Maybe, you're injured. Perhaps, you're a senior. Or possibly, you had to quit for unexplainable reasons. But whatever the reason may be, you are officially hanging up your jersey for good. It seems like you've been waiting for this day forever. I mean, you absolutely love this sport, but this season has been dragging on and on for what seems like eternity. It is consuming. No more morning practices; you get to sleep in now. No more games on the weekends; more time to do whatever you want. You're done with workouts you never thought you'd survive; hallelujah. And you don't have to deal with the mental and physical exhaustion of constantly putting effort into something that doesn't seem to reward you as much as you wish.

As you are hanging up your jersey in the dusty back part of your closet, you gaze at it. To a stranger, this is just a jersey. But in this moment, you know it's not just a jersey. It's the only physical asset you have left that represents all of the memories you've gone through. You close your eyes and flash back to the roller coaster of events the past four years has put you through. You vividly remember that time you came home crying because you played horribly and your parents telling you that you tried your best anyway. You so clearly recall when you had heart-to-hearts with your teammates on the back of the bus, bringing you closer to some people you only said "hi" to in the hallways before. You were on top of the world when you scored that winning point and stayed on cloud nine for days; what an unexplainable rush. It feels like it was yesterday when your coach took you aside, having tears in his eyes, telling you that you have come so far. You will never forget that feeling of having someone believe in you more than you believed in yourself. Those moments shaped your character, while teaching you the definition of faith and hope.

You have been given so much. The gym has granted you an escape, a place that makes you feel safe. Your team has given you a family, a sense of belongingness. Your coaches have taught you skills, respect and purpose. And, the random fans have supported you and inspired you along the way.

So, your jersey gets dusty, time goes on, and you can't remember the last time you played this sport. You pick up new hobbies and focus on other aspects of your life. Before you know it, a few years pass, and you go back to watch a younger class play the sport that was once your everything. You watch as the younger team runs out representing the same school you once did. Except it's different. You don't really recognize any of the players, and there's a new coach now. They built new bleachers, and the team has new uniforms. Everyone seems so much younger and the sport facility seems smaller than you remembered. You start to question why you came. This is making you more sad than anything, bringing back memories that are long gone. Everything is not how you remember it in the slightest; it almost feels wrong in your heart to be there.

You take it in, observing how they are just like how you once were. You notice how nervous their body language appears, how determined their eyes gleam and how hopeful their facial expressions are. Their coach calls them in for a team huddle, and next thing you know, the whistle is blown. And then it all dawns on you. And you smile because you know what it's like to be in that exact moment. And just for a second, you feel like you are reliving it.