It's a typical Friday afternoon in Tallahassee Florida. I'm a freshman in college at FSU, riding in the back seat of a taxi on my way to buy my first new laptop. Feelings of anxiousness are filling my gut as I'm about to make one of the biggest investments of my young life.
Suddenly while on the way to nearest Tech-store, we drive by the local High School where I notice a peculiar scene that grabs my attention. It's the schools football field, and right there in plain sight are two teams, one in red jerseys and the other in black, just about ready to take the field for the first kickoff. The stands are filled with people, the cheerleaders are running around like excited little kids with pom-poms, and the marching band, which was not very organized, is blaring out fight music in almost unbearable unison. Almost instantly my feeling of anxiety disintegrates into nostalgia. I longed to be out there on that field with my brothers in arms (or pads).
Although I am but 1 year removed from experiencing this myself, the overwhelming desire to re-live the glory of High School football became an obsession. I stared at this scene as the cab drove by it, and turned my head to keep it in sight until it was gone. Although out of my view, the image, still burned into my head, morphed into an image of me, in my maroon jersey and over-sized pads taking the field with my teammates. I began to remember the pre-game rituals. How as a team, we'd stand in rows of four and hold each others hands as we walked down the field together towards the away team, who as they warmed up, looked at us in confusion, probably wondering why we were on their designated side of the field during stretches. This was just an intimidation/taunting factor to get inside the other teams head, however to us it was tradition. We'd then stretch, pump each other up in a chaotic cluster of screaming and cursing, and then take the field and do what we came to do. Play football.
I grew up in a very diverse, liberal setting in central New Jersey so even when there was a strong sports culture, I was still able to be friends with athletes of all different kinds of sports. I don't know this for a fact, but I just assume that in places like middle America or in the deep south, athletes of the same sport stick together and seem to stay away from athletes of different sports, like the stereo-type of football players hating soccer and lacrosse players. But anyways my point is this, since some of my best friends were both football and soccer players, me being a football player, I am able to associate how athletes from each of these sports would go about making everyday life decisions, simply based upon the culture of their sport. For example, a football player would obviously prefer madden over a soccer players fifa. But that's too obvious. Lets get into some more dynamic life decisions and try to break down why each athlete would pick what.
1. What kind of car should I buy? This one is simple. Clearly the football player, being way cooler, tougher, bigger, and more stylish then a soccer player would have to go with a Camaro. The Camaro defines a football player, American muscle! This car has horsepower, speed, descent size, and strength. The soccer player on the other hand would probably go with the Prius. Nothing against them for this great choice. I mean someone has to care for the enviroment (HA!). But just like the soccer player, the Prius is small, eco-friendly, and would be utterly destroyed in the most miniscule of collisions.
2. What should I eat for dinner? Football players aren't necessarily the "weight-watching" types. For us, we prefer heavy protein meals filled with calories and flavors in order to help re-build muscle after a brutal practice. Something like a steak smothered in A1 BBQ sauce, topped off with sauted onions, and complimented by roasted potatoes and gravy on the side. Soccer players need to watch their figure, for any fluctuation in weight can severly alter their stamina, and therefore their game as a whole. For them, a nice fat plate of tofu with some soy sauce (not too much soy sauce, too much sodium), and maybe on a good day a fresh salad. Finish it all off with a nice refreshing glass of wheat grass and you have yourself a scrumptious meal made for futbol gods.
3. What movie should I see in theaters, 300, or The Devil Wears Prada? To be completely honest, football is just the ultimate team sport. When your on the field, every mans job must be done correctly as a unit in order to make sure the team thrives to victory. This is why 300 is the perfect movie for the football machine. It represents teamwork and total toughness as a unit. If one Spartan warrior gives up his position, it could mean annihilation for the entire army, and in this case the team. Soccer players on the other hand would watch The Devil Wears Prada just for the simple fact that they love Meryl Streep.
4. What kind of drink should I order at the bar? When thinking about this question one must take into account the toughness of a football player, and the finess of a soccer player. We battle it out on the gridiron through long fits of pain and anguish, while soccer players prance around kicking a ball. For this reason us football players would either order a nice cold lager, or a whiskey straight. The lager, being the thickest of the beer family, represents the strength of a football players competitive edge. The whiskey straight compares to our hardness in will and perseverance in times when things get tough, yet we stick it through to the end and swallow the pain (no pun intended). Soccer players would most likely order a cosmopolitan, for its sweeter and gentler going down just as soccer players play with a more gentle approach, avoiding pain at all costs. The sherley temple could be another option for the soccer player. Devoid of any alcohol all-together, it represents the soccer player for pain, toughness, and hard will are simply just not characteristics of either.
5. Marines or coast guard?.....Do I really need to explain this one?
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