It's not easy being a professional athlete. It hasn't been for a very long time. Actually, it's even becoming more and more difficult to be a collegiate athlete. Nearly every professional athlete has worked extremely hard to get where they are today. Whether it was working hard to get in physical shape, working hard to outsmart their opposition or working hard in school to make it to their destination, they've worked at one or more of these things at some time or another.
You hear it all the time, and you may say so yourself, that professional athletes are spoiled brats who do nothing but blow their money and never grow up because of it. You know that that is not always the case. In fact, it rarely is. There are so many athletes who do the right things with their fortunes, give back to where they came from and don't overdo it with the "toys." And don't we live in America, the birthplace of capitalism? Since when it is a bad thing for a business to succeed and reward their employees with large sums of money? It is, and always has been, both a game and a business. Business is just booming right now.
Sure, many athletes are born with great size, strength or brains. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they haven't worked hard throughout their lives. And now they are at the pinnacle of their professions, better than 99% of the people who strive to do what they do. Since they're so good at their jobs, they are therefore put under the most pressure to perform and sustain that level of performance.
My mother is a graphic designer. She has deadlines to meet and I often see her on the verge of homicide when time is running low. Her head's spinning and she's confined to her little office, all on her own. It's a high pressure job, one of many around the world, that requires great focus and an outstanding work ethic. Imagine if she had to perform in front of 20,000 people, all prepared to boo at the very first slip-up. How about 60,000? Or 100,000?
Having to perform your job in front of so many fans every day has to be gut-wrenching. Hell, I got nervous for high school football games in front of about 1,000 fans. And I hardly touched the field. But that isn't the only hard part. People that are in the spotlight, and I'm not just talking about athletes, have it hard because someone always wants to bring that person down. Athletes are constantly being charged for rape, aggravated assault and various other serious crimes. If you ask an old person, they'll tell you that you live in a messed up society, that you're generation is destined for failure and that athletes, in particular, don't take their fame seriously enough.
I guess you could argue that. But you could also argue that they are targeted, that young people become more and more accessible (and that's not necessarily a bad thing) with time, that the media expands over time and that news (and rumors for that matter) are reported faster than ever. Today, athletes get traded to a team across country and you, sitting on your couch watching ESPN, know before that athlete does. Now, that is messed up.
Still, I think that today's pro athlete is becoming more and more aware of these circumstances. They're adapting to the constant cameras in the face, the relentless questions from reporters, the adoring fans begging for their John Hancock and the pressure of performing before so many people. But one thing that no one can prepare for is a physical attack to them or someone they love.
On the second day of this September, Jacksonville Jaguar offensive tackle Richard Collier was attacked outside an apartment complex in Jacksonville while sitting in his car. He was shot 14 times, including two bullets that fractured his spine, one of which hit his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He had wounds to the leg, leaving a blood clot. The clot was removed, but days later it was learned that blood was not circulating to his foot, requiring amputation. No one knows the motive behind this attack nor have any suspects been named. He and a former teammate were not even robbed. The attack seems to have been a random act of violence in a city known for it. Was he attacked because of his fame or fortune? Possibly. Many theories have been thrown around, but no one knows for sure. What is known is that it's a miracle that Collier came through this awful experience alive. The details have just recently been released and I didn't explain the half of it. Collier is fortunate to be alive. It could have been worse and I only hope for the best for both he and his family.
Collier was not a well-know player, starting only part-time, prior to this shooting and it is not known whether his fame or wealth had anything to do with the attack. However, one athlete who was targeted for his wealth was Sean Taylor. Anyone who follows football closely knows the story on Sean Taylor. He was an All-American safety at the University of Miami (Florida) and eventually an All-Pro for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Taylor had his Florida home broken into and robbed during last football season while he was in Washington. He was then injured and headed home to rest for the two weeks he missed. While at home, his house was broken into (again) and he was shot in the leg. The wound resulted in the severing of a major artery and eventually death. No attack on anyone should ever be down-played or taken lightly, but this may be the most infamous attack ever on any pro athlete. The attack on Sean Taylor was news for what seemed like weeks and it's hard to explain how great a loss this was to the game of football.
Personally, I would love the money that comes along with being a professional athlete. Who wouldn't? But I'm not a big fan of high-pressure jobs or being physically harmed for no apparent reason. So, the next time you bad-mouth a pro athlete and call them brats (among other things), remember the hard work they put into their jobs, the pressure that comes along with these jobs and the fact that they walk around with targets on their chests each day.
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