Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible, Disney does. Sue me and all you'll get is a bagel. A very STALE bagel.
Author's Ramblings: This was an idea of mine for a while, and I finally decided to type it out and begin this interesting story of mine. This is definitely something that I haven't seen a lot of around I really hope you guys have some interest in this, and that you enjoy reading it. Especially you sports fans. Enjoy!
"Hail Mary"
By
Regian
Prologue: One Question
As a kid, we all grew up idolizing that one person who we thought we could grow up to be. Whether it was a superhero, a celebrity or a musician. We had the poster on the wall, we always defending their honor when someone doubted them or made a comment about their talents.
Then there were those who looked up to athletes. We admired the talent, the sportsmanship, and the ability to always make someone go "Wow." We cheered for them whether they won or lost. No matter what happened, we were always on their side.
But then as we grow older, we hear the stories of how they really were: Greedy, manipulative, and careless. Declining contracts when there wasn't enough money on the table, spending thousands on booze and drugs, sexual encounters that led to highly publicized trials and settlements. It was hard to take it all in at that point. Everything you believed in as a child was gone. The image of a squeaky-clean role model was gone.
I look at these kids coming out of high school with the idea that some college will come up to them and hand them a scholarship to play football. Mind you that an education is secondary to that kid, they look at the big picture. They see the money, the fame, the girls and the lifestyle. Who really needs an education, anyways? With all of the money that they'll get for endorsements and public appearances will sure enough make them refuse to ponder the fact that in reality, they need an education.
What happens when you get injured? What happens when the doctor comes into the room and tells you that you can't play football anymore? The scholarships, gone. The dreams you had as a kid, gone. And the people who had faith in you to go all the way and make a name for yourself, all gone.
I know how this feels. It happened to me.
I'm Christopher McCage, I'm 23 years old. I played quarterback for Middleton High School for four years. After I broke my leg midway through my Senior season, it all went downhill. The season in which we were expected to go all the way fell apart when I got injured. There went the scholarships, there went the fame, there went every person who had faith in me. I don't even want to talk about my dreams anymore, as they were left on Middleton's field when I went down.
A year after fully recovering from my injury, I moved out of my parent's house. I live in a small apartment, working a full-time job at Bueno Nacho. I want to pursue a college education, but I hardly make enough money to pay rent. It's not easy to get a higher paying job when you don't have a college education.
After the years since my injury, people forget I even exist. I go out some nights to grab something to eat when I have enough cash on me. I see people giving me glances, pointing and saying something to the person next to them, or other times not even acknowledging that I'm in the room. It's almost like I'm not even wanted around here anymore.
But I do find a refuge. Every weekend, the day I get off from work is my day to roam the streets in and away from Middleton. This is where I get my therapy. This is the way football is to be played, on the streets and fields of urban America.
I find the hot spots around the town, sometimes out of town, and make myself available for pick-up games. I've seen players younger and older than me, some of them looking to improve on their game and some of them looking just to play.
Our rules are simple: Seven players to a team. And just like the beginning days of the NFL, you play defense AND offense. That's the way football is meant to be played. There are no cameras, no fans, no money and no stars. The only thing you play for is pride. If there's an object on the field, it's fair game. There is no pass interference, holding, roughing the passer and all of the rules that take the fun out of the game. You work hard to defend the quarterback, you put out as much effort to get that extra yard on the rush and you push whoever you want out of the way to make the catch. Time? Not an issue. There are no play clocks or time limits, you play until you're the first to get to a certain score. Don't even bother about kicking, it's either a touchdown or a turnover.
Even though those are the rules everyone can agree on, there's always one question we have to settle:
"Who gets the ball first?"