It's suppose to be for fun

I heard back from my teammate, Rob today. He will never play soccer again. All three bones in the ankle were broken in his injury. He had 7 screws and plate placed in there so he'll be able to walk again. It just bothers me so much. I hate thinking of being unable to play ever again. I can't imagine what he's going through mentally/emotionally. He was upset about the play and thought it should have been a red card offense, but lying on the ground in writhing pain, complaining to the referees was the last thing on his mind. I’m sure it was all he could do to bare the pain.

I like Rob – he’s a good guy and a good player. He said he’s going to come out and cheer us on for the remainder of the season. That’s the kind of guy he is. I admire that because I don’t know if I could do it (if I were in his shoes). It would be painful to watch others play the game I love so much, knowing I could never play again. It almost brings me to tears just thinking about it. I’m bummed that I didn’t get to play this week because of a pulled hamstring, but at least I’ll be back out there soon. My prayers are with Rob during this time of recovery.

This is supposed to be a fun league – a place where players go to play the game and be semi-competitive. There’s no excuse for this type of injury at this level and in this league. We’re playing soccer in an amateur league, in a small city, in the United States. There is no reason to prove yourself here – we are so far removed from the professional level that no one should be kidding themselves. This was an unnecessary and completely avoidable injury – the play was down right dirty. I hope the guy responsible can sleep at night. I know I’d have difficulty if it were me, but then I’d never have committed that foul in the first place.