Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about this fella, Jason Whitlock. Folks keep askin’, did Jason Whitlock play football? You know, the kinda football where boys run around like chickens with their heads cut off, smackin’ into each other. Yep, he sure did.
Now, I ain’t no fancy sports writer or nothin’, but from what I hear, this Whitlock fella, he was a big fella. Strong as an ox, they say. Back in high school, in that city place, Indianapolis, he was already knockin’ heads. An all-state offensive lineman, whatever that means. Sounds important, though. Like he was the one stoppin’ the other fellas from gettin’ to the quarterback. You know, the fella who throws the ball.
- High school star, they say. In Indianapolis.
- Played college ball too. At some place called Ball State University.
- Big fella. Offensive lineman. Kept them other fellas away.
Then he went off to college, that Ball State place. Got himself a scholarship, too. Smart boy, I guess. Kept on playin’ that football, smackin’ into folks. Offensive lineman again. Guess he liked pushin’ people around. Lettered in ’87 and ’88, so he musta been pretty good. Folks don’t just give you letters for nothin’, you know.
But you know, life ain’t all about football, even for these fellas who play it. Whitlock, he figured that out. Went and got himself a learnin’, a journalism degree, they call it. Started writin’ about sports instead of playin’ ’em. He writes for them fancy websites and newspapers. ESPN and Fox Sports and some other place I can’t even pronounce. The Undefeated, sounds uppity. Talks about all them sports fellas and what they’re doin’. Probably makin’ more money than them fellas now, just writin’ about ’em.
Jason Whitlock’s football journey, it started way back when he was just a young fella in Indianapolis. He loved sports, seems like. Played all sorts, football, basketball, even that runnin’ stuff, track they call it. But football, that was his thing. He was good at it, and he kept at it. From high school to college, he was pushin’ and shovin’ and protectin’ his quarterback.
But things change, don’t they? You get older, your bones start achin’, maybe you get tired of gettin’ smacked around. So you find somethin’ else to do. Whitlock, he found writin’. And he’s good at that too, seems like. Folks listen to what he says. He ain’t afraid to speak his mind, even if it ruffles some feathers. That’s what I hear, anyway.
So, yeah, Jason Whitlock played football. He was good at it. But he’s more than just a football player. He’s a writer, a thinker, a talker. He uses words now instead of his muscles. And that’s alright. Sometimes, words can be just as powerful as a good block on the football field.
Now, I don’t know much about all that fancy sports stuff. But I know a thing or two about hard work and stickin’ to somethin’. And it sounds like Jason Whitlock, he’s done plenty of both. He’s built a name for himself, not just from playin’ football but from writin’ and talkin’ about it. He’s made somethin’ of himself, and that’s somethin’ to be proud of, no matter where you come from or what you do.
He ain’t no Darryl Stingley that’s for sure, got himself hurt real bad playin’ ball. Heard that story on the radio, sad, real sad. But Jason, he got out alright, moved onto better things. Good for him, I say. Good for him.
And that’s all I gotta say about that. He played football, and now he writes. Simple as that.
Tags: [Jason Whitlock, football, sports, ESPN, Fox Sports, The Undefeated, Ball State University, Indianapolis, offensive lineman, sports columnist, journalist]