Most people have never put on a helmet or strapped on some pads. They have never felt the burst of adrenaline that rushes through your veins as you make that first play in the game.
They have never crouched over in a fourth quarter huddle, exhausted and fatigued, having only the sweat dripping from their helmets to relieve their unquenchable thirst.
They have never laid exhausted in the field of battle with the smell of moist grass and the voices of the retrieving enemy at the end of a victory. They have never played football.
People find it hard to understand why anyone would put themselves through the physical, mental, and spiritual torment that comes with playing the game of football.
They don’t comprehend why a football player would put his health on the line day in and day out, practice after practice, game after game. Not even the families or friends of these warriors can tell you why they do it.
I know these reasons because I have played football. I have had to play with a fractured mandible, a broken hand and a concussion.
Each time the trainer advised me to not go back in, the coach tried to persuade me to sit it out, and the pain would almost convince me, but there was always the one thing that would keep me from listening to reason: my love for the game and my team.
Ask any other football player, like Rollie Dykstra, and they will tell you the same thing. They play for one simple reason: the love of the game.
I say all this because the game has come under a lot of scrutiny throughout the years and with the injuries sustained by Dykstra, I have heard more and more criticism surface.
People are questioning the purpose of such a brutal game, and giving their opinion of how the game could be safer.
They are criticizing football coaches and staff for pushing their players to the limit.
Yet, most of the people who are quick to judge and criticize have never played organized football in their life, let alone touched a pigskin.
To begin, one must understand football is a man’s sport. It is not for sissies and should not be attempted to be played by them.
For instance, you would not tell the Marines to ease up on their training because it is too difficult or too risky.
Even worse is telling the sergeant that he is being too hard on his soldiers, when all he is doing is bringing the best out in his men.
All the training is done to prepare these men for survival and endurance – not just in war but in life.
Like the armed forces, football and the training, all the arduous work and pain of pushing yourself to the limit is more significant than just preparing for Saturday’s game, it is preparation for life as well.
It teaches you the fundamentals that every person needs in this life: Perseverance, dedication, passion and hard work.
It’s unfortunate what happened to Dykstra, and all our prayers and support go out to him and his family, but ultimately the incident that occurred cannot be blamed on football or the coaches.
Dykstra and every single football player that comes into this game acknowledges that everything is put on the line each time they strap on that helmet and pads.
It’s part of the game. Our game.
Critics who have only watched the game from the stands or from a television set, do not really know this game and probably never will.
They need to stop trying to scrutinize and change something they have no knowledge of.
Christian A. Lopez, a senior broadcasting major, is editorial cartoonist for the Campus Times. He can be reached by e-mail at clopez@ulv.edu.
