The Love of the Game and The Men That Loved the Game Thousands of fans consider football to be one of America’s most beloved sports. There is something addictive about football, and Americans cannot seem to get enough of it. Whether it is the primal act of watching one group of what seem to be supermen tackle another, or just the comfort of bringing the family together every Sunday for football, there is something infectious about the sport. However, there are aspects of football that have Americans on edge. In 2009 alone, there were roughly 215,000 injuries people had when playing football, more than any other sport (“Sports Injury Statistics”), and these numbers were only for teens and young adults. They are not even considering the NFL,
…show more content…
Even before they join a team, they receive gifts, praise, and affection from prospective teams and adoring fans. After they join the league, they then find themselves surrounded by both adoring fans and managers supervising every aspect of their lives. This is what makes life as a professional football player so exhilarating, but also so hazardous. Fans of the NFL treat players as royalty so long as they can play their sport, but what happens when they finally must retire or suffer that career ending injury? Players in the NFL have a “bubble” of friends, fans, and managers constantly around them so long as they play in the NFL, but after they leave, the sphere of influence is no longer there. It might be hard to imagine, as a normal, tax paying adult, not knowing how to even slightly manage one’s life and money, but after years of being handled like children, many NFL players cannot transfer into the real world because they have no practical life skills (Holstein). Another problem many professional football players have, moving from professional sports to living a normal life, is their past. Most football players make foolish, unsustainable investments during their few years as successful sports players. This means that when they leave the NFL, and their income is severely cut, they hemorrhage money until they eventually go bankrupt. They often attempt to keep living the lifestyle they did while they were professionals when it is just not possible (Holstein). The last, most well-known, problem members of the NFL have with parting from a life of luxury and opulence is the overall psychological state they leave with. They were told for years that they are the best at everything they did, and now that their moments of fame are over they still believe that they are the best. As James A. Holstein says in his book Is There Life After Football? Surviving the NFL “Players come
Even before they join a team, they receive gifts, praise, and affection from prospective teams and adoring fans. After they join the league, they then find themselves surrounded by both adoring fans and managers supervising every aspect of their lives. This is what makes life as a professional football player so exhilarating, but also so hazardous. Fans of the NFL treat players as royalty so long as they can play their sport, but what happens when they finally must retire or suffer that career ending injury? Players in the NFL have a “bubble” of friends, fans, and managers constantly around them so long as they play in the NFL, but after they leave, the sphere of influence is no longer there. It might be hard to imagine, as a normal, tax paying adult, not knowing how to even slightly manage one’s life and money, but after years of being handled like children, many NFL players cannot transfer into the real world because they have no practical life skills (Holstein). Another problem many professional football players have, moving from professional sports to living a normal life, is their past. Most football players make foolish, unsustainable investments during their few years as successful sports players. This means that when they leave the NFL, and their income is severely cut, they hemorrhage money until they eventually go bankrupt. They often attempt to keep living the lifestyle they did while they were professionals when it is just not possible (Holstein). The last, most well-known, problem members of the NFL have with parting from a life of luxury and opulence is the overall psychological state they leave with. They were told for years that they are the best at everything they did, and now that their moments of fame are over they still believe that they are the best. As James A. Holstein says in his book Is There Life After Football? Surviving the NFL “Players come