Do you want to know why I play? Because I love it. The feeling is like no other. Sure there’s the mile runs, lifting, sprints, months of conditioning, stretching and everything else. But the feeling when all that hard work pays off is worth it. The perfect pitch or the line drive shot in the gap, or the diving stop. Talent only takes you so far the rest is the hard work. Because both you and your opponent want the same thing. To win. But the one that works the hardest will achieve it.

We don’t play because it is fun. Ask any of us, most hate it, but we can’t imagine our life’s without it. It’s part of us, the love/hate relationship. We live for it. All the practices, parties, long bus rides, cheering fans, every nagging coach we appreciate after the game. We love the feeling after beating the other team, knowing those extra two swings were worth it. Every time we play for a new team we become part of a new family. Or the countless songs we always sing in our heads as we practice. We live for the competition, memories, new friends, and most of all the love of the game.

It’s not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making sports center. It’s a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, play, live, hustle, sweat, and to compete. We do it all for our teammates. We don’t lift weights with a future NBA player; we lift with a future doctor. We don’t run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future dentist. It’s a bigger part of us that our friends and family can’t understand. Sometimes we play for 200,000 fans, sometimes for 30. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us; more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first. We don’t sign autographs for money, but we do for college applications, ACT exams, and student petitions. When we miss a pitch, or strike out, we don’t let down an entire state. We let down out teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. Lift, throw, run, hit, catch, swim, and much more, and in the morning we go to class. Still the next day in class we are nothing more than students. It’s about pride; in ourselves; in our school. It’s about love and passion for the game. And when it’s all over; when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can call ourselves.

Behind the athlete you have become, and the coaches that have pushed you and the hours of practice, is the little boy that fell in love with the game all those years ago