September 9th: More Than Football

We, as sports fans, spend so much time watching, critiquing, and arguing about college students. We talk Heisman trophies, March Madness, College World Series, and more. These 18 to 22 year old men and women provide us with all of the entertainment we could possibly need, each of us living vicariously through them as they try to squeeze as much as they can out of the sports they love.

Sometimes, though, it is too easy to forget that these are students, young people who are betting everything on college. For some, this can come at personal expense. Not all student athletes are on scholarship at the schools they represent.

ESPN ran a great story about college football walk-ons who, through hard work and dedication, earned scholarships to play for their teams. It detailed the difficulties of having to pay their way when their teammates and friends had their experiences paid for.

Having watched it, it is remarkable how these young men were willing to give so much to follow a dream of theirs, and were so overjoyed by getting the opportunity to go to school and play the game they love on scholarship. They are getting the opportunity of a lifetime, allowing their skills on the field to not only provide them with a chance to play their sport, but also to pursue a world-class education..

It may be easy to judge football players as athletes when watching on ESPN. Every once and a while, though, we get the chance to remember that these student athletes are working for so much more than just a victory every week.