Why do we let them play football?

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On Friday, the WCS football team stepped out on the field for the first game in two years. We faced a tough opponent, and several of our players–including my son–ended up injured. The question has been raised, so why do we let our sons play football? Isn’t the risk too high? Shannon Daniels, the mother of three of the homeschool students on our team, eloquently answered those questions in a Facebook post Sunday afternoon. This is why we let them play.

Paul Brenner, WCS Administrator

The post below is from Shannon Daniels

As many of you know, Friday night’s football game was tough. We had 4 players injured and taken out of the game. 3 of them went to the ER and one of them remains in the hospital after surgery. So…..it’s not a crazy question…..and one I’m getting asked frequently: Why are you letting your boys play football? So I figured I’d answer the question here.

When I look at those boys, I don’t just see high school football players having a good time. I see future soldiers, firefighters, paramedics, linemen, and missionaries. I see young men who are being trained to be brave and take chances.

1. Team. There really is no “I” in team. These boys are working together. Last week, the bus broke down after a scrimmage. They sat on the interstate for two hours in the heat with no A/C….sweaty post-game football players. I texted each of my sons and offered to come get them. But they wouldn’t leave the team. 
2. Discipline. I’ve never seen more bruises, more sweat, more fatigue, or more drive. A large portion of the team spent their summer conditioning at 7 am each morning and sometimes again in the evening. 
3. Bravery. Ok. This is the one that gets me. This is the real reason I let them play. These boys are running straight into the face of adversity. They know it’s gonna hurt and they realize they may get injured. But I gotta tell you, I’ve never seen more bravery than I did Friday night when those boys kept fearlessly taking the field, even after their teammate/friend left the field on a stretcher. When I look at those boys, I don’t just see high school football players having a good time. I see future soldiers, firefighters, paramedics, linemen, and missionaries. I see young men who are being trained to be brave and take chances. When Jim Elliott set out to reach the Auca Tribe in Ecuador, it was a calculated risk. They were a murderous people and no one had survived the effort to share the gospel with them. And yet, Jim Elliott and four of his cohorts took that chance. And by God’s sovereignty and the death of all 5 of them, the Lord miraculously saved the tribe and the power of the Gospel of Jesus defeated that murderous evil.

But what does that have to do with football? We’re teaching these boys that it’s ok to be brave. DO HARD THINGS. One of these boys may storm a battlefield in war or fly a fighter jet one day fighting for our country’s freedom. One may run into a burning home and retrieve your loved one. One may race to the scene of an accident and fearlessly rescue your family. One may face the elements of hurricane or ice so you can maintain the comfort you expect in your home. One may take the Gospel to an unreached people group….or maybe share the gospel with his coworker or classmate even if it makes him unpopular. The bottom line, I see brave young men, willing to take a hit and keep pushing forward. This is why I let them play. This is why I’m cheering for them.