True love for the game: John Peckinpaugh

Have you ever heard of John Peckinpaugh? Have you ever heard of IPFW? Unless my blog leaked to the Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne school website and you are a student reading this, you probably answered no to both. But don’t worry, I’m here to enlighten you.

Recently, photos have surfaced on the web of a basketball player who thought he was entering a boxing ring. Not really, but that’s just one of the many jokes that have been made of this young student-athlete and his attire.

John Peckinpaugh in action with his headgear.

Now I could try to come up with my own clever jokes about John, but I want to take a different approach. I want to give John some props.

John is now a junior at IPFW, and he has suffered so many concussions in his career that doctors told him it was too dangerous for him to play without serious protection. This serious protection entailed wearing both a mouthpiece and headgear at all times.

John could have easily just called it quits. He could have finished up his last couple years of school, and moved on with his life. That would have been the safe and smart thing to do.

“I decided I didn’t want to give up the game I loved and I’d do whatever it takes to keep playing,” said Peckinpaugh.

This is what sports are all about. Who cares if he plays for a school that few people across the country have heard of. Who cares if he averages just around 3 points per game. John Peckinpaugh sure doesn’t care.

He plays because there is nothing more enjoyable to him than stepping onto that court and playing basketball. It doesn’t matter to him that he looks goofy with his headgear on. It doesn’t matter to him that it is extremely uncomfortable and even restricts his peripheral vision. All that matters to John is that he still gets to play the game he loves.

Thanks, John, for proving to us that there are still amazing athletes out there. Not the ones who play for the fame and the money, but the ones who play for the love of the game. These are the ones that make sports special.

 

Advertisement