Bo Scarbrough retires from football with an all-time great quote
Former Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough, whose NFL career never worked out (he had stints with the Cowboys, Jaguars, Seahawks, Lions, and Raiders), has retired from football during UFL training camp with the Birmingham Stallions. In the press release announcing his departure from the game, Scarbrough provides an all-time great quote.
“You can love this game all you want," he said. "But at the end of the day, the game can’t love you back because it’s not a person; it’s a ball."
The brilliance of the quote is in its simplicity. And he's absolutely right. Many love the game. The game can never truly love them back.
The lasting value comes from the relationships with teammates, coaches, staff members, agents, media members, fans. The love doesn't come from the ball because, as Bo knows, the ball isn't capable of any emotion. The ball brings together those who love the ball and everything the ball represents. Yes, that's where the benefit is.
Still, at the end of the day the game, and the ball, are cold and heartless. When the game is done with you, it's done with you. Few leave the game; in most cases, the game leaves them.
That's what Scarbrough likely means. The memories and friendships will endure. But the game — specifically the ball — inevitably will float away, just like Wilson in Castaway.
