Member-only story
Why Playing in the Game Isn’t Enough
Are you in the game? Are you playing?
When I was four, I was a member of “The Sharks” pee-wee soccer team. We were green, white, and a force to be reckoned with.
I liked to pull my socks up past my knees to get them as close to my shorts as possible. I should have just worn pants.
Outfit aside, I played mid-fielder. Although in pee-wee soccer, kids orbit around the ball and chase it from point to point on the field. Positions are irrelevant.
Goals happen, but I would attribute them to random instances of the ball escaping the pack of players hyper from their halftime sip of Coca-Cola.
In the pack of 10 orbiting boys, I stayed in the outer rings. I would get close to the pack and churn my legs really fast, running in place, kicking up dust.
I would get close to the ball but never go for it because there were other kids in the way.
I was in the game, but not playing.
This happens in the marketplace too. The game is a product and the ball is a project.
Thinking back to those days on the junior pitch, there were three reasons I stayed on the fringes.
- One, the other players were closest to the ball. They were…
