unCommon Ground

At this moment, it’s probably rainy in Juneau, Alaska, sunny and hot in Key West, Fla., hot and humid in El Paso, Texas, and dry and windy in Howells, Neb. In The Bronx, it’s doing whatever New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner says it’s doing. OK, just kidding. But we’re not kidding about this: in these five culturally, socially and economically diverse areas, some things remain profoundly and abundantly common. All across the United States, high school football is important to the growth and development of young men. At most of those high schools, from small private and rural schools to large inner city schools and burgeoning suburban schools, football coaches are teaching valuable life lessons to those players. Some are black. Some are white. Some are Hispanic. Some are Asian. Some are kids who have played since grade school. Some are playing for the very first time.