I know this is supposed to be a motivational quote from an uplifting movie, but it sounds a little negative to me. Like if you're already of strong character, you'll make it in football, but if you're weak, you'll remain weak and fail.
Am I misunderstanding?
As someone who didn't play football beyond my soph. year in high school, I think football does both: it builds character and it eliminates the weak.
For an inside look at how the Texas Longhorns eliminated the weak, I recommend "Meat on the Hoof" by Gary Shaw (1972), published a year after Freddie Steinmark died.
I think it's saying that football requires a certain kind of character and you either have it or you don't. So if you can't hack it then it's because you don't have the right kind of character and continuing to play isn't going to build that up.
I know that sounds weird but it makes sense in my head, lol.
Yes, Doc, they way you describe it does make sense. And the coach was trying to scare them and weed out the "weak".
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