I’ve become a fan of Syracuse University athletics this year, which is something that happens when you send your kid and a whole lot of your savings up there. It’s worth noting that I grew up largely hating Syracuse sports for a long list of disconnected reasons, so I think my coming full circle is a true sign of both emotional maturity and financial common sense. If I’m going to pay for something, I might as well enjoy it.
So I paid particular attention when the Orange’s star quarterback Steve Angeli fell to the turf last Saturday in an upset win at Clemson. It was what they call a non-contact injury, meaning he got hurt without anyone hitting him or causing the injury. These are often some of the worst, because it means that something tore on its own. Angeli left the field and the game, and as fans of the NY Jets know well, it turned out to be a season ending Achillies tear. Which means that Angeli, a Notre Dame transfer who Syracuse fans hoped would keep them competitive in the Division I football arms race, won’t take the field again until next season – and on a just surgically repaired Achillies. For those who are interested, Syracuse backup quarterback Rickie Collins, an LSU transfer who also was once a top high school recruit, will take the reins for the rest of the season.
There’s nothing particularly unique about Angeli’s injury. In the NFL alone, you’ll likely see over 20 similar tears per year. College football brings far more, and it’s almost always season ending. On a positive note, most do come back to play the next year if they have eligibility, although data does indicate they’ll be less likely to go on to the pros after a tear. As you well know, the NFL is simply a game of probabilities. What might feel a bit more tragic in this case is that Angeli came here after two years at another university with the hope and promise of finally getting his shot. And just when things seemed to be going well, it ended in an instant without even the foil of an opposing player, a bogeyman to blame for a cheap shot. In this case, it can only be blamed on fate, something that’s less than satisfying to Syracuse football fans.
Perhaps I thought about this particular injury from last Saturday because earlier in the day, my high school soccer player hurt his knee in the second half of game that was a bit more physical than it probably should have been. And I promise I won’t spend the rest of this commentary talking about how the refs probably could have prevented such rough play and likely his injury if they had called some fouls in the first half to keep the game under control. I won’t do that. His injury looked rough when it happened, but fortunately it looks like just a ligament strain that should heal in a couple of weeks. He’ll miss a few games and limp a bit, but should be back for the stretch run and the tournament. Still, it’s a rough blow for him or any high school kid that lives for the 10 weeks that make up a fall season. Ten weeks preceded by 30 or so getting ready and training and thinking about it. All of which can be undone in one play, either by contact or simply by taking one bad step.
I don’t have the time to contemplate fully the frailty of sports participation, a condition that demands both full commitment and a body that withstands unending abuse. I’m usually more surprised that any football player makes it to the end of a season unscathed than one that doesn’t. But what is clear in the case of Steve Angeli, and could have been with my own kid, is that we think a lot more about the spoils of sports success than we do the perils of debilitating injury. At every step of an athlete’s journey, we dangle the hope of a next step – making varsity, playing college, getting drafted – often at significant expense. Club sports, travel, trainers, you name it. And in one second, that can all be over. It’s probably something every parent should consider when thinking about the best pathway to college and, well, to happiness.
Fortunately, Steve Angeli will get a medical redshirt and have two more years to play college ball, hopefully at Syracuse. I’m hoping it’s something we’ll both get to enjoy.
Keith Strudler is the Dean of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler.
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