Uncertainty is Certain: The Beauty of Football

One of the things that makes professional sports different from other careers is that there is never a clear path to achieving what we set out to achieve. Say we wanted to be lawyers: we’d have to earn a bachelor’s degree, pass the LSAT, apply to and complete law school, pass the bar exam, and obtain a license. I am sure that this process would take years, countless hours of studying, and many sleepless nights, but the path is laid out for you if that’s what you choose. This is similar for doctors, teachers, engineers, etc. For athletes, it is just different. Finding an unconventional way to accomplish our goals is more common than not. There is no set course and no single method to success. We can be the hardest workers, have the best attitude, be the most talented players, and still never have a straight trajectory to the top. We can give everything and get nothing in return. Amidst all of the uncertainty and the unknown, there is beauty and potential for greatness which is something you won’t experience anywhere else but during your time as an athlete.

Being able to have teammates of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures has helped to broaden my perspective of what a football career can look like and what my life can look like in general. I am very fortunate to be around teammates who value deep conversations and are willing to discuss experiences they have had throughout their lives. One day after practice, Ethan, Sami, Luther, and I started talking about how our profession is so much different from other career paths. To be honest, this is a topic that comes up a lot for us when we speak to each other. Maybe we discuss these things because very few people live through what we are talking about, we have different insights, and can relate in ways that other people can’t. Even if we are blessed with a strong support system, it can still be difficult to discuss these topics with family or friends if they haven’t experienced them.

But what I do know is that I enjoy talking with the boys because I get to understand them on a deeper level by listening to their struggles, exploring their beliefs, and then tying those things together to grasp how they became the people they are. Several topics and ideas for this post and previous newsletter editions have come through conversation with my teammates. There is so much to be gained by listening to these guys and picking their brains whenever I can, I am just lucky that they are receptive and enjoy talking with me about whatever comes to mind. Because I am around professionals every day and talk with them about their experiences, it is easy to overlook the uniqueness of our experiences. Sometimes I need to take a step back and acknowledge how interesting of a life I have. This is one of the reasons why I like to write in The Movement Newsletter because it gives me the opportunity to reflect on topics that directly relate to my career, business, and life.

In the conversation with my teammates, Sami started sharing details of his time going on trial with multiple teams and playing in different countries around the world. This made me think about how there is so much change from season to season in professional football. Playing for Monterey Bay has been my first experience moving to a different environment as a pro. I had to meet 40-50 new people in the club, get acclimated to a new city, and focus on performing on the field. Imagine having to go through this process every season. Many players only sign one year deals, so that is a reality they have to face every offseason—If you think about it, its actually crazy!

You could be playing in LA one year and then have to move all the way across the country (or world) the next year at the drop of a hat. You probably would have just started to truly get close to your previous teammates after 10 months together and then you say bye, pack your bags, and only stay in touch with one or two of them once you leave. Now repeat that every football season. Things move so fast but we get exposed to so many types of people and experiences which is what we will remember more than the football. 

Another topic of the conversation with the guys was that we have very little control over our futures as athletes. So much can happen that we could never foresee like injuries, coaches getting fired, terrible team environments, etc. I’ve always thought that if you have the talent, the work rate, and the right attitude then it means you should get rewarded. Or at least see some type of movement after a while. Shouldn’t that be the case? That is almost the law in every other profession, just not this one. Sometimes I feel like football doesn’t follow any sort of logic. I guess that is why its a good teacher when it comes to life, but anyways… 

Take the gym for instance. If we follow a workout plan meant to help us lift heavier, gain muscle, lose fat, etc., we will see the expected results after a specific amount of time if we stick to the regimen. Football and life aren’t really like that. They work at their own tempo and move on their own frequencies which are often unreadable to us. I think that this can be really frustrating for us as athletes because we can have ambitions to be the best, have aspirations to reach a certain level by a certain age, and other time-specific career goals, but have no control over what actually happens. While irritating, not knowing the future and holding zero control over results is where the beauty lies. It is humbling and it puts us in positions to grow, build relationships, and create memories that we would not have had otherwise. 

I am not saying for us to just call it quits and stop doing the right things because we don’t have complete control of our futures. I am actually saying the opposite. If we stick to our values and who we are, then football, life, or whatever path we’re on will eventually reward us with something better than we could ever have imagined. It might not be when or what we expected, but it will appear when we need it. 

We Move,