solarius49
Banned
- 6,989
- 1,286
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2004
So I work at a sneaker/sporting goods store, on the East Side of Pittsburgh. We have a great relationship with the community, and I know alot of the peewee football players and their families, and alot of the kids that I knew as Peewee players are NFL players/college players now (Brandon Marshall, Darrin Walls, Kevan Barlow)
So today, at the 7-8 year old game, 3 dudes started fighting in the stands, and one of the dudes pulled out a strap and started shooting randomly, hitting 3 people, 2 of which were innocent middle aged FEMALE bystanders. This is the 3rd time in 4 years this has happened. This particular event escalated because of a facebook argument.
It really breaks my heart that they are going to take football away from these kids. Without that distracting them from alot of the realities in their lives, where are they going to turn? I can answer that question, just from knowing the kids; the streets. Thats not hyperbole either, thats real. Most of these kids come from INCREDIBLY low income families, so football is often times an escape for them. It gives them a way to spend their time without getting in trouble, and allows them to have genuine fun with their peers
One particular kid, Ive known since he was 10 or 11 probably, got his team shut down because of a shooting at a game a few years ago. 2 summers later, he got shot in his head. Thats real life man
Peewee football, especially for these kids serves another purpose. It prepares them for high school, and if they perform in high school, can lead to college scholarships. For better or for worse, if it wasnt for football, most of these kids would never even give a second thought for college.
But I guess that facebook argument was that serious
/rant
So today, at the 7-8 year old game, 3 dudes started fighting in the stands, and one of the dudes pulled out a strap and started shooting randomly, hitting 3 people, 2 of which were innocent middle aged FEMALE bystanders. This is the 3rd time in 4 years this has happened. This particular event escalated because of a facebook argument.
It really breaks my heart that they are going to take football away from these kids. Without that distracting them from alot of the realities in their lives, where are they going to turn? I can answer that question, just from knowing the kids; the streets. Thats not hyperbole either, thats real. Most of these kids come from INCREDIBLY low income families, so football is often times an escape for them. It gives them a way to spend their time without getting in trouble, and allows them to have genuine fun with their peers
One particular kid, Ive known since he was 10 or 11 probably, got his team shut down because of a shooting at a game a few years ago. 2 summers later, he got shot in his head. Thats real life man
Peewee football, especially for these kids serves another purpose. It prepares them for high school, and if they perform in high school, can lead to college scholarships. For better or for worse, if it wasnt for football, most of these kids would never even give a second thought for college.
But I guess that facebook argument was that serious
/rant
