Quote:
Originally posted by SKEEphistAKAte
My husband and I have discussed this. If I had a son, I'm not sure if I'd discourage him from entering the draft early. College isn't going anywhere, you can always go back to college. A physical peak is just that, a peak- you will only be at your best at one time in your life, so why not go for it. If you get hurt and your sports career ends early, then go to college. Hopefully, you will have a made a couple of million, and can go through college comfortably, instead of starving and broke like most people do.
What do you all think?
*edited to add* I'm applying to law school now and am required to submit a personal statement. In that statement they look for people who have had unique experiences. Wouldn't an essay on your experience as a professional athlete be unique?
|
People tend to forget that many contracts in the NFL are not guaranteed, especially not for benchwarmers or those on the practice squad. If Lebron James tears his ACL tomorrow he will still get paid. However, many NFL players do not have that luxury.
You also have to remember that many NFLers try to keep up with a certain lifestyle. There are more broke or average former NFL players out there than people realize. A person can make $300,000 one year and get cut from the team the next. Meanwhile, that person probably bought cars, clothes, houses, and other stuff while they were making that $300,000. A lot of people that only played a year or two in the pros just end up getting regular jobs, so although they may have a "unique" experience in many cases they are not going to end up set for life. Every now and then you may get those that invested their money wisely, but if all of your teammates are wearing new suits every day, switching up cars, taking trips, and stuff like that you are more likely to fall into that trap. Pro athletes have bills too, they are just much higher than most of ours. Hell, a couple of NBA players were talking about being broke back when they had the strike going and we know most of them making substantial amounts of money each year.
I am not just talking out of my rear end here. My mother has a friend that played for the Chiefs. He is not broke, but he just has a regular job in a warehouse and doesn't live the "fabulous" lifestyle that some may assume a former pro football player would have. The tragedy comes when you have those that leave school early, don't pan out in the pros, and then end up thrown to the wolves with no degree and presumably no real work experience. Putting "professional football player" on your resume may get you some looks, but it means nothing if you weren't a star and also do not have the skills for that position.
If a player is truly talented enough to leave school early to go pro, then I am all for it. However, there are more players that don't make it than that do. There were some players from my alma mater that got drafted and ended up right back home in a year or two, so it is not always a guarantee for success or financial stability. If anything, that pro athlete should be trying to complete their degree in the off-season or even online if they have left school early. Nothing in life is guaranteed regardless of your skill level.