I Believe in Football by Sam Brauer

From the very first time I put on the pads, I knew I would love the sport of football. I was in fifth grade and was excited as ever to finally have the chance to play the greatest sport ever invented. I dreamed that I would become the greatest thing since Brett Favre. I've been playing the sport of football since fifth grade and it stil fires me up every time I put on the shoulder pads and helmet. I believe in football.

No other sport gives me the adrenaline like this one does. The anxiety on game day is almost unbearable, and I love it. I almost feel sick to my stomach throughout the whole day. Everybody is giving you high fives through the hallways and every teacher tells you good luck. When I'm warming up before the game and I see the other team on the other side of the field, I can feel the electricity in the air. I'm not going to lie; I'm extremely nervous no matter if we're playing the defending champion Aurora Huskies or a bad team. It is not a bad nervous though. It is more of an excitement for what is going to happen. At the opening kickoff my palms are sweaty, my stomach is doing somersaults, and my heart is pounding. But after the first time I hit someone, I'm back to normal and ready to fight for forty-eight minutes.

Football is the ultimate display of athleticism. I take pride in being the best athlete I can be, and in my mind, football produces the greatest athletes. There is no other sport that demands you to be as strong, quick, explosive, and agile as football. You also have to have great eye-hand coordination. I know that from experience because not only do you have to jump up to catch the spiraling pigskin, but you have to do it while the other team's free safety is flying in to knock you out the way an eagle swoops down to catch its prey. In the jungle, only the strongest will survive. Well, on the football field, only the strongest will survive as well.

Your football team is like your family. Your head coach is like your dad and your assistant coaches are like your uncles. All of your teammates that you have grown up with, sweated with, lifted with, and bled with are like your brothers. Well, that's the way I look at it at least. It is a special kind of friendship that takes place between teammates on a football team. It is such a tasking sport both physically and mentally so you need other people to push you through it. I have made so many friends throughout the years that I have been playing football. There are good times and bad times and countless memories. People ask me, Why do you play football? Football is crazy. Why would you want to play such a violent sport that could cripple you someday? There are many reasons why I play the sport of football, but I would say the main reason I play is because of the friendships that you make. Football is the ultimate struggle with your family to beat another family.

I have been playing football for many years and it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my life. It is extremely grueling both physically and mentally. Sometimes I dread getting up in the morning and conditioning in the summer. In the end it all pays off on Friday night. Football is not for the faint of heart. You have to be extremely tough to be a football player. When my playing days are over I will miss this sport greater than any other sport I do. Football means that much to me. I believe in football.