So I joined a co-ed flag football team this fall we played for 7 weeks. Tonight was our last night and it was play offs. I know I take these things a little too seriously, we started off the season with complete domination we had a star quarterback and a star receiver who were both recruited for college ball. But that abruptly ended in our fourth week, when due to illness our quarterback didn't show and for who know what reason our star receiver didn't show either. We got spanked. It sucked. Not only did we lose, but lost horribly. We did nothing right, it was exactly how it was in the Bad News Bears movie, where anything that can go wrong does. (And I'm talking about the 70s Bad News Bears not that crap with Billy Bob.) We were all shaken because we had no leadership on the field.
I wrote what I thought was a kick ass email telling our teammates to get off their butts so we could do something about it. My friend Jen and I were the only ones available for practice that Saturday. But we did practice. The next game only 6 players showed up, we played one man down and did a valiant effort. For flag football we play 7 on 7, and two girls have to be on the field at all times. The other team out played us mainly because they had extra players to sub in and out. But we moved the ball (slowly) down the field and despite the fact we still lost, I was proud of how we played. We were a team. We made completions, and scored touchdowns. The sixth week almost the entire team showed up, we had several players to spare and since the team we were supposed to play was a no show we ended up playing a scrimmage match and ended up winning. Yes we had our one great receiver back for the game, but it was more of a team effort.
Tonight was our last night and it kind of sucked. When one player is really good, but doesn't bring everyone up but rather brings everyone down it sucks. I was ready to play my heart out, leave it all out on the field, and I tried to. But our team dynamic was off, it's not just that we were losing, we were playing badly, unnecessary penalties and we just couldn't complete the plays. From the beginning I kept pushing our team to rush the quarterback, yes it's flag football and you have to count to 5 mississppi(s) before you can charge. But once you do that you CAN charge. And I swear once we started doing that the other teams had much less of a chance to complete passes.
What was funny was that it came full circle my team finally came around to my way of thinking to rush the quarterback, but then decided I wasn't doing a good job of it or something. So, when it was a guy guarding and he was standing doing nothing in the previous games...that was ok? But when I do it and count to 5 mississippi then rush it's not? I grabbed flags, I waved my arms, I swear I messed up their passes. But whatever, I felt a little under appreciated and worse it's how the game started. When they asked who would be guarding the QB, I said I would, but they said a guy should do it. I'm sorry I think that's some kind of shit, that it was my idea to rush the QB and I actually had to convince my teammates of this, and then when I finally start getting results I'm not good enough to do it??? I'm the perfect person to do it, I'm too short to guard most of the other players, but I can rush and put pressure on the QB. I don't mean to be a sore loser, and I know that's part of it. But I felt completely unappreciated and almost attacked by my fellow girl team mates who frankly haven't done a whole hell of a lot. Now, I know it probably wasn't the girls that wanted a guy to guard the QB, it was probably a guy that wanted the change. What sucks is that I felt as though they were conspiring or talking about it behind my back. And when I tried to explain my rationale of being too short to guard for passing, because they can usually pass over my head, the teammate who opposed me didn't think I needed to tell her. Not to mention, when our one star player decided he would guard the QB he got us about 3 or 4 penalties because he didn't know the 5 second rule. (!)
Whatever, I try my damndest every fucking time I'm on the field. I don't ever give up. And I for one would have loved a little credit for that.
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