Did you play tackle football as a good little JW?

by JRK 23 Replies latest social physical

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  miseryloveselders

  Yes, played tackle football, got a screw in my finger holding my tendon in place to prove it! Someone always got injured when we played, usually I was the injurer not the injuree, except that one time...

  Basketball was worse though, we would rent a GYM every Sunday night and have about 6 congregations participate. About 50 people were there on average. Elders, MS's were there too, they were the worse offenders! I've seen more elders and MS's in fist fights (no shit) than anyone else. The CO came through one year and shut it down. After he left it started back up again and the fights resumed.

  It's crazy right!?!?? So truthful!!! I've never seen elders and servants in fights, but as far as being competative is concerned, definately they were the worst. If an elder or servant wasn't playing physical, then their teenage sons were. I think Momma-Tossed-Me has a point about pent up energy and frustration within JWs, particulary males. There's something in us as males, I guess testosterone, that makes us raw. We need to occasionally destroy something, shoot something as evidenced by the defense rounds thread, yell at something, give our wives the goods in the rawest most aggressive of ways, and I don't mean the groceries. Even at the meeting this week, I'm sitting there and agitated because I'm tired of sitting. Been sitting all day, and I'm ready to cut loose. We need sports.
• 

  snowbird

  All males are crazy!

  All of them.

  My two g'sons included.

  Syl
• 

  Highlander

  We rented a local football field. One area we set up for flag football, the other we set up for those that wanted to play tackle football. We had helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads, etc. It was the real deal for those that wanted to play tackle.

  Unfortunately a friend of mine died from injuries sustained during the tackle football game. The injury came from being tackled by a non-witness. It was a clean and fair hit, however the elders used it as an example of what is likely to happen when you associate with worldly™ people.

  The real reasons that this friend of mine died is because he lacked quality health insurance and the hospital he went to misjudged the severity of his injuries and sent him home.
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  undercover

  I remember one basketball game where we let a couple of "worldly" guys play. We were short a couple guys and they asked if they could play. During the game a fight broke out. One guy complained about a hard foul being intentional and the other guy denied it was intentional. After that they started guarding each other (even though we were playing zone defense) and then came the pushing and shoving and then a full on fist fight.

  Just what you expect when you let "worldly" guys play, right?

  Nope...

  The two assholes were MSs. After the fight the worldly guys said we were taking things too seriously and it was just a game. They left after that.

  And they were right. Of all the pick up games I played growing up and through my younger adult years, the games I played with neighbors and workmates were never contentious or out of control. But a lot of times the games with the "brothers" became problematic. People took it too serious and got angry and beligerant.

  I think that it might be that many of us were not allowed to play organized sports and some might have been good at it, or at least enjoyed it. So they were trying to make up for it by being superstars in JW sportsland.

  And, maybe more importantly - by not playing organized sports, we never learned the discipline and self-control that is taught when playing on a team. We were never coached or trained by people who could mold us to be good sportsmen along with how to play the game. Everything we learned, we learned by watching on TV and by playing backyard ball. The catch-22 of not letting JW youth participate in youth sports. You ban the extra-curricular activity but by doing so, valuable lessons are lost. Lessons that might prevent some of the problems that happen when groups of JWs get togther for pick-up ball.
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  Pitchess Co-Gen

  In Southern California we used to have football games between September - January ( with the little ''Super Bowl") . I used to remember the football games between L.A and Long Beach ( big rivalry ). We play with team from the Bay area to the O.C . Good time indeed !
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  nelly136

  syl... tackle over here is another word for nads.

  jrk...rugby?
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  flipper

  We played tackle football with other witnesses when I was young in my early to mid 20's but as the 1980's came to a close so did tackle football games. Then everybody played touch or flag football from 1990 on because elders were giving talks banning what they called " violence " in sports. Ridiculous. I was really fast in my 20's and would play wide receiver , usually never dropped a ball and was hard to tackle. I miss the fun old days of contact sports. But Mrs. Flipper is good at contact sports , so all is not lost ! Peace out buddy, Merry Christmas !
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  No football in any cong. I knew of. Of course, I might have climbed the ladder too fast so I would be one they would not tell about this.

  I could be called "The Snake" but for different reasons.
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  just n from bethel

  Good thread.

  Tackle football was taboo off and on throughout the 80s and 90s in the US- then in the late 90s something seemed to happen in the congregations. Nobody really did anything sports-wise with their children. Every once in a while - you'd have a few put a game together - but nothing like the fun JW days of the 80s and early 90s. I remember when every other local need talk was about playing too competitively. There were smiles and snickers by a lot - and usually a wink or two by the elders participating themselves. Tackling would subside for a few weekends then - it would pick back up again until brother brags-he-is-good-as-a-pro gets his collar bone broken by brother really-should-play-on-varsity.

  But the point is - we really would do things together as families. A lot of parents would truly spearhead activities to make up for all the stuff you'd be missing out on in school. IT was every weekend just about. In bethel we even had softball leagues - a lot of the guys would skip lunch once or twice a week to play. It was almost like intermural college - it was great. But then they clamped down. Now days local needs talks are about beating the flock for more money for the latest compliant wireless mic system.

  In the congregations, families just got too busy, the mothers started to work more because the unedcuated fathers incomes were barely able to keep up with inflation. Today - I hear there is nothing going on. No picnics. No swimming parties. Nada. There actually was a nice basketball league going on that was put on by some elders the last couple years. But some other elders started complaining - and you know the rest of the story.

  It's funny though, because at a recent circuit assembly the district overseer made an interesting comment. He told the witnesses that he'd been telling all his circuits this: That it's time to get back to the good old days. When we used to associate more socially with one another. When children would go to parties and play sports among themselves. When the organization was truly more family oriented. The audience roared in applause like I'd never heard before at any circuit assembly - even letting out some whoops.

  I feel so bad for the kids being raised in the org today. At least I got to have a semblance of a normal childhood. But those days are over and it really is sad. I mean I look at the mormons and the JWs - both have wacked out doctrinal beliefs and I think the mormons beliefs are way beyond credulous in comparison to the WT. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the mormon life over the JW one any day. Seriously though, what the hell happened to the JWs in the last decade and a half?? Hell, if they don't want to bring back tackle football - just bring back football - just bring back picnics. For God's sake they should do something to prevent the kids from kiling themselves out of sheer boredom.
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  asilentone

  I got injured as a teenager, badly bruised thigh. I was catching the ball as a wide receiver and one brother ran very fast and he used his head to hit my thigh. It hurts like hell.