Gridiron Follies (standard:drama, 14821 words)
Author: Excelsior	Added: Aug 21 2012	Views/Reads: 3229/3810	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Gridiron Follies is a short story collection consisting of two stories both centered around the sport of Football. Fame looks at the life of a star athlete who rises from grass to grace, only to tumble back down to earth drastically. The story is told

FAME The adulation. Their chants. Your name up in lights. You miss it
don't you; wish you could relive those moments. Wish you could run on 
that field once again, adrenaline coursing through your body, crowd 
going crazy at the very mention of your name. Remember the first time 
we met. What was it? High school championship game I think. It was your 
coming out party. Prior to that game all that was being talked about 
was the opposing team's quarterback and how he was the best player in 
the state. You used that to motivate yourself, made a vow they'd 
remember your name after the game. You put up gaudy numbers that night, 
a performance that will forever be etched in the annals of history. I 
introduced myself as fame; you embraced me, letting me into your life 
without second guessing my intentions. We hit it off right from the get 
go. I in turn introduced you to agents, recruiters, boosters, groupies 
and many more. I admit not all of them had your best interest at heart, 
most of them saw you as a meal ticket. I should have prepared you 
better for what lay ahead, but you seemed to be enjoying your new found 
success too much. Anything I had told you at that point would have been 
in vain. The big schools came calling shortly afterwards. Your picture 
was in all of the magazines. I have to give it to you; you took it all 
in stride. You'd always wanted to be noticed, this was all working into 
your grand scheme of things. You chose Florida, said the weather and 
the women were too much to pass up on. By now we were inseparable, it 
was only right I came along with you for the ride. The first two years 
in college was tough for you. Opportunity to play was scarce, older 
players continually got the nod over you. You buckled under the 
pressure, almost transferred out of the school. Our relationship was 
strenuous; we weren't hanging out as much. You felt alone, you didn't 
want to associate with anyone. I commend you for your perseverance, not 
many could have dealt with what you did. You were the big fish in the 
pond that was suddenly dropped in an ocean where there were not only 
similar type fishes but much larger ones too. You missed home, you 
missed your folks. Kudos to you for sticking it out. You worked your 
ass off in the gym and made sure you were the last person off the 
field. It paid off! The coaches noticed the improvements. You had taken 
your mother's advice to heart and turned your frustration into 
motivation. 

Going into your third year, you were a completely different person on
and off the court. The coaches rewarded you with the starting running 
back position, you answered by amassing the most rushing yards in 
school history. Many compared you with the greats in the game; your 
light was shining as bright as ever. You sought me out and I obliged. 
We were a tandem meant for each other. The parties started up again, 
the groupies were plentiful. You were the big man on campus and 
everyone wanted a piece of you. Your final year of college started off 
on the wrong foot. The media had compiled lists of Heisman hopefuls; 
many placed you in the middle of the pack. You felt insulted, after all 
you had played better than most on the list the previous year. You kept 
to yourself yet again, dedicating your time to improving your body and 
your game. It did wonders for you. Your ‘hit list' became quite 
notorious. I still chuckle when I think about it. You put down the 
names of everyone supposedly better than you, and went after whatever 
personal records they had set each week. You truly are a beast when 
motivated. Defenses tried desperately but failed miserably to hold you 
back. You lead your team not only to an undefeated record but they also 
won the championship due to your play. The Heisman trophy was yours, 
winning by a unanimous decision. You had proven every single one of 
your detractors wrong. It was time to move onto something bigger. Your 
sights were set on conquering the NFL. You were touted by many pundits 
to be selected first in the draft that year. Unfortunately for you, the 
team with the number one pick happened to be the Minnesota Vikings. You 
wanted no parts of them, the state and its horrid weather. You made it 
known from the get go that you wanted a warm weather city and were 
willing to do anything to play in such a climate. The hail storm of 
criticism was unrelenting. You hadn't even picked up a football but yet 
you had ticked off a lot of people. If only they understood how much 
you detested the cold climate. Was it too much of you to ask to play 
where you'd be comfortable? Despite all the backlash, your agent was 
able to make sure you'd get where you wanted. The Vikings picked you 
first but struck a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars to get you to 
Florida. You were elated beyond reason when you found out what was 
about to go down. Once again you were back in Florida. Back in a 
familiar stomping ground. Some of the best days of your life were in 
that state, it was only right you went back there to pick up where you 
had left off. Draft night was one of the best nights of your life. It 


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