More Than a Game

"If you had, One shot, Or one opportunity, To seize everything you ever wanted

In one moment, Would you capture it, Or just let it slip?" - Eminem

I am 13 and my parents are fighting. I go to practice to clear my head.

I am 17 and my boyfriend and I just got in a huge fight. I suit up for the rivalry game that night.

I am now 21 and I have no idea what I want to do once I graduate college. I do know that I want to step on the court and just let loose and win this game.

I don't only play basketball when something bad happens in my life, I play for the constant. I play sports to clear my head of the world around me. Even if it is good or bad its that constant thrill or that constant control that I love having.

The basketball court is my sanctuary. Everyone has one. Everyone has that one place or that one spot that they need to go to when things get rough or just to have a good time. I joke when I say I only play sports so I don't need to pay for a gym membership when in reality I play sports to keep me sane.

It's kept me feeling alive. It has kept me motivated not only on the court but in life as well. I learned how to be discipline. I learned that the finer details really do matter. Teamwork, listening, and taking criticism were just a few more things that I was able to take away from my time playing in high school and college. Hard work does not come easy and achieving you goal after working hard for it is so much more satisfying than having it handed to you. I became the person I am today because of playing sports and not just playing but wanting to win. Having that desire to finish every practice, scrimmage, and game winning.

So let me get political for a hot second. These participation trophies are straight crap. These kids are absorbing everything when they are young and if they think they do not need to actually work hard to achieve something then that is how they are going to be when they get into the real world. I am not saying yell at them for losing but teach them the difference. Give them something to look forward to and something to strive for.

If I grew up the way they are now, I would have no motivation to be the best. I would just expect everything to be handed to me because I signed up. They say add more real life classed in school like how to do taxes and all that jazz but how about we keep sports as a competition and not water it down with lilies and daises.

Beating our rivals in a crowded gym was some of my favorite moments and because we won and they lost. Does that make me unsportsmanlike? No, It makes me a competitor. It makes it so that I know I need to work hard to get on top and to achieve the goals that I set forward.

It has always been more than a game to me. It has been my therapist, my family, my home away from home. Sports has taught me the tools and keys to a good and successful life. It has created a community of amazing people that I can connect with. Basketball and every other sport I have played has given me connections and networking opportunities for my future career goals.

You see it has never just been a game but my lifeline and the lifeline to many others who surround me. I will play these sports until I am in a wheel chair and even then I will find a way to participate however I can.

Basketball, Volleyball and whatever else I play in my lifetime with forever and always be more than a game.