When he joined the football team to spite his father, Anthony Zhu ended up gaining much more than he ever thought he would.
I punished myself by joining the football team as a scrawny Asian kid.
I used to play this game called Valorant with my friends which would require my full attention. When I would play, my dad would tell me to go to sleep or do other stuff while I was in these games. I wish I could’ve paused the game or left, but that would result in penalties and my friends yelling at me. Then, my dad would yell at me for not leaving the game. My dad would always just yell, nag, and belittle me for not doing what he just said. As this cycle continued, one day, I just broke. I had enough — in a complete blind rage, I joined the football team to spite him.
It was hellish on the first day. However, I kept going. These arguments with my dad died down as I now held other responsibilities besides playing video games. When football season ended, I tried out for the Volleyball team and made varsity. Football made me rough as a durian and volleyball softened me to a marshmallow. These experiences bettered me as a person. When football season ended, I had the time to play video games again. I did, and it just wasn’t as fulfilling as being with my brothers. I didn’t even get mad once and realized my tantrum wasn’t justified. I was humbled.
Football and volleyball indirectly helped me solve my complicated relationship with my dad. I gained brotherhood from football and learned tough love. I learned how to be a team player and become more disciplined with volleyball. Both taught me that even though you’re down a set or a touchdown, you can still win the game. That translates to life, how you will always face challenges that beat you down. Life can be unsuspecting and hit you like a truck out of nowhere and it’s up to you to keep pushing.