#baseball and americal football works too

[aerocolar]

I always headcanoned that Jack Darby played lacrosse. I got this idea after watching Teen Wolf, where the main character, Scott McCall, starts as an average high school student and a lackluster member of his school's lacrosse team. At the beginning of the series, Scott is unremarkable—he struggles with the game and doesn't stand out much. However, after being turned into a werewolf and drawn into the supernatural world, Scott’s leadership qualities begin to shine. He grows into a confident and capable leader, eventually becoming the captain of the lacrosse team, a position that mirrors his role guiding his friends and allies through the threats in Beacon Hills.

This character arc made me imagine something similar for Jack. Just like Scott is thrust into the supernatural, Jack gets pulled into the world of the Cybertronians. Optimus Prime himself recognizes Jack's potential, even entrusting him with the Key to Vector Sigma—a significant responsibility coming from a Prime. Ratchet even mentions that Optimus (back when he was Orion Pax) was a lot like Jack. This parallel got me thinking: what if Jack's journey toward leadership was mirrored on the lacrosse field?

Throughout the show, Optimus could have shared wisdom and guidance with Jack about leadership, teaching him to navigate both his responsibilities in the Team Prime and the challenges of being a team player and leader on the field. Jack would start as a struggling, average athlete—someone overlooked, like Scott—but grow into someone who inspires his teammates, just as he steps up to help the Autobots. Seeing him balance these roles, overcoming his fears and doubts both in the human world and on the Cybertronian conflict could have been a fantastic way to showcase his development into a strong, confident leader.