By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
As the holiday season sneaks up on us, many Americans will spend Thursday relaxing with family, sharing a meal and watching football.
Football has seamlessly woven itself into the fabric of one of this country’s biggest holidays. At least in late November, it seems, football becomes as American as apple pie.
I am lucky to be one of the few people whose job keeps him involved with football on a daily basis. I continued to be reminded on a that I have so much to be thankful for. Not only do I write about football, but I write about high school football, which for many reasons, is the best type of football around.
I’m thankful for parents. In my time at MaxPreps, I have spoken to countless parents who tirelessly devote themselves in countless ways to their children. I’ve met parents who are able to make it to each game every Friday night. I’ve met parents who have driven many hours and many more miles just to watch their son play football. I’ve met parents who never miss a practice.
I’ve met parents who work long, hard hours, so their son can afford a pair of cleats or so their son can attend a school with tuition they would not otherwise be able to afford.
I’ve met parents who have missed games because of this.
I’ve met parents who are so proud of their son that they just beam with an uncontrollable smile anytime he walks out onto the field in uniform.
That type of smile, one from the heart, and one free of self-interest or ulterior motives, is infectious. How can I help but smile myself?
I’m thankful for the coaches. Most earn anything but a king’s ransom. Some head coaches are well paid, but positional coaches, assistant coaches, junior varsity and freshman coaches all contribute long hours for little more than the satisfaction of getting an opportunity to positively shape and influence the fragile lives of young men.
So often I talk to football players who point to their coach as a father figure. The job of a coach is certainly not easy. It often requires balancing teaching, family life, and personal life with the around-the-clock job duties of coaching: game planning, scouting, preparing film, executing practices and handling player, parent and media issues.
This dedication to their kids is what makes coaches so laudable. It makes my job such a joy; giving some positive recognition to a player or team is an implicit round of applause to the head coach, his staff, and the entire program that has contributed to that player’s success.
I’m thankful for the communities that support their football teams.
Entering Papa John Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky., to see 37,000 screaming fans rooting for St. Xavier and Trinity is an indescribable feeling.
Not being able to find any legitimate parking spot whatsoever at the Massillon/McKinley game in Ohio – rather than being frustrating – is a very satisfying experience.
Seeing Roy Williams return to Odessa, Texas for the Permian vs. Midland Lee game is to watch a love affair between an NFL celebrity and the loyal hometown where he first became a star.
I’m thankful for integrity. For coaches sitting players who have not made the grade academically. For benching starters in the second half of blowouts. For post-game handshakes in which every player participates.
I’m thankful for high school sportswriters around the country. They may not get to cover the Tom Brady’s and the Adrian Peterson’s of the world like their co-workers assigned to more glamorous professional beats. But they get to cover Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson before they become Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson.
They get to cover future stars before any ego or pretense. They have been a big help to their communities, and a big help to me, both professionally and personally.
Perhaps more than anything, I’m thankful for the players.
The ones who trade social lives for summer lifting sessions, after school workouts, and Saturday film sessions so they can represent themselves, their school, and their community for 48 minutes once a week.
I’m thankful that throughout it all, these young men are learning lessons that transcend football. Being mindful on a defensive assignment is a life lesson in responsibility. Attending optional workouts is a lesson in dedication. Letting a receiver slip behind coverage because a safety should be there to pick him up, a lesson in trust and team work.
A fraction of these players will play in college, and only a select few will enjoy meaningful professional careers. But I believe the lessons that high school football players learn manifest themselves when they become businessmen, teachers, and lawyers of tomorrow. And I’m pretty sure any coach would agree.
Regardless of how you are involved in high school football, you have much to be thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day. I know I certainly do.
