The life of a professional athlete is something that many of us aspire to. After all, the rewards are rich (pun intended). Sportspeople get paid large sums of money, they travel the world and enjoy the best things in life. Who wouldn’t want that?
What most people don’t seem to understand is that there’s a price to pay to become a professional athlete; it means huge sacrifices for the athlete and for their family. These are the things you’d have to give up if you want to have a shot at the dream:
Time, Money And Effort
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The best things in life may be free, but a professional athlete’s career surely isn’t. It costs money to get the sporting equipment, it costs money to get coaching and support and it costs money to travel for your sport.
You’re also going to have to give up a lot of your time. Athletes, even gifted amateurs, are up before dawn in most cases and working out. Fun after school is out, there’s more practice. Weekends too find themselves in the grip of the sport.
Then there’s the hard work and effort that’s needed. You don’t get better by sleeping on the field.
A Life Of Constant Rejection
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If you hate being told no or being rejected leaves you in floods of tears, then you’re probably going to find it beyond the realms of possibility to break into the professional athletic elite.
Young players and athletes are constantly turned down by clubs and regularly criticized by coaches, team members, fans, parents, etc. A tough skin that can weather a barrage of complaints is an essential component of a pro athlete’s success. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure.
Your Physical Health Comes Second To Your Career
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You’d think that physical health would be awesome for top sports stars, wouldn’t you? After all, they’ll be focusing on their diet and exercise program constantly; when you have fitness and your ideal weight, what could go wrong?
Unfortunately, a whole lot can go wrong. It’s not the condition of athletes that’s the problem, it’s the amount of injury that they are subject to in a career. Some athletes are lucky enough to go a whole life without any serious accidents, but more often than not a sportsperson may lose a year or years or their entire career in a single moment of sporting mishap.
A Lifestyle Of Constant Movement And Insecurity
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While a tiny number of select sports stars play for the same club or team for their whole lives, the vast majority of professionals aren’t so lucky.
They have to move constantly to meet the demands of their career and that’s a toll that their families have to pay too. For some people, that’s an awesome experience, but for others it’s a nightmare. You have to know what kind of person you are before you commit to the rigorous journey to become a pro athlete.
