I took a second today (as I had a few because I was lying there motionless during my MRI for 55 mins.) to think about the journey Dave and I have had thus far in the world of the NFL. My first thought was how incredibly blessed we are. It is such a small percentage of people who actually get to play their sport at the professional level. Whenever Dave is feeling down, or tired I always look at him (usually while tearing up) and tell him that I would give anything to be able to still compete in the sport I loved so dearly. Also, ever since he was in college, before every game I look him in the eyes and say "Play hard and remember why you love the game." I say these things to him as a verbal, conscious reminder for him to always realize how lucky he is to still be playing the sport he loves. Sometimes the little problems or issues within our own lives/profession don't always allow us to take a step back and look at the big picture and be thankful for where we are at.
Even though Dave is extremely lucky to be playing in the NFL, by no means is he here because of pure luck. He has and is continuing to work so hard and is sacrificing so much in order to be in the position he is. In our journey thus far in the NFL, the thing that has sadden, angered and peeved me the most is the perception that people have about the life that we now lead. I'm shocked when I hear/see the surprise within people when I tell them that Dave only has one day off a week (not to mention that on his day off he has a practice in the morning). It's not as if you just show up on game day with your cleats on ready to play and collect your check at the end. There are endless hours of treatment, meetings, practices, and mental preparation that go into every game. He is out the door at 6:30 am and returns home at 6pm everyday. He truly earns every penny he receives. Even though he plays a game out there, it is still his career. People think that because someone plays in the NFL that they instantly have millions of dollars. This could not be further from the truth. While he is certainly earning an adequate salary, we still are living off of a budget...yes a budget. In the NFL world, the word "NFL" stands for "Not For Long." This means that the NFL truly is a cut throat business and there are no guarantees for your future. The average life of an NFL player is 3.4 years in the business. Dave had a friend on the team who was cut just a few days before the regular season with his wife just weeks from giving birth with their first child. The coaches could have cared less about his personal situation and just decided to cut him because "he wasn't tough enough." We are hoping that Dave will have a long, healthy, and prosperous career in the NFL, however, we are also very aware that it could end and any second. With this in mind, we hope to invest and manage our money very responsibly.
There is no way to truly give you a glimpse into the life of an NFL player, however, you should trust me when I say you would be VERY surprised if you knew the entire reality of it. The media leads us to believe that professional sports are very glamorous, however, there are some brutal, raw and indescribable facets that make it very stressful and turbulent. So, while I would love to sit here and tell you that we have a limo and driver that takes us everywhere we want to go, lavish furs, millions of dollars in cash sitting around our house, no worries, mansions and fame...the truth of the matter is that we still are just regular people trying to make it through this world. Sorry to burst the bubble, but that is just how it is.
The point of this post was to hopefully give people a tiny dose of reality when it comes to our situation. Like I said before, playing for the Baltimore Ravens is Dave's current profession. Just like any other career, there are people he doesn't like within his job, their are stressful moments, there are personal responsibilities, there are ups and downs, there are sacrifices and there are rewards. Soo, next time you think or hear someone say "Dave has the dream job" or "Dave is so lucky to be playing in the NFL" just remember that nothing is as bad OR as good as it seems ;-).
2 comments:
I agree Shelby...Enjoy the moment. I got to start every game of my college career...and would have missed early games my senior year if not for my coach sending me to a chiropractor and getting me up off my back after three days of bed rest did not help. I got "outstanding player" after four straight days of treatment. That made me realize how close sometimes your career can come to an end.
They say you won't remember scores of games...even if you had a winning season. But you will remember the "moments"
Keep on making "Moments"
Love,
Your Dad and Father In Law
Rick Walford
I think David would look cool in one of those 1950's Fur coats, crusing in his limo.
Anyway, this was cool to read. Though it was on a smaller level, I understand it a bit. When I snowboarded professionally, there were days that it was hard to get up and go snowboarding. It is a job. It's a fun job, but there are those days.
Hope all is well.
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