These guys sit out for a bruise. Meanwhile, I played through things I can’t even describe to my chiropractor.
Look. I’ve been watching football for thirty-five years. Playing, coaching, analyzing, yelling at the TV—the whole range. And I can tell you without hesitation that the soft athletes of today would not have survived five minutes in the game I played.
Last Sunday, I watched a starting quarterback sit out the fourth quarter because of “arm fatigue.” Arm fatigue. His arm was tired. From throwing. Which is literally his job. That’s like a writer complaining about finger fatigue. That’s like me complaining about… actually, my shoulder does bother me, but that’s different. Mine comes from an actual injury. From when I played Real football.
We Didn’t Have “Fatigue Management”
When I was playing—Division III, All-Conference Honorable Mention, before the knee—we didn’t get to sit out because something felt tired. Consequently, we played tired. We played hurt. We pushed through things that modern medical staff would call “inadvisable” but we called it “Tuesday.”
I remember one game, junior year, when I took a hit so hard I forgot what state I was in. You know what the trainer did? He asked me what day it was. I said “game day.” He said “close enough” and sent me back in. That’s how we handled things. That’s how champions get made.
Now? Now they have “concussion protocols.” They have “rest days.” Furthermore, they have specialists whose entire job involves telling athletes to stop playing. No wonder we’re losing to countries that don’t believe in rest days. Not that football is an international sport. But the principle stands nevertheless.
The Proof Lives In My Arm
Here’s the thing about athletes soft today: they don’t know what they’re capable of because nobody ever pushed them to find out. Moreover, I could still demonstrate this myself. My arm remains ready. The muscle memory stays intact. If you gave me five minutes to warm up—maybe ten, depending on the weather—I could throw a spiral that would make these guys question everything.
I mentioned this to my physical therapist last week. She said I should “avoid overhead throwing motions.” However, I told her that’s exactly the kind of thinking that’s ruining sports. She adjusted my rotator cuff and didn’t respond. Typical.
What Needs To Change
Therefore, my recommendation stays simple: bring back toughness. Bring back playing through discomfort. Bring back the understanding that sports is supposed to challenge you. The soft athletes of today need to learn that greatness requires sacrifice.
Am I saying they should play with serious injuries? No. Obviously not. But “arm fatigue”? “Load management”? “Precautionary rest”? Come on.
I played through a torn ACL. Well, partially torn. Well, it tore fully during practice later. But I was out there. I was competing. I earned that All-Conference Honorable Mention one painful snap at a time.
And I’d do it again. If my shoulder cooperates. Which it will. Eventually.
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