It is what separates agony from celebration. Hopelessness from relief. Defeat from victory. It has played crucial parts in hundreds of thousands of matches and has changed millions of people’s deep emotions from exuberant to aghast, and vice versa. It plays one of the largest roles in the world’s most popular game but it’s never talked about much. No, “it” is not a he or a she, nor a group or place. It is tangible. It has three sections, is built across the world, and often has a net attached to it.
This is the story of the woodwork. Also known as the crossbar and the post.
“Oh so close; hit the post!” You know the words. Martin Tyler screams from inside the television but you probably scream louder. The anger builds up in your veins. There’s a rush of blood to your head. You hear your friends chuckle around you. “Alright. Pause the game!” Often times the woodwork is what leads to traumatic FIFA experiences, and that’s not even real life.
Now picture yourself at a local park. There’s a wide-open grass field surrounding you. Nobody to disrupt you. Ahead of you are a crossbar and two posts with no net. If you take a shot, no matter the accuracy or inaccuracy, you know it’ll take at least a minute-long walk to retrieve the ball. You take the shot anyway. It’s from far out so you got some curve on the ball. It’s going top-corner, no doubt. Well, some doubt.
*Clank* Damn.
The concept of the crossbar and the posts is simple: a barrier between success and failure. If there is no separation between shooting into the net and missing the net, there’s no football. No (forgive me, Europeans) soccer. Whether the woodwork is square or round, white or colored, it’s all the same. A border, stopper, and the referee of the score line.
If there’s no separation between success and failure then there’s really no point for anything, is there? This is the question we ask for this website, The Crossbar Post. What’s the difference between a good story and a great story? Are you going to enjoy yourself reading an article? Long-form or quick read, news piece or fashioned story, we’ll step up to take the shot each time. Although it may not go in, saved by the keeper or blasted over the bar, we took the shot. And that’s what we promise. Every piece on The Post will be cared for with passion and an eye for detail.
Enjoy your time here. Thanks for reading.
