4th and 1 Football

By James A. Johnson ©2018
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two imposters just the same….Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!”
Rudyard Kipling
4th and 1 is a nonprofit summer football camp for high school students located at MT. Pleasant, Texas. However, this is not your ordinary camp and Daron Roberts, its founder, is not your ordinary director. Daron is also the founding director of the Center for Sports Leadership and Innovation at The University of Texas. Daron Roberts was formerly the Assistant Secondary Coach for the NFL Detroit Lions and cornerbacks coach at West Virginia Univ. and the Cleveland Browns’ Defensive Quality Control coach. Daron a former high school player grew up in Mount Pleasant, Texas and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. His deep personal commitment is to provide a free football camp where sophomores can hone their football skills, prepare for the SAT and learn life skills. Enter 4th and 1 Students are provided the opportunity to excel in workshops such as “Understanding the Stock Market”, “Tie or No Tie” and “Who says Men Can’t Cook.” The workshop and classes include the college application process, SAT preparation, resume writing, personal finance, interview skills and appropriate dinner etiquette. In addition to a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas, Daron earned his Master’s in Public Policy and his law degree from Harvard. I submit to you that he has the intellectual, social and interpersonal skills to teach student-athletes. In 2018 the camp will be held at MT. Pleasant, Texas on July 8 – 13. Returning student-athletes serve as team captains to the incoming classes. As a basketball cognoscente, this writer can state unequivocally that it does not matter what sport a boy or girl plays - it is the participation that counts. If you do not believe me, consider what Michael Jordan said: “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot……and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why……..I succeed.” The centerpiece of this article shows how participation in sports manifests itself in life’s lessons of how to win and more importantly how to lose. Participation in sports and football, in particular, is a team game and helps to develop sportsmanship, team play, fairness and leadership qualities. Sports can provide continuity between childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. It is a bridge, so to speak, to traverse, hopefully uninterrupted. What a wonderful opportunity to learn these values by participating in 4th and 1. Sport is not a panacea nor does it guarantee success in adulthood, but it can provide tangible and intangible benefits. Lastly, I will not say goodbye but see you later. For more information on 4th and 1 Football Camp visit www.4thand1.org James A. Johnson is a basketball cognoscente and Trial Lawyer. He concentrates on Sports & Entertainment Law and is an active member of the Michigan, Texas, Massachusetts and Federal Court Bars. He can be reached at Website: www.JamesAJohnsonEsq.com