Freedom Isn’t Free

Football square

From the desk of Wally Dawkins, Athletic Director:

As the 92 year old World War II Veteran was helped to mid-field last Thursday for the pre-game coin toss, the smile on his face and the joy in his eye was not reflective of that day 70 years ago when fellow soldiers stormed Omaha Beach.  The legs under him now weren’t as strong as they were in 1944. On that day, more than 43,000 brave men of the 1st and 29th Infantries along with U.S. Army Rangers landed on the eastern coast of France, running head on to a deadly barrage of German bullets.  The pride on the veterans face was evident however, even though 9,300 U.S. Servicemen died during the D-Day invasion. Proud, because of that fateful day and many more like it, that Thursday was even possible.

BHvsCali(TA)-50

High School Football in Texas is a really big deal.

It’s even bigger than a really big deal.

Texas High School Football is what small towns are made of on Friday nights in the fall.

Television shows are made based on the “Friday Night Lights”.  Movies are made depicting what “Varsity Blues” are all about.  Songs are written and sung about “The Boys of Fall”.  Football Scoreboard shows on TV and radio don’t even start until 11:30 PM on Friday nights as millions watch and listen to hear the state wide results of pigskin prep battles.

Texas High School Football is…well, maybe bigger than the state itself.

High School Football in Texas has become a cultural phenomenon that draws people from all walks of life to get together “at the stadium”, to cheer on their favorite team, listen to the marching band, scream out chants with the cheerleaders, and tap their feet to the music being played while the drill team, twirlers, and flag corps perform.

It’s not just a game…it’s a community event.

Dairy Queen makes commercials about it.  So does Coca-Cola.  Local TV’s Friday Night Football Show has some of the highest ratings.

Texas High School Football and all that goes with it is why million dollar stadiums are built in the big cities, and why towns with only one blinking yellow light have a football field that is “turf”.

Whether you are talking about teams that play in the big metropolis areas, or in a small rural community, it is a great time to be had by all involved.

What a sharp contrast to the Colosseum in Rome that was built for chariot races, only to be converted to a death pit where Christians were fed to lions.  Remember Berlin Stadium in Nazi Germany in 1936 where Jesse Owens won the Gold Medal?  The arena was actually intended to serve as a platform to promote racial hatred instead of competition.

Or how about the soccer stadiums in Afghanistan that were used by the Taliban for public hangings and stoning’s instead of for sport itself?

Last weekend, Brook Hill hosted the Tyler Ford American Warrior Bowl Weekend.  The weekend was dedicated to our veterans, as well as the men and women who serve our country today.  It also served as the venue for three Texas High School Football games where six different schools competed on three consecutive nights.  The weekend also recognized Brook Hill’s American freedom Museum as part of the Purple Heart Trail.

Thanks to the hard work of Brook Hill parent Don Allen, the games saw veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq serve as honorary captains and present the game ball to the officials.  The Bullard High School Band and The Bullard Belles Drill Team performed in a show of community support for our nation’s heroes.  Bullard Mayor Pam Frederick delivered an awesome proclamation declaring the “Warrior Bowl Weekend” as open, prior to the Brook Hill-St. Bernard’s Catholic High School (Ca.) game.

The combination of honoring our veterans, receiving support from the Bullard community, and playing three exciting high school football games literally brought chills to many of us.  And for one reason: because of the sacrifices made at Omaha Beach…Gettysburg…Khe Sanh…Battle of the Bulge…Iwo Jima…and Inchon, we were able to listen to the band and play the game of football while the cheerleaders, twirlers, and drill team performed.

It really made you think.  What if the bad guys had won?

It is because of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces that our stadium is used to play a game, and used for kids to perform…to have fun…to celebrate victories, and to learn how to be good sports when they’re defeated.

Because the good guys won, our stadium is not used for a killing field or to spread hate.

The cost of freedom is not free.  Our veterans, and many who made the ultimate sacrifice, served bravely and valiantly so we can enjoy all the freedoms we have today.

In game two last Friday night, the Marco Island Florida High School Football Team fell to Edgewood 18-31 after jumping out to a 14-0 lead over the Bulldogs from just up the road here in Texas.  As the Rays from MIHS huddled in the south end zone to listen to their coach give the post-game speech, it was apparent that this team was not used to losing and were not happy about the defeat.  The Coach’s words, in an effort to lift the team’s spirit, was falling on mostly deaf ears.

Suddenly the coach’s tone changed and with a big grin he yelled “Cheer up boys…get a smile on your face!  What do you have to be sad about? You just got to play football in Texas under Friday Night Lights”!

With that the boys almost simultaneously all raised their heads and began to smile.

I thought to myself “truer words have never been spoken”!

And that’s another reason to be “ALL ORANGE…All The Time”!