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Life in the fast lane of sports
by Niles Engerman
Correspondent
Pot. Cocaine. Crack. Hotel Rooms. Parties. Smack. The tune that many people think athletes rock to, slows down once in a while to a steady beat. Whether an athlete will keep on rocking or stabilize depends on how he reacts to his career off the field.
Many professional athletes fail to notice the panorama of experiences outside of athletics that occur during their careers. Over extension in the arena to reach a clause in an incentive- laden contract sometimes blurs their vision of the future. If a professional athlete focuses on life after retirement, he will recognize the tools to build a successful life after sports.
College and professional scouts recruit athletes so intensely that it creates an invincible feeling within the player. Many players experience such a high when they commit to a “big-time” college program, or sign a $30 million contract, that they lose perspective on life. Many young players go from three generations of poverty to instant millions. Contrary to succeeding in baby steps like regular professionals, there is no time for high-profile college or professional athletes to adapt to a harsh, materialistic society.
“To be a professional athlete, you usually have a very high level of confidence to begin with. But when athletes are put on such a high pedestal, sometimes the only way to go is down,” said ex-Bears tight-end Emery Moorehead.
Moorehead explains that many athletes hit the top so fast that the rest of their lives bottom out. Not knowing anything else, it is shocking for some athletes to find themselves in such powerful positions. Moorehead has led a successful post pro career, working at a suburban realty firm.
NBC 5 Sports Producer McCormick O’Meara echoed Emery
Moorehead’s perspective on the affects of high profile careers on athletes. “A lot [of athletes] really struggle to find an identity after sports. It’s tough for many of them to swallow their pride.” O’Meara’s perspective touches on the post career blues of baseball greats Pedro Guerrero and the ex-Cub/ex-Sox, George Bell. Guerrero was caught selling drugs after he retired, then was arrested again for a related crime after his release from jail. Former MVP George Bell filed for bankruptcy not long after he finished his career with the Chicago Cubs.
Living frivolously through expensive cars, gambling, and partying, management of time and money has brought much criticism to professional and college athletes. Some experts believe that bad professional products may be the result of poor cultivation in college.
Many media personalities believe that college kids should be allowed to major in a sport. The curriculum would include business courses that would deal with topics such as negotiating contracts and hiring agents. This type of education may already be available in the form of the environment that defines the college and pro athlete’s paradigm. The athlete’s world extends beyond the arena, allowing the athlete to familiarize himself with the tools that he can use to build a successful post professional career.
“If an athlete is attentive to the real-life education that he receives in his sport, he will succeed. If an athlete only exists as an athlete he will miss it more (when his career is over),” says WSCR radio personality Dan Bernstein. “If an athlete defines himself as a father, person, and citizen, he will succeed after sports,” adds Bernstein.
A prominent athlete who defined his off-the-field identity is ex-Bear, defensive tackle Chris Zorich. Zorich started the Chris Zorich Foundation which runs charity drives and helps under privileged kids. He quit his NFL career after a final stint with the Washington Red Skins and is now finishing law school at Notre Dame.
Despite the many post pro sports careers that many athletes succeed in, professional and college athletics promote an inevitable catch-22.
“It’s not fair to talk about athletes being over-the-hill at the age of 33. But they are presented with the double whammy of being considered over-the-hill faster and also getting a later start on a job. A college degree for a professional athlete doesn’t have the same value,” says Bernstein.
Because of the demands of college athletics, a college athlete will often tailor his schedule around courses that will keep him eligible for his team. Courses are also scheduled during the morning so the athletes can spend the rest of the day practicing. Many college athletes start their day at five in the morning and do not finish their day until 10:30 at night. Going to bed often ranks above studying.
Even when athletes have graduated college and turn pro, their degrees have little relevance after their careers are over. To a retired professional athlete, the education that he received in college is blurrier than his vision after his last concussion. A professional athletic career not only renders an athlete’s classroom education hazy, but it also sets the athlete back because he has been removed from a normal professional setting to which he could apply what he learned in college.
All professional athletes are faced with a double-edged sword. They may opt for a pro sports career where the average career may last only four to six years, earning a fortune. In earning his fortune over such a short period of time, he may lose his sense of how to deal practical with situations, and may risk being “over-the-hill” at the age of 30.
“If you look closely, you’ll notice that the most successful athletes after their careers are the ones who keep their jobs in perspective,” says Bernstein.
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