For the love of the game

I'm writing once again about sports.  Perhaps I'm trying to figure out where I stand and where my kids fit into all the craziness (sometimes good crazy) of sports.  When Nick wrapped up football, he loved it.  He loved everything about it.  He loved the contact, he loved the running, he loved the plays.  I've seen certain sports (not all of them) turn into cut throat, in it to win it pressure.  I like to win, my kids like to win (especially Nick) but I will admit I'm not highly competitive so this morning when I was listening to the radio, the Illinois State Redbirds football coach spoke about pressure and the "love of the game."  You see his football team is undefeated.  He said recently he noticed his players were playing for the wrong reasons (and yes this was being said by a coach whose team was undefeated).  His players were so focused on being the best, being the greatest, that they had forgotten why they were there and the coach then said something that really spoke to me, "pleasure before pressure."  In other words, don't let the pressure of the game get to you so much that you forget why you play the game.  He encouraged his players to think back to when they were eight years old and playing on their home football fields.  It made me think of Nick and his absolute enthusiasm for his beloved game.  The coach went on to say the fields haven't changed, why have the players?  Let's get back to basic, folks.  Coaches, remember why you coach, if it's just to win, then no offense you need to get out of coaching.  Players, remember why you love the game, if you can't remember then maybe it's time to stop playing.  Parents, encourage your coaches and your kids because sometimes in this wonderful world of sports, encouragement is just what one needs.