“Who wants to make a tackle? Who wants to make a play? Who wants to be a leader?” I can still hear my high school football coach yelling these questions at the 40 men who had their helmets off and were taking a knee during halftime. I can still smell the grass and the hot dogs, and I remember – no matter what the score was – how our coach was able to bring our team together with each halftime speech.

With football season in full swing I have been reflecting on the time I spent wearing that black United helmet. As much fun as I had playing football, I was able to learn so much more