WHY WE PLAY - Written By An Anonymous Student-Athlete

It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted or making SportsCenter. 

It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart.

We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat.

We do it all for our teammates, and sometimes for the student in our calculus classes we don't even know.

We don't practice with a future Yankees first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent. 

We don't lift weights with a future Olympian; we lift with a future doctor. 

We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. 

It's a bigger part of us than our family and friends can understand. 

Sometimes we play for 4,000 fans, sometimes 400, sometimes 4. But we still play hard. 

You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. 

Like all of you, we are still students first.

We don't sign autographs. We do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. 

When we miss a shot, kick or strike out we don't let down an entire state. We let down ourselves, our teammates, our coaches and our fans. 

But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. We lift, throw, run, hit, kick, tackle, block, shoot, dribble and lift some more ... and in the morning we go to class. 

Still that next day in class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride - in ourselves, in our school. 

It's about our love and passion for the game.

And when it's all over - when we walk off the court or the field for the last time - our hearts crumble. 

Those tears are real.

But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. 

We will forever be what few can claim: college student-athletes.