So what do you want to be when you grow up?
When is the last time you remember someone asking you what you wanted to be when you grew up? How many of you said that you wanted to be a famous athlete? How did that work out for you?
I thought of this while watching ESPN (like I do every day). We are coming up on the NFL draft, which over the years has become like the Oscars of sports for some reason. Anyway, before the draft, they have this thing called the NFL scouting combine. This is basically a meat market where overgrown young men wearing spandex go on a field to run, jump, throw and bench press a lot of weights. Then, for the most part, they are watched, quizzed, and analyzed by dorky, overweight, and balding white guys with stop watches and note pads, and judged on their abilities to take less then 400 possible job openings in the league.
The payoff, obviously, is huge. If you make a team, you are guaranteed to make 6 figures. And, thankfully for many of these young men, you don't need a degree or higher level of education to apply. All you need is the right mix of talent, luck, and determination.
The reason why I am bringing up this topic is because of the fact that there are approximately 1,696 players in the NFL. Now, where do most players come from? College...... Well, here is the thing....... There are over 14,000 players each year in the NCAA division 1 alone. Sooooooooo, what do all of the players who don't make it do for a living?
Let's get real here, we all know about the stories of recruiting. We know about the payoffs, rent payments and cars for family members, and god knows what kind of stuff goes on behind closed doors on a collage campus tour involving high school recruits and college girls. But the end result is this. At the end of the day, most of these kids will have spent most of their youth being told how great they are at a sport. They are passed along, given easy classes, passing grades, and in some cases, having tests taken for them. And where does this get them when they drop out of school early to enter the draft? What about when they basically get kicked out all together for inappropriate behaviors and crimes? Remember this people, these athletes are all not just a bunch of Leave it to Beavers out there who are sweet, generous, and loving. Some are straight up criminals, degenerates, and bums who were lucky enough to have the athletic ability to play a sport really well.
And what have we really taught these young me, and all other future young men out there growing up wanting to be the next Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush? Are we telling them that if they are good enough, they can do whatever they want, hurt whoever they want, and step over anyone they want?
What do any of them have to fall back on? What are we teaching these kids about 'alternative options'. And...........oh yeah........what about the fact that they are given an opportunity to get a full scholarship to a university of their choice. Well................God forbid we try and encourage these kids to come out with some kind of education first and foremost.
I thought of this while watching ESPN (like I do every day). We are coming up on the NFL draft, which over the years has become like the Oscars of sports for some reason. Anyway, before the draft, they have this thing called the NFL scouting combine. This is basically a meat market where overgrown young men wearing spandex go on a field to run, jump, throw and bench press a lot of weights. Then, for the most part, they are watched, quizzed, and analyzed by dorky, overweight, and balding white guys with stop watches and note pads, and judged on their abilities to take less then 400 possible job openings in the league.
The payoff, obviously, is huge. If you make a team, you are guaranteed to make 6 figures. And, thankfully for many of these young men, you don't need a degree or higher level of education to apply. All you need is the right mix of talent, luck, and determination.
The reason why I am bringing up this topic is because of the fact that there are approximately 1,696 players in the NFL. Now, where do most players come from? College...... Well, here is the thing....... There are over 14,000 players each year in the NCAA division 1 alone. Sooooooooo, what do all of the players who don't make it do for a living?
Let's get real here, we all know about the stories of recruiting. We know about the payoffs, rent payments and cars for family members, and god knows what kind of stuff goes on behind closed doors on a collage campus tour involving high school recruits and college girls. But the end result is this. At the end of the day, most of these kids will have spent most of their youth being told how great they are at a sport. They are passed along, given easy classes, passing grades, and in some cases, having tests taken for them. And where does this get them when they drop out of school early to enter the draft? What about when they basically get kicked out all together for inappropriate behaviors and crimes? Remember this people, these athletes are all not just a bunch of Leave it to Beavers out there who are sweet, generous, and loving. Some are straight up criminals, degenerates, and bums who were lucky enough to have the athletic ability to play a sport really well.
And what have we really taught these young me, and all other future young men out there growing up wanting to be the next Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush? Are we telling them that if they are good enough, they can do whatever they want, hurt whoever they want, and step over anyone they want?
What do any of them have to fall back on? What are we teaching these kids about 'alternative options'. And...........oh yeah........what about the fact that they are given an opportunity to get a full scholarship to a university of their choice. Well................God forbid we try and encourage these kids to come out with some kind of education first and foremost.
Use spell check you animal.
I love it...but you still watch that nonsense sports crap on TV. Nice observation about the bald fat white slobs standing with clipboards rating the players...it is modern day slave trade..i have told you guys this for years. Instead of checking for strong muscles and healthy gums and teeth, today they check a 40 yeard dash and push ups, and body mass and make sure no steroids...and the players can usually write..not just X their contracts. F-ing terrible.
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