it's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making Sports
Center. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to
practice, play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat, to compete. We do it all
for our teammates. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler;
 we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon
champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our
friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 200,000 fans,
sometimes for 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you
know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are
still students first. We don't sign autographs for money. But we do sign
 graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions.
When we miss a kick, we d...on't
 let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and
fans. But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. Lift, run,
and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. Still the next
day in class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride; in
ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game.
And when it's all over; when we walk off that field for the last time,
our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are
very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim: college
athletes.
My buddy posted this in a note on FB. I know you're not a college athlete, but it's still the same feeling of walking off the field for the last time.