Meet Sam The Vegetarian Football Player! February 2, 2009

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So the Super Bowl is over and all across the US, people are talking about the big game.

What better time to introduce you to Sam? He's a sixteen year old football player from Massachusetts. And he's been a vegetarian for his entire life! Sam was cool enough to answer some questions about his experience as a vegetarian for you all, so take a read...

Why are you vegetarian?
I was initially a vegetarian because I was raised that way by my mom, but once I could choose whether I wanted to eat meat or not, I remained a vegetarian out of compassion for animals.

What are your favorite sports?
Football, basketball, and track are my favorite sports although I enjoy almost all sports. I am co-captain of the school football team for next year and I also run outdoor track for the school.

How do your teammates react when they find out you're vegetarian?
Usually, the immediate response I get is a series of questions: "Wait, you're a vegetarian? What do you eat? Have you ever even tried meat? But it tastes so good!" If I don't know the kid that well, he'll usually leave me alone after that, but if it's someone I'm familiar with, they'll usually say "I'm taking you to McDonalds" or something like that. Some kids are really nice about it. They'll say "Man, that's cool. I wish I could be a vegetarian, but meat just tastes too good." I get a lot of crap for it, and I'm the only vegetarian on the team, so there's no one to back me up, but I don't mind it that much because I known my teammates are just joking around.

What do you generally eat for lunch at school?
I bring my own lunch so I don't have to deal with the school food. It's usually a sandwich (with some sort of fake meat on it)... I mean, I mix it up a little bit, but that's what my lunch usually consists of.

Are your parents supportive of your vegetarianism?
Absolutely. I live with my mom, step dad, and brother, and we're all vegetarians. My mom has been a vegetarian since she was 12 and raised me and my brother as vegetarians. My biological dad eats meat, but he's 100% in support of me and my brother.

Any tips for people interested in trying out vegetarianism?
Yeah. You can substitute a lot of the meat that you eat with fake meat. I eat fake meat with most of my meals, and I particularly like the Morningstar brand as do many of my meat eating friends. They say that it doesn't really taste like the real stuff, but that it tastes really good. In fact, I have a couple of friends that have completely given up real bacon and sausage for the Morningstar meatless versions.

Thanks to Sam for taking the time to answer these questions. If you eat animals why not take the pledge to be veg and see how you feel? Sam gave you some quick food tips, and there are lots more suggestions at http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-recipe.asp. You should tell your school to make the lunches healthier and more humane, too!

Enjoy your week!

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