I’m writing this from a football perspective, although it has application to all sports.
It is said by NFL players that the only day during a football season when they are healthy is the day before summer camp begins. Otherwise, they are dealing with some sort of injury/ ailment thereafter until the season’s final whistle blows.
I had a front row seat to the ravages of football. Geoffrey experienced one injury after another during his 8+ years in the league. Two broken legs. Half a dozen surgeries. Countless hours of rehab. Contracts terminated. (Geoffrey’s litany of ailments are fully chronicled in Raising Giants.) Mitchell, on the other hand, carried the mantle of NFL Iron Man as he was on the field for 7,894 consecutive snaps during his NFL career, only to see that streak broken as he hobbled off the field one afternoon because of a knee injury. The following year, his football career came to a crushing end when he walked off the field for the last time with a back that failed him.
I believe it’s fair to say that most players, either on the college or professional levels, do not think of what comes next. At that stage in their lives, they feel invincible, that they’ll play “forever.” I suspect that was the case with former Utah Utes quarterback Cam Rising. Rising was a much-ballyhooed QB coming out of high school. His college career at Utah included winning two PAC-12 championships. But that career was also checkered with numerous injuries.
Rising tried his best to overcome those setbacks but after extending his college career to six years versus the traditional four, he announced his retirement. His association with football will now continue as an offensive coordinator for his high school alma mater.
If I were advising young, aspiring athletes, I would counsel them as follows –
- Be Aware – Never lose sight of the fact that a career can end abruptly.
- Plan – Think Ahead – What would happen if playing sports was snatched away? Geoffrey planned his next chapter early on in his football career, which included attendance at the NFL’s Broadcast Boot Camp.
- Get Your Education – Raising Giants includes several stories related to the likelihood of having a career in sports. The numbers don’t lie. Statistically the chances are extraordinarily low. One has a much greater chance of succeeding in life with a degree in hand.
Awareness. Preparation. Education.