For The Love Of The Game

Our submission takes the viewer into the perspective of a high school baseball player who is struggling with his self value and belief in his success. He steps up to the plate, and as his words turn from “what if I loose the game” to “I will loose the game”, he ends his thoughts by asking himself “am I a failure?”, which then takes us to a voice over where he tells the viewer why he continues to play even with all these emotions built up inside of him. The viewer then sees what fuels his drive to keep playing, which is his past memories with his dad behind the camera filming his young son play baseball, cheering on his son through every step of the kid’s journey improving as an athlete. We go back to the present with the player on the plate, and as he opens his eyes, he has a smile on his face, because to him, seeing his dad proud of him is what makes him push to be a better athlete, and a happy person. As the camera cuts to the directing change graphic, you hear the crack of a bat, and the crowd cheering as the ball soars far and high for a home run. This story is not just about overcoming mental health struggles, it’s why athletes overcome these struggles. We believe it’s important to remind athletes everywhere that it’s okay to not be okay, and that remembering the good can help us overcome the tough.