Should I quit football?

[GotBlur]

Hey guys,
So before I go any further, I just want to say that I know that this is ultimately up to me and nobody can make this decision for me, but I am just looking for a little guidance or to see if anyone has any experience. Also I know there are a lot of these posts, but I wanted to get a fresh opinion. Anyways, so heres my story:

All my life I have loved football, everyday after school I would play with friends for hours, and then on the weekends I would watch it all day Saturday and Sunday. I never officially played until high school, because my parents worried about safety. Once I got to high school, I played all four years and despite the work, I loved it, wouldn't trade it for the world. I decided to continue to play in college at the division 3 level, in hopes of just being able to make up for the years I missed. The season was tough, but despite never playing and still questioning whether I wanted to do this, I made it through. However, the training we have just started has been rough, and way harder than Ive ever have done. Being an anxious person, I worry about them all day, which has made my depression that Ive struggled with start to come back stronger. Im friendly with the kids on the team, but only truly friends with a few of them. My best friends all either play a different sport or dont play at all, but were all athletes in high school; they all love school so far and go out and have a good time, but I can only do it occasionally, and overall my experience has been just okay. I thinking quitting would help me socially, academically, and emotionally. But I'm worried about missing that feeling on game day and what my teammates and coaches might think, but being labelled a quitter is something that I cant stand and has always bothered me. I have a great frame but am quite far behind in terms of strength and athleticism, which I fear might not let me play at all. I also worry about being able to have student athlete on my resume, as I know it helps. If I quit I will lose some weight, lift on my own, and strengthen my relationship with my current friends, and probably rush a fraternity, which I would have never have been able to on the team, but have always wanted to; which overall I feel will cause me to have a great increase in my mental health.

I know this is a tough decision, and I ultimately have to face it myself, but I just wanted to have another perspective.

Thank you guys!

[EvFit]

You're right, ultimately it's up to you and only you can make the decision.

Don't base a huge life decision based on what your coaches would think. There's no shortage of people who want to play college ball, they'll be fine. It's YOU that matters, so make the decision that's best for YOU and no one else.

Here's a couple questions that I hope will help give some perspective:

1. Do you love "that feeling on game day" more than your overall mental health and academic performance?

2. Have you written out, side by side, the pros and cons of both? How do they stack up?

3. This is part of college, learning to make big decisions. It's hard, but try to think long term. Are you going to play after college? Would better grades help you get a better job down the road?

4. On the flip side, the routine and discipline of organized athletics may help keep you on the straight and narrow path. Rushing a frat and going out more in college may be more fun now, but hurt you in the long run. Will your academics suffer more from going out more compared to time spent playing football?


Hope you find the solution!

[Gryph]

That is tough question for sure and is one, unfortunately, only you know the answer to. I can give you my experience though...

I was in a similar boat to you. I played football at the University level in Canada. After my first year, I was wondering myself what I wanted to do at that point. I ended up taking my second year off from football, thinking I would be able to have more fun and be able to up my grades. Did I up my grades? No. Did I have more fun...that is relative. I had different fun, but can't really say I had more fun.

Do I regret taking that 1 year off from football? Don't think so. Would I have regretted quitting altogether? Absolutely!

I was like you. Was friendly with all the guys on the team, but didn't really have any great friendships at the time. I just had my 20 year reunion with the team this past September. Man it was good to see the boys. To re-live the glory days. To reminisce about the winnings, the loosings, the pain, the 3-a-day practices during camp. You may not think you have that many friends on the team at the moment but I guarantee when the chips are down, they would be there in a second. You say you want to rush a fraternity...guess what, you're already part of one...a brotherhood like no other. One unit, one heartbeat!

Is it tough? F*cking ya it is. Are there days you're going to want to say f*uck it? Ya you will. Is it worth it? In my mind, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. It builds character. It gives you a determination, a toughness that you can carry on for the rest of your life. I draw on that toughness and that determination every day now and I'm 41. When my kids are driving my crazy, when my job is sucking the life out of me, when I'm in the gym and feel like I'm going to die if I do one more rep...I draw on that determination and toughness and am able to knock out 1 or 2 more reps..."if you're going to beat me, your going to beat me on talent...not effort!"

I thinking quitting would help me socially, academically, and emotionally.

I can't say whether quitting would help you socially, academically and emotionally; but for me it didn't help me socially or academically and emotionally, well, if I had quite it would have effected me emotionally but not for the better.

But I'm worried about missing that feeling on game day and what my teammates and coaches might think, but being labelled a quitter is something that I cant stand and has always bothered me.

That feeling on game day is one-of-a-kind. I think you will miss that. I still miss it to this day, 20 years later. You can't let what others think of you determine you course of action. You need to do what is right for you. What other people think of you is none of your business.

I can tell you I don't keep in touch with very many of my friends that I met in University, in fact I only keep in touch with a few of my friends from highschool, but I have everyone of my Gryphon teammates as friends on my ******** account. I pretty much guarantee your teammates are also feeling the same pain as you with the gruelling workouts and all, and when you share that type of pain, and you look at them and they look at you and you are all fighting through it together and you draw on each other to overcome it, you form a bond that will never be broken.

In my experience in life I have learned that the grass is usually not greener on the other side of the fence, although it appears to be at times.

You're at a crossroads in your life. You have a tough decision to make. Good luck.

[ChicoPunk13]

Whenever I've pushed my comfort zone, I've always had that initial stage of anxiety and hopelessness. Then you push through, things get better and you're usually glad you stuck with it. Not a lot of people can say they've played football, even fewer at the collegiate level. Yeah it's DIII, but still!

That said, your top priorities in life are to: make yourself happy, be a decent person and help out your family (at least that's my life philosophy). If hanging out with your close friends and rushing a fraternity is gonna make you happy, then do it and fukk what anyone thinks about you being a quitter. Being a student athlete can help on job applications, but depending on what you end up doing, it's a VERY small cherry on top of the other parts of your resume. Don't forget these are YEARS of your life that you're dedicating to the sport. If you're passionate about it and it's worth the effort, great. DO ITTTT!!!! If your heart's not in it, don't waste the time, energy or risk of injury.

Best of luck braddah. I hope you figure out the right path

[PSMFDiet]

GotBlur, you have to do what you feel is right for your life, emotional, physically, and healthwise. Too many people in today's world try to live a life of what they think people expect of them or worry about what they think. Follow what your heart is telling you and do what is best for you. If your friends are real friends in the end, they will be there no matter what decision you make.