3 Life Lessons I Learned Playing Football

In my life I've been fortunate to have plenty of teachers who left me with knowledge that I previously did not have.  Some have been family members, some friends, teammates and PLENTY of haters.  But the one teacher that left a definite imprint has been sports.  Without a doubt, Football has reinforced most of the lessons that may have fallen to the wayside that the aforementioned may have tried to hammer home.  So...since my head is so thick, it only made sense that constantly knocking it against others while trying to win a "meaningless" game would only clarity those lessons while giving them relevance.  Here are 3 of the lessons that I learnt.

1. There is ALWAYS someone bigger, badder and tougher than you....ALWAYS.

My Pops used to tell me this...constantly.  When I moved to MD from NJ, I most definitely kept my Lawnside swagger.  He would tell me to tone it done, but I wasn't having it.  This was when I was 15, 16 years old, let's fast forward to when I was a Sophomore in college.  The last college game I played in I had to cover a DIII All-American.  I talked shit all week, but my best friend Tim Gavin knew what time it was (he knew I was nervous because I talked in my sleep).  Well, long story short, I got beat for about 7 catches, 120 yards and 1 TD.
Lesson Learned: Keep your mouth shut, or someone will shut it for you.

2. Don't look for someone to save you.  If you do, you'll be waiting a REALLY long time.

I started playing football when I was in 3rd grade.  I rode the bench until I got to High School (and believe me, it sucked).  I knew I was good but never really got a shot to play.  When I went to High School I said to myself, "there is NO WAY I'm riding the bench ever again".  I decided that a concussion was a better way of going out than sitting for another 4 years.  I watched Pro's and collegiate players, studied how they played and changed my strategy.  My offensive model was Eric Bieniemy and defensive one was Eric Allen, with a splash of Dick "Night Train" Lane. Ever since my Freshman year of High and ALL through college, I started every game (yes, even as a walk-on Freshman at a Division 1-AA college).
Lesson Learned: If you want it bad enough, grab your sack, pull down your skirt and take it.

3. Tough times don't last, tough people do.

My first year of playing Varsity Football (Sophomore Year) my team was really young and inexperienced.  We went 1-8 and barely won that one game 14-7 (against another bad team, Haddon TWP).  But I loved football and didn't care if we lost EVERY game, I just wanted to compete and play.  Some guys quit during the season and some quit on the team even though they continued to play.  All that mattered to me was going out and gettin' it in (that's slang for "doing work").  Shit is going to get shoveled on you in life, just as in sports and you have to decide right then and there if you're a going to eat it or use that manure to plant something for next year.  I was fortunate enough to plant that manure and it grew into a State Champion at Linganore High School.  I never forgot how bad the taste of losing felt and vowed to NEVER taste it again.
Lesson Learned: Even a blind squirrel can find a nut (you keep trying and something good will happen).

Well, these are just a few of my lessons that I learned that were cemented through sports that I try to express through my company H.E.A.R.T Athletics.  I hope you guys enjoyed this post and feel free to share it with your friends and family members.

John H. Harris II

Breaking Down the H.E.A.R.T Athletics Player Card

Most of you know by now that I am a sports junkie...big time.  But as a kid, everything was cookie cutter processed and given to the masses.  Not only was this the status quo, but most of what we were given was marketed to us through athletes we had no connection with other than that they played on our favorite team.  I think it's great that you are one of the best athletes in your sport, but when it comes to impressionable young kids, teenagers and young adults, we often use individuals who are in the spotlight as "role models".

The H.E.A.R.T Athletics Player Card was created by me (John Harris), with the help of Brent Riley.  This shirt is aimed at encouraging, empowering and highlighting the contributions (no matter how small or big) that your athlete has made over the past season.  Why look to follow in someone else's shoes or blueprint when you can make your own path, carve your own niche, while making YOUR own history.

Let's break down the front of the shirt. 
1. Identifies the team or school that your athlete plays for. 
2. Is an action picture that you can upload on the site for your athlete (This is a picture of Billy Hubbard, really, really good football and lacrosse player). 
3. Identifies your athlete by name, number and position.

Back of the shirt breakdown.
1. again identifies the athlete. 
2. Provides all the information that a professional trading card would have, but this card is tailored to specifically to your athlete. 
3. Provides and detailed explanation on the past season and what they contributed (even if it was only ONE play, special teams or scout team...THEY did it and deserve to be recognized for it). 
4. and 5. provide the stats for the past or current year.

This shirt was designed for your athlete and their self-esteem.  While it is good to have people to look up to and goals to shoot for, you shouldn't have to look outside of yourself for motivation.  Every athlete can't be All-State, a Blue Chip or a Five Star stud, but every athlete that plays their H.E.A.R.T out should be recognized for it.

John H. Harris II
Owner/CEO
H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC
www.heartathleticsllc.com