The Gentleman’s Sport

[I would like to be grateful to my very dear friend and a football freak, Miss Ashmita Patel who suggested me this topic of football to write on and provided me the encouragement to write on this!]

You breathe air, you eat food, you drink water. Do you love someone or something so much for which you can give up any of these things? Yes? Then that’s passion! This word energizes me to a whole new level from where it’s next to impossible for me to level down. And for me, passion, love, craziness, insanity, lust, madness, addiction, all means the same-FOOTBALL!

A sport, not just a game is something for which I can give up food and play whole day. Passion for anything doesn’t rises out suddenly. It takes time and skill over it. My skills in football? Dude, you don’t want know how much I have sweated to learn the basics of my religion-football. I respect the beautiful sport; I love it from all my heart. Football is a religion, I am a footballer.

You must be thinking how mad am I exaggerating so much on a simple sport, aren’t you? This is passion, my friends. The passion is irresistible.

Not a love at first sight situation, but I fell in love with it in 11^th standard. How romantic na! LOL. Jokes apart, you wouldn’t believe me but I used to hate football. Yes, you read right. I used to hate it. I found it worthless. Few men running from one corner to another for scoring a goal, that too for 90 minutes on an enormous rectangular grassy ground. Man! That’s so tiring.

But my life had different plans for me. While in school, my other friends had interest in football and so they used to play during the break time. Well, I didn’t have any interest but I thought to give it a try. I ENJOYED! Yes, the sport which I hated at first was enjoyed by me. And moreover, I used to play more of it.

It doesn’t end here. The climax still waits. I was an empty mind box with no skill. Interest is a different thing and passion is on a complete new level. I had interest so I didn’t bother much about it but gradually I started developing my skills, not enough though. I used to be just a player among the team in my friend circle. Today, I am the one who select players for my team.

You may be thinking why I am describing all this. Football is a sport whose beauty can never be described through words. It has the capability to morph the enemies to friends, hatred to love, interest to passion. Undoubtedly, all sport games are good, but to me, football is my passion, my drug. Whatever you may call it!

Want to know the best thing about football? The legendary players, while playing hurt each other and cause injury, unintentionally but in the end, the hug each other, exchange their t-shirts. No quarrels, no altercations. Not because they have to maintain their dignity but they have respect for the beautiful game and respect for the skills the other players possess. Now you know why football is called The Gentleman’s Game. Proud to be a FOOTBALLER!