///FromThePitch///

As I strum through another stack of endless papers from my desk of despair I will risk lack of job security to enlighten you on a topic closest to my heart, the activity that is athletics. I would be a fool to travel to a country which inhabits the most remarkable athletic specimens I have laid eyes on, and not report back. The problem is that Ghanaians know one sport: Football (soccer, for the culturally challenged).Everywhere you look there is a game going on. As we speak, as the Backstreet Boys pulsate my ears inside office, outside the confines a football game ensues. And let me save you the suspense they arn't playing in a dome where the astrograss can be ejected from the stadium to catch sunlight and then return to its proper posistion. The pitch I describe looks more like a Middle East battleground than a field, with an uneven plain scattered with rocks and all sorts of obstacles that could potentially misdirect the ball, which would all accumulate to frustration and possible retirement for Americans but these players couldn't be more in the zone. As the sweat drips down their faces and their commands echo out to their teammates, their competetiveness is synonnymous with exstacy. Its an escape, pardon the cliche but its true. Cept they're game is on point. Excellent precision and teamwork. As an audience assembles inside and outside the walls and goals go back and forth through unnetted goalposts, it becomes clear that these guys can really play. I think part of that due to their hard labor childhood, where they all worked carrying and moving materials for their parents which has molded their Statue of David physiques (which if the rumors are true, without the small endowment). . And the other is just God given, as I discovered that Ghanaians don't exercise when I decided to go on a run and everyone looked at me like I was running FROM something. Taxis honked as if to imply that they could just give me a ride to wherever I was going. It found me confused as I pondered how jacked these guys are for how little they exercise and simultaneously jealous of course.
But then I tried something.
If Ghanainans are so good with their feet what about their hand eye coordination? I asked our security guard George to throw me a baseball I brought from home. Not only did he throw like Smalls from the "Sandlot" pre-Benny instruction, I could see he craved to bounce it on the ground and boot one over to my glove. It was so bad I felt like he should have been throwing lefthanded. Like just when he was about to release and follow through he was suddenly struck by lightening and had a siezure as the ball spike into the ground. They cant catch or throw like us, but they can kick the shit out of a size 5
Which got me thinking. What if someone we to come over here and introduce American football to these kids, could they catch on permanently? Of course the pure logistics of the game would take time but they have the perfect formula for it. Ghanaians are not very tall but are strong and fast, perfect for the backfield or defensive back. But then I put it in perspective, they would lack enthusiasm this because the best players are still going to play soccer, similar to America's situation. Soccer in America lacks support because the best American athletes don't play soccer. Imagine if this starting 11 starting the world cup:in front we have Steve nash, Reggie Bush., Adrian Peterson upfront. In the middle we have T.O., LeBron, Kobe (prior soccer experience), DWade. Back we have Patrick Willis, Ron Artest, Bob Sanders....and then of course Dwight Howard in goal.
These players would undoubtedly play soccer if they grew up in a place where soccer was the most popular sport growing up. Yes I realized it is a mash up of two different sports so I cheated and these egos could never coexist, but its theoretical. If these players had soccer in their neighborhoods growing up they would be the best soccer players to ever play.
So that's where my point lies. I exclude basketball becasue most Ghanaians are short but I think if these guys were to be around American football or even baseball for that matter I think exponential things may happen.Obviously the money is not comparable to the MLB but it could be if there was demand. Soccer is the most watched sport i nthe world and only America is missing out This is just a fairytail I envision but I think it would help a lot of these people escape their circumstances. And we could tailgate.