blew her whistle, and at that moment we knew it was time. We played as if it was the Olympics, even though it was just for fun.Then, the ball went all over the court back and forth meanwhile the crowd screaming, cheering, and excitedly saying, “Go Huskies!”

My whole body is completely numb as I set my feet in the torn up, muddy battlefield known as the gridiron. I glance up to the scoreboard we’re up by 3 with 30 seconds to go. My chest is pounding through my shoulder pads and a tingling sensation runs through my arms. “It’s fourth and goal, if they hold them here they’ll win the game!” comes over the loud speaker as I hear hundreds of screaming fans cheer. I can barely see from the sweat dripping down my eyes as I look over to the sideline to get the play call. Coach calls 43 Mike Will Cover 2. This is it. This is what I have worked for. My hands are shaking with anticipation as the quarterback starts his cadence. “Down!” I scan the lineman. “Set!” I know this play it is coming right for me.