It is extremely difficult to become a professional football player in the NFL. According to a survey done by “The High School Cube,” approximately one in every 853 high school football players make it to the NFL. That is a 0.12% chance. And if you make it to college football, the numbers are still horrific in terms of making it to the NFL. Getting to the NFL is a lifelong childhood dream for many young athletes.
Once you are there, you do not ever want to leave, barring injury of course. Most athletes want to do nothing else besides get better at their craft and stay at the top of their game for as long as possible. But once you make it to the professional level, it can be very difficult for athletes to live “normal” everyday lives like they once did, being in the public eye. Especially with how much time and dedication goes into being a professional football player. Athletes have to balance their sports and the countless hours of training and preparation with still living their lives outside of their sports. And that is a challenge that not many people or fans focus on.
Professional football players are just normal guys like everyone else when they are off the field. They all have their personal problems, families to deal with, health to worry about, and everything else. Everyone puts not only professional football players but any athlete on such a pedestal and assume that their lives are just perfect, but that is just not true.
According to New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian: “Being away from my family in season can be tough at times. But I am very fortunate to spend the off season with my wife and kids.”
Siemian is a backup quarterback and at the drop of a hat had to leave his family and join the Jets because of injuries to the other quarterbacks.
“It is a bit of a sacrifice,” he said, “but the trade off is the uninterrupted time that I get with them in the off season.”
Siemian acknowledges the fact that it is awful being away from his family during the season and having to miss some birthdays and school plays, but being able to continue to live out his dream as an NFL player and provide for his family is well worth it as he gets time with his family during the off season. Being away from family seems to be the biggest personal problem for athletes. Another New York Jets quarterback, Tim Boyle, stated that he looks forward to the off season as he has a lot more free time to split up among friends and family.
“Training in the offseason is a little more manageable from a social aspect,” Boyle said. “Training is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. everyday and then after that I am free to do what I would like. So my ability to be social whether that is with my family or friends is definitely ramped up.” Even in the offseason players’ training and workout regime is still very important to keep up, however, there still is a lot of time that they look forward to spending with their friends and family. Everyone thinks that the NFL life is glamorous, but the majority of the time, that is just not the case.
According to an article by Irwin Nunez, NFL players work an average of “10-12 hours a day 6 days a week.”
This is an absolutely grueling schedule especially considering all of the physical exercise and weight training involved. Then there is the studying and the meetings that you have to attend.
Not to mention the fact that they have to have the playbook memorized and that week’s signs and signals down. Players really do not have much free time to themselves. Even though they have NFL money and fame, it is challenging to lead “normal” lives. This can be very draining on the mind and body, but it is a sacrifice that has to be made for this lifestyle.
It is apparent that these athletes do not like the time apart from their families. They can fly them out for games and such, but not for too long and it is not the same family-only time as they are still in season and very busy. It can be hard on players as well when there is a family emergency that comes up like a sickness or a death. It can be tough for them and the team if they have to miss practice or games as a result. They cannot be in two places at once and either their profession or family has to suffer. And throughout difficult times in life players still have to stay sharp and on top of their games — if their performance suffers, they can be benched or cut and released from the team at the drop of a hat. It is a very cutthroat profession. Players are treated as pawns and as soon as a better one comes along or they are no longer needed they are dismissed and relieved of duty.
It can also be hard on the player’s family when they are not able to be around all of the time. Yes, they may be able to receive financial support from the player, but families want to see their sons, nephews, and cousins for important life events and that is not always possible, but it is the tradeoff that every player must be willingly makes to live out their dreams of playing in the National Football League.