Today’s post is one of the shortest ever on Coach Daddy.
It’s definitely the shortest guest post. It’s from Ashley Mahoney, a fellow sports writer. She conveys a love of soccer so succinctly, she doesn’t need 600 words.
Ashley and I cover the Carolina Panthers. She for the Charlotte Post, me for the Associated Press. She reminds me of myself, in a lot of ways. Some not-so-obvious ways. See, when I was her age, I was the young reporter on the NFL beat.
You feel like you’re trying to run with the big dogs in the press box and locker room. Your paper might not have the circulation, but you’re trying to make a splash. It’s why you covered volleyball on your college paper and everything.
Ashley also writes a blog called Post-grad Jitters.
You’ll love the tagline on Ashley’s blog:
Four years and thousands of dollars later, I am a twenty two year old college graduate. I have no clue what I am doing.
Please give Ashley a warm CD welcome, and give Post-grad Jitters a visit.
Soccer. Football. The beautiful game. Futbol. Calico. Whatever you call it. It doesn’t matter what you call it. It doesn’t matter if you pay attention to it—it doesn’t need you.
It has a culture unique unto itself. From a Copa Del Rey final in a packed Barcelona bar, to a front row seat at a Championship match between Crystal Palace and Hull City, to the mother of all adventures by somehow procuring tickets to Old Trafford for a BPL match—nothing compares to the experience abroad. Maybe it’s psychologically knowing that you’re there.
There are so many variables that this post would turn into a book rather than a post if all received proper attention. Americans have a tendency to be very calculated and controlled. We didn’t invent the game of football, and it allows for too much creativity for American society to really embrace it…yet. Watching a televised match in America is okay, but who wants okay when you can have incredible.
Growing up, I fell in love with the game with the obscure comprehension that it would never love me back. Yet I continue to crawl back to it, like a strung out crack addict. It’s addicting. Once you’ve tasted it, really tasted it (not a poor imitation, but the real thing) you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Do you share this love of soccer? What are you this passionate about?
loved it, ashley. your passion for the game shows in your writing. great analogy – the crack addict and your game addiction. ) and i’m a hockey fan, but love the story and drive behind all competitions )
the best story lines don’t even need the biggest stages, do they?
Cricket is my choice of sports for watching, but since my granddaughter began playing soccer five years ago at the age of seven, and then her younger brother started a couple of years later, I’ve really come to appreciate the game. Sadly I’ve never seen them play as their games are too far away. 😦
Some grandparents (and parents) I know live so close to where their grandkids (and kids) play – I wish for a day you could trade places and have that, too.
Oh me too, Eli, me too.
My older daughter plays and needless to say I think it is safe to say she would agree with your sentiments and passion about it. But I got to admit I was never a sporty girl nor did I play soccer, but still love seeing my own daughter’s enthusiasm on this to be honest.
As a parent, there’s a degree of joy when we watch our children find passion in something, be it a sport, an art, or even in making popsicles out of everything in the fridge.
Reblogged this on postgradjitters.
Soccer is OK in summer. You don’t need a lot of gear, you can play it during recess at school.
I LOVE hockey, however!
Hockey is … cool, Colin.
Love soccer!…football! I didn’t know you wrote for the Carolina Panthers Eli! They practice right down the road from my house. I live just outside of Spartanburg!
I think the Panthers hold training camp in Spartanburg to make the team grateful they don’t hold it in Columbia! That has to be so hot in the summer.
Ha! It gets pretty hot here as well..but yeah Columbia would just suck!
Columbia is the perfect place for basic training.
…or a federal prison lol!
… and we haven’t even gotten into the University of South Carolina topics yet!