The Politics of Athletics and Being Overmatched in College

The Politics of Athletics and Being Overmatched in College

As classes started and practices continued, I started to realize how overmatched I really was.  I was a skinny, not very athletic 18-year-old kid playing against 25-year-old men with kids and wives.  Were they going to let a young freshman kid take their spot on the team?  Hell no. 

I called Rick to tell him what was going on.  Since practice didn’t officially start yet, I thought it wasn’t too serious that I wasn’t doing well.  He told me, “Are you serious?  They’re putting their team together now.  Whatever you do now reflects on what happens the rest of the year.” 

His words hit me hard, making me realize I was even more screwed than I thought.  I wasn’t playing well in practice, and no way would I become a completely different player just because the practices were “official.”  My hopes were diminished but I was still on the team so there was a glimmer of hope.  The weekday workouts of individuals and strength training gave me a taste of what official practices would be like, but they still didn’t completely prepare me for it. 
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That, I had to experience for myself.  

This was The Politics of Athletics and Being Overmatched in College.