How Misperception of Me by a Coach Led to Loss of Love for Sports

Name
Prof
Course
Date
How Misperception of Me by a Coach Led to Loss of Love for Sports
As a child, I was fascinated by soccer. It was played everywhere in my neighborhood, and it was part of discussions for children and adults alike, both within my household and outside. When Messi and Ronaldo were busting to the global scene, Ghana had posted impressive results on the international stage. My parents enrolled me in a local youth development sports academy as part of this progress. I think this is the first place I felt like I had been misperceived, and it has had a long-lasting impact on my life.
When I joined the academy, my aim was not to become a professional soccer player. I just wanted to have fun and be associated with children who loved the game. Often, I envisioned myself playing the role of a team doctor or just any role on the bench alongside the coach, once of age. I only needed a role to help me stay close with soccer players regardless of their gender. Indeed, what captured my attention about the academy was that they emphasized fun, growth, and development and only introduced competition among academy members above 13. This was good for me because I knew I was not talented enough to be like any other kids I admired.
The only problem is that I was physically smaller, even compared to some children younger than me. From the word "go," all training sessions were in the form of competition. We played together, and there were about 20 players on each side. What used to happen is that the children would crowd around the ball as they chased and kicked it. Only the individuals with bigger body sizes could jostle for the ball in the crowd. Others, including myself, with smaller bodies, were often found on the fringes without...