It's Not Easy To Be Me

(The title is from Five For Fighting's song "Superman (It's Not Easy)". After reading this, you'll see why. It's a short story I wrote about the demeanor of an NFL quarterback after during a post-game interview after they've just lost a game. Enjoy and le

    Listening to a quarterback analyze his loss is painful. His voice is flat and lifeless and the way each breath comes out sounds like he's choked up and near tears. Every word out of his mouth is laced with pure disappointment. Not at the team, but solely with himself.

    Watching him is like receiving a series of sharp blows to the abdomen. When a reporter presses him for an answer, he blinks slowly as though he's at a stupefied loss for words. His entire team is now depending on him to cautiously retain some pride for them. That weighs heavily on his mind as he stumbles through a weak reply that raises his teammates higher while putting down himself and totally avoiding the question at hand.

    It's the world’s way of kicking him while he's down. Every play of every possession is outlined clearly in his mind. Pointed questions about interceptions and sacks only pour salt on open wounds and tear him down even farther.This is the very same quarterback whom you just saw standing tall on the football field ; barking out plays and lofting the football into the air time after time, never giving up or admitting defeat. The broken man standing behind the podium and mumbling into the microphone thrust into his face is only a sad memory of what once was. His broad, powerful shoulders are slumped and his usually steady hands are shaking like leaves.
   

     When you take a closer look at his face it’s almost too much to bear. His face is devoid of life and missing that spark of determination that glowed there earlier in the day. His eyes are glazed over, confirming that he's moved on from battling the opposing team and now he's only fighting tears. But once the media stops watching his every move, it will only be a matter of time before he forfeits that struggle and lets the tears fall as they wish.
   

     Even if you hate that given quarterback, it's at that moment that you wish you could give him the world, or at least the win.

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems, don't use this to try and diss a certain quarterback you don't like, leave football opinions out of it, and leave a well rounded review :)

Reviews

[The Perfectionist]

As difficult as it is to ignore grammar issues, I shall endeavor to do so. Here goes...

...Dang, I got nothing.

No, no, I kid. I'm actually a big fan of this story. I like when people deviate from avenues that might be considered safe or normal, and this one definitely does that. Society puts athletes on ridiculous pedestals (the price for the millions we pay them, I suppose), and the media must seem like nothing short than a flock of harpies even to the most even-tempered professional. The quarterback is the leader of the football team, and as you point out, bears the brunt of a loss just as the captain of a sinking ship bears a responsibility to his crew. Thank you for bringing this difficult situation to light with this story.

[Hi]

Yay, you fixed the version. I love your story, it's very descriptive and I hope to be able to write like you.

[Hi]

You are good, but i am confused about the format because it looks like a poem. Yet, it is a story... Anyways, i can picture your details when you wrote this and it contains i lot of it. Not bad...

[Different Wings]

this is really well done! it's mysterious, yet you can feel the pain and want... continue with these!

[Vigil Dreamer]

A very interesting piece, I don't know much about American Football but it gives great depth into the minds of players of all sports and other activites which are similar, overall I really like it :) keep up the good work

[Elizabeth Marie]

O right the football thing... i read a bit of it and was like o great a football thing lol :D

[Keating]

This is the best bit of writing that I have read in a long time. I completely agree with the description of the specific quarterback and I believe that any quarterback would love to get his teams offensive line all over the media. all and all 5 stars!
P.S the stealer rock! :)