The college football season starts on Saturday (okay, technically Thursday. But I\u2019m saying Saturday because that\u2019s when Oklahoma plays. Boomer Sooner!). I love football. It\u2019s one of the manliest sports. For it is truly the sport closest to combat. Men strategize in their war room, don their armor, and line up against their opponent. Victory is measured in territory gained, in how well one unit outmaneuvers the other. The game involves brute strength and keen physicality; it is a hand to hand, helmet to helmet fight, one man struggling against another. And yet at the same time, finesse, agility, and brilliant strategy are requisites for success and a team lives or dies solely on how well they work together as a team, as a unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playing football in high school helped shape me into the man I am today. As I struggled through another practice in 100 degree heat and sweated through two-a-day practices, I learned to work hard and not quit. I learned that pain is often the only pathway to excellence. At the end of the game, when the scoreboard\u2019s numbers were not as I had wished, I learned how to bounce back from failure and dedicate myself to being better the next time around. I experienced the awesome power of a group of men, striving together for the same goal. The friendships<\/a> I made while playing football will last a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lessons of all sports carry over from the actual arena to the playing field of life. Rich is the man who, if only for a short time, feels the glory his body in peak condition, the bond of brothers, the sweet joy of victory and the agony of defeat. While the memories of such a time fade as a man grows older, the wisdom he gleans from the experience will echo throughout his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So in honor of the opening of the football season, and the great lessons all men can learn from this great game, we\u2019ve compiled a list of some of the most inspiring football locker room speeches from both film and real life. <\/strong>The speeches we chose are not only inspiring for men about to hit the field, they\u2019re motivating for those men who wish to walk out the door each day to school or work, ready to take on the world. Success in football requires heart, pride, and teamwork. Success in life requires the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday Night Lights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n