We know who we are. We are the people that our more athletic friends would call NAFs. We're the kids that faked an injury on a daily basis to get out of playing whatever sport our parents put us in, hoping we would be athletic. When it came to gym class, we would find the best place to hide in the gym so we wouldn't get yelled at about participation.
Being non-athletic is not the ideal in our society. Our culture is so heavily reflected in sports, specifically football. Football being an “all American” sport, ideals of masculinity is embedded in football players. In Texas, football has such an influence on American culture that sometimes children are held back in school in order for them to be in better shape to play football later in life. Children are taught that sports are important, and more important than many things.
You can see these social distinctions in the schooling systems as well. In my high school, athletes were on top. The big sports for men to play were hockey and lacrosse, whereas the big sport for girls was dance. These kids stood together in the hallways, walked together to their classes, and ultimately, were everywhere. For some reason, everyone wanted to be friends with them, everyone wanted to date them, and everyone worshipped them, including the teachers. Teachers treated the athletic students a lot differently than the non-athletes. This social hierarchy created by sports is very discouraging for us. When our teachers are too busy talking about the latest game with the athletes when I’m struggling with my assignment in the background, we are being conditioned to think that being athletic is the “norm”.
People look for guidance in famous athletes, because these are the people idolized in our society. In 2015, 114.4 million people watched the Super Bowl. The whole world is watching, which gives us a look at what people view as important. (Personally, I always watch the puppy bowl on Animal Planet. It’s a lot cuter and a lot less boring. Sorry not sorry.) The day after the Super Bowl, everyone is talking about it and when I say I didn’t watch it, there is so much shock. Why is it so shocking in our culture that not everyone watches the super bowl?
However, being a NAF is okay. I can eat as many pizza rolls as I want, because you don’t need to be physically fit to draw or play guitar. So what I can only run for about 30 seconds? I don’t need to run! I feel as though we make up for our lack of athleticism in other aspects of life. We tend to be more creative and artistic. I can play piano, guitar and drums. I’m also not too bad at drawing. Go beyond our cultures expectations and explore what it is to be a NAF. Our culture has taught us that being non-athletic is not meeting expectations, when in reality who we are, without sports, is enough. If you don’t love sports, explore yourself and find something you do love. Don’t let societies expectations discourage you, break the mold.
