The Tired but Pleased 350 Pounder

Sports is a weird human invention. Athletes put their ego, their entire being in the success of their team. The opposing team is the enemy. They hit the gym day in, day out, study the vulnerabilities of the opposing team and hype themselves up psychological to make it in the all-or-nothing play-off game. Our somewhat tired 350 Pounder has played for 15 consecutive seasons, has defended 7 different Quarterbacks, has played for 5 different teams and can still hype himself up to be his best at game night. Still, he is now almost amused when he hears the aggression of the young players, the contempt vis-a-vis the opposing team. Apparently they don't know that he had played with 5 of them for years together and that 2 of them are his best friends. Yes, he now is truly a professional, a hired gun if you wish. He can still carry his weight in every game even though he is a little tired, but most of all, he is really pleased because he knows that when he retires after this season he will be done with this competitive stuff once and for all.