A Christmas Carol for today's athlete
Posted: Tuesday, December 07, 2010
by Tony Price
The Darker Shade of Sports
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I were sitting on the couch watching a college basketball game. When one of the athletes took a charge and as he was falling you could see a quick glimpse of his compression shorts complete with padding in the thigh area and my wife immediately asked what is he wearing? I proceeded to explain to her that's the latest trend now days. Today's athletes not only wear padding in the gear under their uniforms, with the advancement of technology they are almost covered from head to toe with moisture control and padding for the ribs, thighs, rear end etc.
On the first day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could go back to a time when working up a sweat was a symbol of hard work and the term "Hit the showers" actually meant something.
On the second day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience what it feels like to get excited for the game just because; voiding the need for a can of energy drinks.
On the third day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience a time when you depended on the natural foods you ate to fuel the body instead of relying on vast supplements
On the fourth day of Christmas I wish today's athlete's could experience the benefits of good old fashioned calisthenics to make them stronger, run faster and jump higher instead of spending a small fortune on strength shoes and fancy equipment
On the fifth day of Christmas I wish today's pampered athletes could experience traveling to the games packed like sardines on those yellow buses instead of luxury coaches. This would force them to interact with teammates instead of entering their own world of texting and I-pod's.
On the sixth day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience what it feels like to play Pop Warner, little league, and recreational basketball, or hockey for fun. A place where they can be a kid, without the pressure of being the next great?
On the seventh day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience what it feels like to play for a coach who really has their best interest at heart and that was the norm
On the eight day of Christmas I wish today's athletes were encouraged to accept responsibility for a poor performance based on their choices to stay up late, not get enough rest or properly prepare instead of people using psycho babble to understand or give them a built in excuse.
On the ninth day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience a time when making the high school varsity team was quite the honor and college athletics and education were the dream instead of the pros.
On the tenth day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience what it feels like to attend a sports camp to learn new skills, meet new people that become lifetime friends and not auditioning stages for recruiting services
On the eleventh day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience the true definition of loyalty, commitment and integrity
On the twelfth day of Christmas I wish today's athletes could experience a time when the only protective gear you wore was a mouthpiece, goggles, knee pads, shin guards and jock straps.
And a Partridge in a pear tree
Happy Holidays
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I loved this article! Everything you said was RIGHT ON! Happy Holidays Tony.Thank You Brianna
Happy Holidays to you and your family
What a great twelve days of Christmas wish list. I hate that sports has become such a commercial and exploitative industry. Happy holidays to you and your family!Thank You Jennifer
Sports has become Big Business, I just wish I could figure out how to get my slice of the pie!
Happy Holidays to you and your family as well
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