The Grumpy Old Man on the Metro

I have decided that living in the city is not for me.  There are people EVERYWHERE.  Cars are EVERYWHERE.  Tall buildings are EVERYWHERE.  It just isn’t really my scene.  As exciting and adventurous as it is to be out here in D.C., it will be nice to go back to my family and Porter in quiet, little Granite Bay.  

The other thing I don’t particularly care for in the city is the metro.  Actually the metro never bothered me…until today.

I was sitting by a man who was reading the newspaper.  Abby Wambach’s disappointed face was on the cover.  He noticed I was trying to slyly read the article over his shoulder when he said to me, “Sports are just a waste of time and money.  Has anything good ever come from them?  They just get you excited over a game and then it disappoints you.  Kids should worry more about school and less about games.”  Obviously he did not know that I was one of those kids, in love with soccer, who looked up to people like Wambach.

I’m a pretty chill person until you bash on people I love or things I care about.  Sports definitely fall in the category of things I care about.  There is no reason for me to write down exactly what I said…so let’s just say I shared my strong opinion with him in an even stronger manner.  

Has anything good ever come from sports?  Are you kidding me?  Only some of the greatest moments in history!  He obviously never saw Jordan drop 63, Derek Jeter get to 3,000 hits, or watch the USA hockey team win the gold in 1980.  Ignoring all that, sports teach you something you can’t learn in a classroom.  Sports teach you how to be a leader, how to work as a team, how to set goals, how to practice hard, and help define your character.  At least they did that for me.  I have met some of the most amazing people and learned some of the most important lessons in life because of sports.  

I looked at the newspaper again, back at Abby’s face, and I had seen that face a time or two before.  It was my face after losing one of the biggest games of my life in high school.  However, with those heart-breaking moments come some of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences you can imagine.  In sports I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. 

 I met some of my best friends who now I honestly think of as family.  Even though I no longer compete competitively in sports, I continue to learn from them.

Take this little one for example.

She is a stud soccer player.  I remember taking her out and passing with her on our patch of grass/weeds in Arizona and now she is a little all-star.  In fact, she was good enough to try out for a Comp team up in Northern California.  Not only did she get to try out, but she also made it.  To give you a perspective of how competitive it is, the team has its own college coordinator who is in charge of making highlight tapes and getting the girls scouted.  Rylee was so beyond excited when she made it.  Actually I think I got a phone call 2.4 seconds after she found out she was in.  

Then my parents went to the first team meeting.  They learned that they would have soccer tournaments, show cases, and practices every Sunday.  Rylee would only be able to go to church once a month if she was lucky and would probably never make it to mutual.  My parents left the decision up to her.  Now this girl loves soccer.  She had to decide between doing something she loves or being a part of something she believes in.  She decided to turn the offer down so she would be able to go to church.  Soccer helped teach Rylee the importance of living up to her standards.  No math class or chemistry test could have taught her that.

No grumpy old man on the metro, good things don’t come from sports.  Great things do.  They teach you what really matters in life.  Last time I checked, it was bouncing a ball on the hardwood that helped me become the type of person I wanted to become, not reading a social studies book.