LIFE, LIKE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL...

I find the game of football to be a very beautiful one, not just because it is entertaining. I have observed that it is a game that is unifying; it draws people of different ages, beliefs, ideologies, religions, cultures, political affiliations and even nations together. It makes them play together as a team, converge as spectators in stadiums and audiences worldwide. There are many games, but none pulls as much crowd as football. A country like Nigeria is usually literally on standstill when there are important matches e.g nations cup and the just concluded world cup is an illustration of the power it carries... It kept the whole world buzzing, irrespective of ugly happenings such as insurgencies and what not in different parts of the world . However, even above the a fore mentioned, I love football because it gives me great insight to life.

In football, there are players and there are STAR PLAYERS. The star players are those who have a very large fan base, their names are always on the lips of people and are even known by non football fans. They are the ones who get the very major endorsement deals and just live the very fab life. They are the ones whose absence on the field is noticed.

LESSON: Wherever we are and whatever we find ourselves in, we should ensure never to be redundant or act as nonentities. We must strive, to the best of our ability, to eschew complacency, as the star players are major actors.

Also, football games are watched by spectators or audiences, in stadiums, viewing centers or in their houses. Those fans who watch from home dedicate at least 90 minutes of their time and attention to the game, while those who chose to go to the stadium or viewing centers, in addition to their time, pay to watch games. During the game, spectators, especially those in stadiums, cheer, scream, boo, etc at the players.

Unfortunately, all the screams, criticisms and even praise directed at these players are futile. Majority of them are not even known to the players. Their activities do not affect or contribute to the game.
However, at the end of the day, the spectators and audiences get nothing. They spend their time, money and even energy and get no recognition, accolade, and at best, if lucky, only get an autograph, while the players they watch, criticize, praise, etc, get all the bests.
In addition, the presence or absence of a fan is never noticed, but only that of the players.
THERE'S TOO LITTLE OR NO REWARD AT ALL FOR A SPECTATOR.

The game, just like life, could be rough and tough. The players run from pillar to post, they dribble, fall, get up, hold on to each others shirt, even fight on the field. The players do not really look good on the field, as they are covered in sweat and just stressed up. But when you see them off the pitch, they look good.    
LESSON: In life it might not always be rosy, there might be times to sweat it out, hustle and be stressed, as nothing good comes easily. We will even have disagreements with people at some point. But if we keep at whatever good thing we do with all diligence, irrespective of it all, we will look good later.

Furthermore, as the game could be rough and tough, players get injured on the field. While some recover once attended to by the medics and get back to the game, others have to be taken out and that's the end of the road for them for that particular game, others for the season or tournament and some others, the end of the their football journey. In life too, there are some who suffer very temporary setbacks, some suffer some setbacks that affects them for a while, but later come out of it, and some others, unfortunately have their journeys ended abruptly.

In addition, in football, just like in life sometimes, efforts do not automatically translate to goals. In the game, there are no assurances, what you put in is not always what you'll get out of it. The team least expected to win, might win. That one is a good runner on the field doesn't always matter. It's the goals scored that matter at the end of the game. In life too, the hardest workers aren't always the richest, in fact if riches came by physical work or labor, truck pushers, diggers, bricklayers, etc would be the richest. Just like in life, the power of intellect, in addition to handwork is also applicable on the field.

Again, in life, just like in football, you win some and lose some. Marks are not always met, little setbacks are inevitable. Even the best players in the world, not just in football alone, but other games too, have lost some games. Ask the likes of Michael Jordan and Arsenal players and fans. However, they have the understanding that losing some games doesn't make them a failure, and can in fact serve as motivation for better preparation and desire to win the next.

Penultimately, no matter how great a footballer is and how valuable and famous he is, he cant be in the spotlight forever. There was a time when Pele of Brazil was the star boy, then there was the turn of Maradona  of Argentina, then Ronaldo and Ronaldinho of Brazil, now it's Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and definitely some other people in future. In the real world too, the spot light may shine on a person or group for a short while, long while but definitely not forever, as it is not static; it moves around and will shine on someone else. With each day we grow older and younger ones emerge.

Finally, something that awes me about the game is the fact that until the final whistle is blown, anything can still happen. No wonder the loosing and winning teams alike never give up. While the loosing team strives to score goals, probably they could equalize and even win, the winning team always wants to score more calls. And a few times, i have seen games change in a matter of two and even a minute before the ends. LESSON: it is never over until we take the final bow, as long as we are alike, we must keep striving and hoping, because anything can happen as long as we NEVER GIVE UP!!!