Conventionally, the sport of football isn't something you associate with lifelong lessons and valuable skills that can be used to carry you throughout your career and your adult life but that is exactly what Minarets Football has done for its players. At least senior Noah Segura, one of the school’s top athletes, thinks so and expressed these ideas during an interview conducted with Minarets Press.
"Football has taught me to be a leader, on and off the field, it's taught me how to be a bigger and better man," Segura commented.
After saying this, he went on to mention how these skills would help him in his career and as a husband and father. Segura also talked about how learning how to take a loss and being a good sportsman is part of the process.
"In all my years of football, it's taught me to be respectful, a lot of times it's taught me to never give up, you always gotta, never give up," he stated.
Another senior athlete, Gabriel Castenada said, "Football has taught me leadership skills, how to be respectful, and how to work well with others."
For a sport marketed as something of an outlet for anger and roughhousing, it inspires a code of honor and brotherhood among its players, one that encourages good sportsmanship and leadership. However, the athletes did also admit to enjoying the physical element of the sport.
"My favorite part about football is scoring touchdowns and hitting kids," said Castenada
"I started playing football about 5 years ago and what drove me to play was all my friends were playing and I wanted to get stronger and bigger," commented Segura.
The coach of the Minarets Football also sees playing this sport as beneficial, commenting on how he coaches football to help them progress as people.
"I coach football to lead high school kids in athletics and to make them better people," said the coach
As it has previously been made clear, football isn't just a sport to harness your aggression and strength. Football is also a sport that encourages unity and good sportsmanship and inspires athletes to be leaders and cooperate with others not only on the field but in everyday life. Career skills and valuable life lessons can be learned by playing the sport and its time we open our eyes to this.