Sprint football isn’t the flashiest sport, but it has the most spirit

I have to admit, looking out onto a football field and seeing a lot of players, including linemen, my size is a tad odd.

But as I look onto Cornell’s sprint football team take on the Navy Midshipmen, I realize something. Maybe the crowd isn’t as big as it is for our more conventional varsity football team. Maybe the players weren’t heavily recruited. Maybe they don’t get a homecoming.

But these players and coaches in the 172-pound and under sprint football league take the game just as seriously as anyone.

The sidelines go just as crazy for a touchdown or a sack, the coaching staff goes just as ballistic when the players make an error, and the players scream at each other and hit their opponents with the same intensity as anyone I have ever seen.

Recently, before I attended my first sprint game, I read an article on the death penalty enacted on the Princeton sprint football team after they were unable to win a game for 17 years. Initially, I understood the logic. Who would want to keep a team that had a 106 game losing streak?

However, after attending the game and talking to two players, I learned how important sprint is to the members of the team.

Jack Nicoletti, a freshman wide receiver, told me how he got into sprint football. “After high school, I told my coach that I still wanted to play football, but he wasn’t sure if I could walk onto the conventional team and make it. He told me about sprint, and I thought it was a really good opportunity to continue my football career.”

My roommate and freshman defensive end Jake Caruso joined the team two weeks into practice, but he says he doesn’t regret the decision at all. “The practice and meetings from 4pm-7pm everyday and the games and travelling on the weekends are definitely a big time commitment, but it’s great to be back on a team, playing a sport, and getting close with all the guys.”

So although sprint football may not be the flashiest, most high profile sport, the team still provides a great way for players to continue their love for competitive football while creating a tight bond among teammates.