By Von C. Howard
If you’ve lived in South Florida long enough, you know football is more than just a sport, it’s a culture, a way of life. From little league fields in Liberty City and Lauderhill to Friday night lights at St. Thomas Aquinas, Blanche Ely, Dillard, and Miramar, every season begins with one thing: vision. Coaches set it. Parents believe in it. Players run drills until their legs burn for it. The vision is always clear, win the championship.
But if you’ve followed any team, whether the recent powerhouses of St. Thomas Aquinas, American Heritage, and Chaminade-Madonna, or a Pop Warner squad grinding it out at Sunland Park (yes, I’m that old to remember), you know seasons don’t come without struggle. Players get injured. Teams lose games. Critics talk. Doubt creeps in. And yet, the teams that raise trophies at the end of the year are the ones that never gave up on the vision, no matter how tough the schedule looked.
And yes, even my beloved Miami Dolphins enter every season with that same dream alive: the Super Bowl. No matter how last year or years to that matter ended, they return to training camp focused, hopeful, and determined. They remind us that setbacks don’t cancel the vision; they’re just part of the season.
Life is the same way. Each of us has a “season” where we set a vision for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We dream of stronger households, thriving businesses, safe neighborhoods, and opportunities for our children. But like a tough football season, life throws us interceptions, job losses, setbacks, sickness, disappointments. Sometimes it feels like victory is too far away.
However, delay is not denial. Just because we don’t see the scoreboard in our favor today doesn’t mean we won’t win tomorrow. The vision God gave us is still alive. Our responsibility is to keep playing, to keep pushing, and to keep believing that victory is ahead.
Like Black America, this has always been our playbook. We’ve fought through slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, voter suppression, and economic struggles. Yet, we’ve never stopped showing up for the season. We’ve marched, protested, prayed, and worked toward the promise of freedom and equality. Like a football team down at halftime, we’ve adjusted, regrouped, and pressed forward because the championship vision has never left us.
The Bible tells us in Habakkuk 2:2-3: “Write the vision and make it plain… For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” That’s a reminder that God’s timing is perfect. Victory may take longer than we hoped, but if we stay faithful and stay in the game, it will come.
South Florida football teaches us that same lesson. Whether it’s the undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, the restoring dominance of the Mighty Dillard Panthers (yes, I’m a 3rd generation Panther), or the Lauderdale Lakes Vikings, Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes, or Liberty City Warriors suiting up with championship dreams, the vision doesn’t die because of a bad play, a tough game, or even a losing season. They lace up again because they know tomorrow holds another chance at victory.
Finally, if you’ve ever been to a Soul Bowl, the showdown between Dillard and Blanche Ely, or Miami Jackson and Miami Northwestern, you know exactly what I mean. The stadium is filled with history, pride, rivalry, and hope. Generations gather, not just to watch a game, but to witness vision meeting opportunity on the field. These Soul Bowl experiences remind us that no matter how fierce the battle is, greatness is always within reach.
So let us do the same in our lives. Let us hold tight to our vision for ourselves and for our community. Let us not grow weary when setbacks come. Because just like our teams, we’re still in the season and victory is still in view.
From vision to victory, we will get there. And when we do, the celebration won’t just belong to one of us, it will be a championship for all of us.
