Leave it all on the Field Anonymous

Date of birth: eleven seven eighty eight. Sex: male. Grade: eleven. Social security number: 606261790... "No, that's not right," I mumbled to myself. How could I forget my social security number? "I'm just nervous for the SAT," was my first thought. I tried to convince myself that this was true, but when I looked down at the sheet of paper, my vision blurred. My hands scrubbing my eyes, my mind flashed to the previous night. "Red sixty seven, red sixty seven - set - hit!" The ball was snapped; I trampled the blocker like a bull and sprinted towards the running back. My cleats dug into the moist grass to make the tackle and -

The next thing I remember is sitting on the sidelines with a flashlight burning my eyes. Could this be the reason why I had forgotten my social security number? At that moment, I was in a dilemma. Was the sport that I love going to harm my future?

The severity of my head injury would sideline me for at least two weeks. When I first heard this news I was stunned, because two weeks would mean missing two vital games. Yet if I returned too early, permanent brain damage could result. This changed my entire view of the injury; suddenly, the game that I lived and breathed was...