Little League Football

Sport is #52.

One of my favorite parts of fall is Little League football. Both the Dog Walker and the Gym Rat played for quite a few years and now it is Sport's turn. This is his second year and he plays in the Gremlin League. Gremlins are unique in that they have both 8 and 9-year-olds on their teams. All of the other leagues (except the oldest...Juniors) are single ages only.

Sport is playing a very different game than he played last year. During his first year he was on the platinum team and as the underdogs, they performed way better than anyone expected. In fact, they won the State Championship! It was a fun year, but as a first-year, Sport spent a fair amount of time on the sidelines.

Now in his second year, he is the star of the team! As the line captain, he plays noseguard for the defense and tackle for the offense. He is on the field pretty much the entire game! He is a force to be with...he weighs about 120 lbs and he pulls down those little boys like they are in kindergarten. Most teams double-team him to stop his devastation.

As for his own team, his teammates trust him and look to him for that pat on the back and words of encouragement. That said, their team is not winning every game like last year. They have only won a single game the entire season. If they don't win this coming Saturday, they don't make the playoffs.

We have talked about this at length and Sport is OK with the season being over. He has learned so much this year about football, but even more than that, he has learned how to be a leader.  That's what I love about Little League football! It's much more than just a game.