For some of us growing up, our life revolved around sports. Going from school to practices became a routine and occupied many hours of our lives. We never understood what it was like to have breaks or free time. We also never understood what non athletes did with theirs. We were constantly busy. From the tee ball years as a toddler, to our last high school game, years were invested into sports. Some even took their passion to the collegiate level. We couldn’t imagine our life without the sport we loved, let alone ever giving it up. Or could we?
Sports taught us so many life lessons growing up. From being a leader to a good teammate, many lessons we learned in sports can be carried over into our adulthood. There’s no doubt that sports helped shape us into the people we are today. Whether it is for the love of the game or meeting parents' expectations, there is a reason for everyone playing their sport. For some, letting go of the game they love is impossible. They continue to play as long as they can, especially if it helps pay for schooling in college. Eventually, everyone has to let go. For example, we are all familiar with that one athlete’s parents who attempt to relive their glory days through their child, sometimes pushing them past their breaking points. Other athletes get burnt out, while some just lose the passion or choose to live a “normal” life.
In all reality, only seven percent of high school athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level. Not every athlete completes four years either. Of that seven percent, almost a third give up the game early at some point before their four years of eligibility are up. If you are an elite athlete, you may even end up going pro. If not, you hang your jersey up for the very last time. In the grand scheme of life, there’s so much more than sports.
Of course we will never take back the years playing the game we loved, but instead realize how fortunate enough we were to have them. However, by the end of it all we will be starting our adult lives and venturing into the real world. Some get married and have families immediately, while others continue their education. Nonetheless, competitive sports eventually end.
Think about this great big world we live in. There are so many endless possibilities. Life will take us numerous places, and our sports days will all be memories. We’ll talk with friends, family, and even our future children about that time we won the state championship, or the time our hearts were crushed in district finals. We will share with them the laughs and tears we experienced, along with the whirl wind of emotions that sports brought. We’ll occasionally talk to old teammates, but we will all be busy with our constant lives that finding time will be difficult. Sports may have been our childhood, but our real lives are just getting started.
