Plankton
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 12,258
- Reaction score
- 18,650
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...changed-his-future-but-did-he-change-the-nfls
ATLANTA — The man who may or may not have changed football forever is at the center of a 5,000-seat soccer stadium that on this night hosts a total of four fans. He juggles a soccer ball 10 times in a row. Foot to knee, knee to foot, foot to knee.
There is no applause. No "Jump Around" fueling his adrenaline. The only soundtrack for players here is the buzzing of a highway clashing with the squawking of birds along a trim of woods. This is no Camp Randall, no Levi's Stadium. No autograph requests, no adulation, no paycheck await him—only a cool beer in the bar adjacent to Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
A conversation breaks out about 15 yards away. An eclectic group speaks English, Spanish and French to each other. One is a collegiate soccer player from a nearby school who stays sharp by playing in the six-on-six co-ed league here.
"The culture here in America," he insists, "is all football."
A friend challenges that assertion. A light bulb goes off.
"You know what? I just read a survey where more parents want their kids to play soccer. This is so much safer! You're right. And it's competitive."
Another voice chimes in. "And NFL players are, get this, retiring early from football."
"Yeah! That's true. They are!"
The group heads to the exit, oblivious to the fact that the man who subconsciously shaped this conversation is right there—with pineapple-sized calves and a Wisconsin Badgers shirt over a torso that could still send ball-carriers into tomorrow—now booting a kick into the mesh.
They walk right past Chris Borland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And, the guy who walked away from football is partaking in soccer. A sport with a high incidence of concussions amongst youth players. You can't make this stuff up.
ATLANTA — The man who may or may not have changed football forever is at the center of a 5,000-seat soccer stadium that on this night hosts a total of four fans. He juggles a soccer ball 10 times in a row. Foot to knee, knee to foot, foot to knee.
There is no applause. No "Jump Around" fueling his adrenaline. The only soundtrack for players here is the buzzing of a highway clashing with the squawking of birds along a trim of woods. This is no Camp Randall, no Levi's Stadium. No autograph requests, no adulation, no paycheck await him—only a cool beer in the bar adjacent to Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
A conversation breaks out about 15 yards away. An eclectic group speaks English, Spanish and French to each other. One is a collegiate soccer player from a nearby school who stays sharp by playing in the six-on-six co-ed league here.
"The culture here in America," he insists, "is all football."
A friend challenges that assertion. A light bulb goes off.
"You know what? I just read a survey where more parents want their kids to play soccer. This is so much safer! You're right. And it's competitive."
Another voice chimes in. "And NFL players are, get this, retiring early from football."
"Yeah! That's true. They are!"
The group heads to the exit, oblivious to the fact that the man who subconsciously shaped this conversation is right there—with pineapple-sized calves and a Wisconsin Badgers shirt over a torso that could still send ball-carriers into tomorrow—now booting a kick into the mesh.
They walk right past Chris Borland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And, the guy who walked away from football is partaking in soccer. A sport with a high incidence of concussions amongst youth players. You can't make this stuff up.
