Poetry Portfolio

Football Loves Them

June 2026

By Madden Cade 

 

From the Wildcats to the Washington Spirit, football loved me.

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When tears filled my eyes as dry soccer socks slid onto my baby feet; Years later, when I winced, sliding off blood-stained college cleats that reeked of death with a hint of passion.

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Football: I loved her, and she loved me.

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When I collapsed in a heap and left the pitch, I thought it was a brief intermission—not a goodbye.

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A few months later, they said to me: Pronouns are like shoes. Try them on. Take them off. See how they fit.

They/them was snug.

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After that moment, I was afraid my cleats wouldn’t fit. Afraid that football had abandoned me.

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But it wasn't the cleats. It wasn't the game. It was the systems built to cage her.

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Forty-six percent of queer kids seriously considering leaving— Football loves them.

Queer kids making up forty percent of homeless youth— Football loves them.

The six percent who attempt suicide— Football loves them.

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Ankle-biters to academy, non-binary and trans: football loves them. High school highlight reels and College Cups, their right to play in question: football loves them. Street soccer to Sunday league: football loves them.

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The pitch welcomes them. Inherent belonging. Football is undeterred, unbothered, and wide open.