Football, The Mentality of the game

Andrew Bulieris
Sports Editor

       To truly become a great football player, you have to develop a football mentality. Some people say football is ten percent physicality and ninety percent mentality. Your brain is the strongest muscle in your body; it controls everything that you do. Without a good mental game most football players will not be able to reach their full potential. Being mentally tough is what separates the good from the best players.   

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      Everyone thinks playing the game of football is all about physicality and how strong you really are. Yes strength matters in a lot of aspects of the game, but to really succeed in the game, you have to be mentally tough. Between coaches and players, football is a game of strategy; week in and week out, coaches and players are making adjustments to their personnel to fit their next opponent’s schemes. It takes knowledge of the game itself and knowing your opponents to outsmart the other team. Especially on the field, it takes mental toughness to get up after every play and continue to play no matter how tired or bruised you are. Football players are some of the toughest men in the world being hit almost every play and continuing to push through.
            Week in and week out, football is physically and mentally tiring. Football is a huge responsibility alone being a player, but off the field is where it gets harder. Practicing almost every day, going for treatments, having team meetings every day, and still trying to make time to have a life outside of the game is tough. Many football players have struggled with depression and drugs to help cope with the physical and mental pain. Football is meant to be a fun game that many people love to play, but once you get to the NFL, it becomes a fulltime lifestyle. If a player suffers a season-ending injury, it could potentially destroy his chances of playing again, and he has a great chance of losing his job. Coming back from a catastrophic injury, like a large percentage of players, do takes a tremendous amount of work. Having the right mentality towards the game sets players apart from the rest.