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Is There Life
after Football? Surviving the NFL
by James A. Holstein, Richard S. Jones & George E. Koonce,
Jr.
c.2015, New York University Press
$27.95 / higher in Canada
321 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
Your favorite player was out for most of the season.
Last fall, he took a hit mid-pass and went down like a sack
of rocks. They checked him over, took him off the field, and
that was that. He hasn’t been back since.
Every now and then, someone mentions him and you wonder how
he’s doing, whether he’ll ever play again. In the new book
Is There Life after Football? by James A.
Holstein, Richard S. Jones & George E. Koonce, Jr.,
you’ll get a glimpse of a possible future.
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A helmet to the head, helmet to the chest, a cleat to the
leg and it’s big news: football is a brutal sport and we all
know its potential career-ending effects. But what happens
after the cheers go silent?
To understand, we have to understand the backstory, too.
Many little boys dream of playing football, of course, but
the truth is that relatively few actually make it. The
journey to the NFL starts with laser-focus on a dream,
incessant practice, high school, then college. By that
point, future NFLers have been convinced that they’re
“special;” college perks underscore that notion.
“Dreaming of a lucrative NFL career is a relatively
recent phenomenon,” say the authors. “In 1956, the minimum
NFL salary was reported as $5,000,” but the kind of money
that today’s young player gets is often more than he’s ever
seen in his life. The NFL promotes financial responsibility,
but a new hire often goes wild with new-found wealth; later,
he might go broke. Being in the NFL, say the authors, is
expensive.
When it’s over, that’s tough to take. Living without praise,
paychecks, and the social structure within the NFL is a
challenge - as is living with “a lifetime of hurt.” Almost
25 percent of all current former players claim game-related
brain injuries. Surgery is “routine.” Some injuries are the
result of a “suck it up” mentality: players are more likely
to shake off an injury than to seek treatment for it, until
it’s too late.
And those are just the physical ailments…
But the news isn’t all bad, and that’s the pleasant surprise
inside Is There Life after Football? Authors
Holstein, Jones, and Koonce, Jr. give their readers balance
– and if you’re first inclination is to forego sympathy due
to high salaries, you’ll get a dose of truth, too.
Using statistics you won’t see in the game, NFL history, and
personal stories, this book offers a litany of things that
should give fans pause: ruined lives for both players and
families, ruined health, and financial ruin. But before we
turn off the TV in dismay (just kidding!), we’re encouraged
to lift our jaws off the floor with tales of success and of
the men who’ve stepped off-field and into their own personal
second half.
This is a book fans should read before the next game – or
before they let their own son suit up. If you’ve ever
wondered “What ever happened to….?” then Is There Life
after Football? is a book you shouldn’t pass. |
