9781422278727

Football game days are a ritual across America. On Fridays during football season, people flock to Chapter Game Day

“Football is like life—it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.”

watch their local high school teams play under the lights. On Saturdays, the focus shifts to the college game as major schools get national attention for matchups with conference rivals. And then of course there

– NFL and Super Bowl champion coach Vince Lombardi, Jr.

is Sunday, when the National Football League (NFL) dominates the sporting landscape and, to a large degree, the cultural landscape as well. Just as fans have their Friday, Saturday, and Sunday rituals, the players who entertain them have rituals of their own, which they perform faithfully to help themselves to be ready to play on game day. These rituals include both the physical and the mental aspects of preparation. Rest In terms of preparation, game day starts by getting the proper amount of rest. It is recommended that people on average need seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Athletes need more rest than most people as

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To me, football is so much about mental toughness, it’s digging deep, it’s doing whatever you need to do to help a team win and that comes in a lot of shapes and forms.

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– Two-time NFL MVP QB Tom Brady

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