Countless documentaries and features have showcased the undeniable team spirit athletes have. Of course it is not always “Kumbaya” circles and sprinkles, obvious by reports of locker room betrayals, bullying and full-fledged brawls on the field.
However, for the most part, stories of team sacrifice such as that of the Cinncinati Bengals, who re-signed defensive tackle, Devon Still, enabling him to afford treatment for his 4-year-old’s pediatric cancer, warm our hearts and show us what it is like to belong to a team. But what happens when the “what’s-mine-is-yours” mentality turns into the “what’s-yours-is-mine” and teams begin to control parts of players’ lives?
Every amateur athlete dreams of becoming a professional in his or her sport, to sign on the dotted line and be welcomed to the team, play their heart out and spend their bulging controversial paychecks. All is well until the athlete decides to add some spice to his life and go shark cage diving off the coast of South Africa or volcano boarding in Nicaragua, and a clause in his contract slaps him with a penalty.
Each team has its own rules and contracts vary so a complete list of activities that athletes are prohibited from doing probably doesn’t exist. Fortunately, Real Madrid’s history of penalties can give us an idea. In the last year, goalkeeper Iker Casillas was fined for riding a scooter with his wife. Midfielder Asier Illarramendi was forced to apologize for dressing like Batman and running with bulls in Spain, and most recently, their striker Karim Benzema faces disciplinary action for skydiving in Dubai during New Year’s.
Sports teams want to protect their investments, which is understandable, but how far is too far? Anyone who views news broadcasts on a regular basis or who has seen any of the “Final Destination” movies knows that even casually strolling on a sidewalk could potentially end your life. Should athletes also be forced to quit smoking when entering a league in fear of developing lung cancer? Should they run to the nearest pharmacy or doctor’s office every flu season, too? God forbid — what if an athlete were to sneeze or blink while driving on the highway?
Let’s be real: dangers lurk behind every closed door. Athletes should not have to live in constant fear for their lives. How can we expect athletes to perform on the field, risking their health and even their lives but restrict them from letting loose and enjoying themselves off the field? Most people put in their hours at work, clock out on Friday and give no thought to their job until Monday morning. Most employees don’t have to check the clauses in their contracts before packing for a vacation or booking tours. Athletes are employees too and deserve the same freedom.
There’s a difference between advising someone and limiting what they could do with their lives. Athletes are already being restricted with limitations imposed upon them, such as which headphones they can flaunt in public and which products they are allowed to endorse. It is unfathomable to think that what they are allowed to do in their free time is also up for grabs. Athletes are then reduced to pawns in a game; unfortunate individuals who signed their lives away as if it were a plank of wood.
Athletes are humans just like you and me who want to have fun while they still can. Let them eat cake, bungee jump or ski if they want. If athletes weren’t thrill seekers and adrenaline lovers, they wouldn’t be in the game in the first place. Sports teams can’t have their pie and eat it too.
Michaela is a sophomore communication studies and art major.
