The Rites of Passages

“What am I doing here?” I asked myself. Standing there, lined up, waiting for the signal. I did not know how the rules, but I could not resist this opportunity to be one of the guys.

Then, the snap. Everyone started running. So I took off. Downfield, I again did not know what to do. I noticed everyone was declaring that they were “open”. So, I did too. Not knowing what this meant, or its implications, I was not prepared for what happened next.

The ball was spiraling toward me--right toward me. Geometric and kinematics equations were all I could think of. Fearing my teammates disappointment, I jumped for the oblong, wobbling object… and caught it. I had never caught a foot, or any, ball before; it was an incredible feeling.

Before I landed back on earth, I felt the shoulder of an opposing teammate colliding with my ribcage. I was on the way down, down, down. But, the pain was overshadowed by the thrill of taking one for the team. I was going to be a football martyr.

I hit the ground. First my side, then my face. An intense pain radiated from my nose. I reached to nurse it and was shocked by the amount of blood coming from my nose. I could taste it. Martyrdom tastes like blood. So much blood.

“I want somebody to take me to the hospital!!”, I frantically demanded.

The boy responsible for my nose replied, “You sure ‘bout that?”

It was at this very moment I realized--with much dread--I was in the shadow of the colossus. This towering human, in army fatigues, stood looking down at me. I was petrified. Then he spoke; he said, “Nice catch, blanco niño, but too bad yer ass got saahhhhckt [sacked].” I stared back into the void there were his eyes, my expression blank with utter confusion.

I stood to better represent my abilities. Before I was completely upright, before I was even aware of this grown man’s intentions, I was tackled, again. The grown man, wearing army fatigues and a helmet, tackled me! It made a strange kind of crunch sound.

Mike,
I'm surprised you were reading a John Madden book. What led you to pick that up and stick with it?  

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