The Polytechnic football team is no stranger to struggle; it’s just a part of the game. Recently the team has faced their newest challenge and are currently on a three-game losing streak, leading to considerable criticism from students, much of it being misplaced. The team’s losses are not the fault of poor performance; factors like grade eligibility, graduating seniors, and inconsistent practice attendance have played a significant role. Football already is a demanding sport, often leaving players physically battered; piling harsh criticism only adds to their burden and overlooks the full context.
Poly football has been losing due to multiple reasons mainly because of under performance against teams that were not considered strong opponents.
We asked football players their opinion on what is the problem with poly football. “Football is hard to begin with. Adding to that we have many that do not have passion about the game of football. This causes many talented players to not attend practice, therefore causing an overall decline in both the players, the team, and the coaches. Another reason is the problem of multiple starting players not being able to hold up their grades to the 2.0 GPA standard. This is one of the core reasons for Poly football under performing in non-league games.”
“There are many injuries within the team as a result of just playing the game of American football, it always comes with bumps and bruises. These injuries cause many players to not be able to perform well during practice and game day or in severe cases may not be able to play at all.”
The factors of poor practice attendance, grade eligibility, and injuries are a large issue and are unseen to the vast majority. Instead of bashful comments about their performance, we should be encouraging them to do better.