Human Writes: Game’s Up

At my very first soccer practice with the local youth team, the young and enthusiastic coach explained to us that there are two kinds of players in the world: the ones who want to enjoy the game, and the ones who want to win it. And while the first kind charge after the ball like a bunch of jackasses, the second kind examine the various options available to them and choose the most effective one, the one that’ll get them on the scoreboard.

I belonged, without a doubt, to the jackass category. Every time someone fouled me, instead of falling to the ground and wailing in pain theatrically, I opted to keep playing and try to pass the ball or score a goal. As a boy, I didn’t have the words to explain to the coach why I chose to disregard his instructions and play in a way that did not maximize the team’s achievements. But now it’s clear to me: being a sweaty, breathless kid, I prioritized my joy of the game over the result, and even if I made fewer goals along the way, the ones I did make were different and strange and much more me than if I’d squeezed out another penalty kick the way I’d been taught to.