FROM THE SIDELINES COLUMN: Football is a game, after all
MIKE CHIESI
I am a big football fan, so I find myself flipping through games on Sunday afternoons. The problems with pro football, however, is that I see money-hungry businessmen playing a kid’s game.
Don’t get me wrong, given the chance I would jump all over the money just like many players do. The difference between them and me, besides five inches and a couple hundred pounds, is that I would take the love of the game right along with me.
Most players lose the love of the game that they have in high school. Some college players maintain that love of the game, but a lot of college players receive scholarships and "under the table" money, along with what ever is waiting for them in the pros.
High school football, man, that is the sport. Real kids playing a kid’s game strictly for love and the challenge of the game. All that most high school players get out of their career is respect and admiration from their peers and members of their community.
Sadly, I can see some of the poison of pro and college football in some high school athletes, but it’s not common enough to contaminate the sport. The real difference between high school and pro football is that high school players still love the game.
High school games are still pure.
Oct. 8, 1998 the Apache