Untold Athletes: Warren Watson - Football

Warren Watson II is a junior defensive lineman for the Ithaca College football team. Watson majors in computer science and is a native of East Stroudsburg, Pa. He is also a co-chair on the SAAC Executive Board.

My sport became a passion for me after my first season in 7th grade. That year was full of a bunch of changes honestly. I moved from New York to Pennsylvania that summer so I was playing the role of the “new kid” so that wasn’t easy, It was my first year playing the sport I’ve always dreamt of playing so I had no idea what to expect, and I was also dealing with potential health risks because of my weight. This year was so challenging for me but thank god for football. I started to notice how special football was to me very quickly once I started practicing and having games. I noticed how every time I was on the field, the stress, the pressure, and the uncertainty all seemed to go away. I could be having the worst day, and when it was time to practice or play in a game, it was like all of it was gone. It was just me and my teammates playing the sport we love. That’s how football has continued to make me feel ever since.

Honestly, football has meant everything to me and it has taught me so much about myself, and about life. Football has taught me how to work hard for something and achieve it, it’s taught me about how to sacrifice for the greater goal, and it’s also taught me how to fall and get right back up and keep fighting. This sport has helped mold and shape me into something I never thought I could be. From the time that I was young playing, all the way up to now, this game still teaches me about hard work, preparation, discipline, integrity, sacrifice, attention to detail, and finishing. Without this game, the teammates that I’ve gotten to build unbreakable bonds with, and the coaches that I’ve been blessed to play for, I don’t think I would be half the man that I’m becoming.

So, this past year has been an absolute rollercoaster of a year. During September of last year during the beginning of the regular season, I tore my pec in the middle of a game and unfortunately had to miss the rest of the season. That was absolutely devastating for me. Especially because I’ve never gotten seriously injured before, I’ve never needed surgery, and I’ve never missed any games before. This was all new to me. I wasn’t sure what my new role would be on the team, I was upset that I couldn’t play with our seniors and the rest of my brothers. Then a little bit of worry about if you’re going to come out of this the same starts to creep in. The next 6-9 months was going to be a long journey. Though it wasn’t easy, I was mentally prepared for it and I was ready to do whatever it took to get back to playing again. And that’s exactly what happened. I’m so grateful for the IC AT Staff and doctors at Cayuga Orthopedics for taking care of me and making sure I went about overcoming this injury the right way. I got cleared in April of this year. So, fast forward to this summer, I found out we weren’t going to be playing this season because of Covid-19. Absolute bummer. After not playing last season because of an injury, my return would be delayed once again. Now, at that minute I had a choice to make: Complain about it, or prepare. That day I made the conscious decision to keep preparing. When the time comes, I’ll be ready. 

I think that athletes need to use their platforms to educate and help spread awareness of ways to help change. I feel like there are too many people that are uneducated and we have to fix that. In order for there to be change, we all have to come together as well. Glad we’re starting to see that in both the sports world and beyond.