Skip to main content

Why They Play

Behind every athlete, there is a reason. There is a reason why they play the game, why they have dealt with the pain, heartbreak, early morning workouts, lack of a social life and injuries. There is a reason they have lost time with their families and have given up numerous things to play a game.

That reason is why they step on the field or court every day and it is something that the fans don't always get to see. 


The purpose of this blog is to help tell the athlete’s story and let the fans know the real reason #whytheyplay.

If you or someone you know has a reason #whytheyplay and would like to share, please let me know. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why He Didn't Play: Santonio Hill

It’s another Sunday morning in North Philadelphia and Santonio Hill is getting ready to go to the Newman Center, Temple’s Catholic Center on campus, for Sunday mass. If you were to ask Hill seven years ago how he would be spending his Sunday mornings when he was 25 years old, he would have told you that he would be getting ready to play in an NFL game for whatever team drafted him. That was his goal, and as a senior in high school he was on the path to make it a reality.   Then he had a dream. Going into his senior year, Hill only had one year of high school football experience after having to sit out his sophomore and junior years because of injuries. He was coming back to a team that hadn’t won a game the previous year; things weren’t looking very promising. But Hill wanted to change that, and he did. With Hill back on the roster, Great Mills High School started its season 3-0 and sparked interest from everyone in the area, including Townson University...

Why He Coaches: Andrew Janocko

Nestled in Central Pennsylvania right off of Interstate-80, 40 miles northeast of Penn State University, seven-year-old Andrew Janocko stood beside his father on the sidelines of Clearfield High School’s Bison Stadium, mimicking his every move and getting involved in every play he could. Twenty-two years later, Janocko is still mimicking his father’s coaching style, except he is no longer standing beside him on the sidelines of Bison Stadium. Instead, he is working with Tony Sparano on the sidelines of U.S. Bank Stadium as the assistant offensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings. “My dad’s my hero,” Janocko said. “He’s the type of person and type of coach I always aspire to be. There’s no coincidence that watching him is the reason that I coach." There’s no coincidence that watching him is the reason that I coach. Janocko got his start as a graduate assistant at Rutgers University in 2011 under head coach Greg Schiano after graduating from the University o...