Email This StoryPoint of View: In many ways, football similar to war
Nov. 3, 2009
By Sarah Rafique
Football is war, except its battle is fought on a different kind of field.
From the kick-off and declaration of war to winning or losing against a rival and the support of a band and color guard, the two share a common game plan: winning.
Field marshals and coaches lead their team. A rigorous tryout and application process is mandatory to make the cut. Scores of rugged men and determined women rush to see if they will be starting in the line of defense.
Soon, specific positions are appointed: generals and quarterbacks call the plays, lieutenants, cadets, running backs and corner backs fall into line. Lower ranks take orders as they are called, but alter their decisions to fire their riffle or throw the ball depending on the excitement or anguish of the moment.
Training begins: Lines of players ram into blocking dummies or weave their feet in and out of tires. Cadets climb over wooden walls, splintering their hands, and scurry through mud obstacles -- both are determined to strengthen offense, accuracy and agility.
After months of clear-cut training, focus and dedication, the players, driven by fans, enter their first game, while soldiers driven by patriotism fly over murky water to foreign lands.
Pre-game and pre-war ceremonies and traditions are over. The scrimmage begins: Each field goal and alliance evoke positivity, while turnovers and deaths constitute great loss.
"Did I make the right decision?" says the linebacker whose failed pass resulted in a turnover. "What if I waited just one second?" painfully rushes through the mind of the injured driver whose Humvee strikes a roadside bomb.
After numerous injuries and turnovers, halftime rolls around: It's a break from combat -- time to rethink, regroup and revise the same old tactics. What about attacking from behind? They'll never see it coming.
Or, if the game goes in your favor, leaders analyze the struggle, highlighting the team's strong points, but keeping in mind the battle is not yet won.
The coach and commander review old plays and yell new strategies. You catch your breath, the sweat finally cools, but the break is over just as soon as it begun.
Back on the field, warriors of football and soldiers of war fight to annihilate their challengers.
Two quarters on the turf and two seemingly endless years on foreign soil are nearing the end.
Cheerleaders, or wives and husbands, anxiously await the result of the hard work put forth by all on the team.
A gruesome battle ensues until there are only 10 seconds left on the score board and one enemy left in combat. The end is near, but the outcome is still indefinite. You throw the ball with all of your force. Suddenly the buzzer goes off and you watch the football sail through two neon yellow poles.
You feel the vibration of your final round of bullets, shocked that your finger harshly pulled the trigger at the exact moment needed. Your eyes witness a body falling to the ground, drenched in blood.
The sound of the cheering crowd and bullet reverberate in your ears. The battle is over and you won. A sly grin stretches from ear to ear as you bump chests with your fellow victors. Your eyes shift to the ground, uneasy but triumphant nonetheless.
Football is like war: gruesome and rewarding. But, the loss of a life will never compare to the loss of a game.
Sarah Rafique is a Georgetown senior majoring in journalism and the copy desk chief for the Baylor Lariat.
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