One Last Play

There are points in everyone’s lives where we must find the courage to push through every obstacle in front of us. In my case those obstacles might actually be people. To truly find courage in a time when you are weak and faced with adversity is to truly know you have exceeded all limits and have fought a battle worthy of a win.

            I’ve grown up with many sports in my life. I’ve played baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer, and a few more, but one sport that has truly stood out in my life is football. I absolutely love football; it’s one of those sports someone can get fully immersed in and never want to turn back. People often ask me why I would play a sport with so much violence and pain; I seem to ask myself the same question. Then I realize that every time I step onto that field, be it for practice or to play in front of a crowed, that I love the feeling of running the ball as fast as a possibly can pushing the limits of my own body. I love lowering my head to knock someone down for that one extra yard. Where might courage fit into this you might ask? Well there are many times I’ve wanted to give up, I’ve wanted to quit, because of physical pain and also because I thought I couldn’t keep going. But courage is to fight all of that, to keep moving, to take a deep breath and get ready for the next play, or the next drill. I have played this sport for almost 7 years now and it has caused more pain and injury than anything else in my life, but every day I find the courage to walk onto that field and play my heart out for every single one of my brothers. Courage is knowing you are physically exhausted but you keep playing like it’s your last.

By Mike Toth

“No matter the circumstances that you may be going through, just push through it.” – Ray Lewis