12 Things Everyday People Do That Athletes Can't
There are a lot of things star athletes can do that everyday people (i.e. non-celebrities) cannot. Execute a 360 dunk, run a 4.5 40-yard dash, buy a Ferrari for a bro—you get the picture.
High-profile athletes, including professional or big-time college players, often lead a different lifestyle in many ways. Their lives are in the spotlight, they are highly scrutinized, and they definitely can't miss their alarm clock.
Here are 12 things you, the Average Joe, can probably do pretty easily that athletes cannot. Keep in mind that many of the following sentiments are generalizations, but it's all in good fun.
Oversleep
1 of 12
How many times have you accidentally set an alarm clock for p.m. instead of a.m.? Maybe you were late to work or got a scolding from your boss, but it likely wasn't a huge deal.
It was a big deal for Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals when he missed some practice time. The left wing said he set his alarm clock for 8:30 p.m. instead of a.m., and he had to sit out a game for it.
Coach Barry Trotz said, "It was an honest mistake. But we have certain accountability rules, and everyone's accountable in that room," per the Associated Press, via USA Today.
Miss a Meeting
2 of 12
If you missed a meeting at work and provided dubious explanations, what would happen? It would probably depend on whether this was a pattern, but let's assume it wasn't. You'd get a stern talking-to? A slap on the wrist? Most likely, you wouldn't have to apologize on television.
New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey missed a mandatory workout leading up to the National League Division Series. He essentially got the sports version of a slap on the wrist, which meant he still got to play but he also had to pay a fine. And, unlike that time you accidentally missed the morning conference call, he had to explain himself at a press conference.
Delete a Tweet in Time
3 of 12
Most folks don't have the thousands or even millions of followers that big-time athletes and celebrities have on social media. Because of that visibility, and because everyone seems to care a great deal about their posts, athletes can ill-afford to post anything they'll regret.
Someone will grab a screenshot of that so fast.
Exhibit A: Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham tweeted to former teammate and recently traded defensive end Akiem Hicks a note of congratulations for getting out of New Orleans. He deleted it, but alas, the screenshot lives on.
It was the same story for Joe Gomez, a Liverpool player who posted a celebratory tweet when Manchester United's Wayne Rooney became England's leading goalscorer. Geez, he was just trying to be nice.
Poor Russell Wilson didn't even try to delete his post. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback tweeted "1-0" prior to the season opener against the St. Louis Rams. His team lost, and unfortunately Wilson never got around to deleting the tweet. Cue the mockery.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Get Dressed Free of Contractual Obligations
4 of 12
If you prefer Nike shoes, chances are you're allowed to wear Nike shoes in your free time. Not only do athletes have uniform restrictions (not unlike a lot of professions), but many also have limitations on their personal wardrobes.
Take the recent James Harden/Nike/Adidas hoopla, for instance. The Houston Rockets guard was bound to a Nike contract until recently and, as such, wore a lot of Nike shoes. In August, he signed a $200 million deal with Adidas.
Harden was spotted sporting Air Jordans after inking the Adidas contract, which caused a big stir. Turns out, the Adidas deal went into effect on October 1, at which point, Harden said goodbye to his Jordans (and hello to a truck full of Adidas kicks).
Granted, Harden is getting $200 million and a whole mess of shoes, so it's not like anyone feels bad for the guy. Still, most people aren't operating under such strict footwear restrictions (because most people aren't coveted brand endorsers).
Accessorize Freely
5 of 12
Even if you have a dress code at work, you're probably allowed to wear a wristband of your choice, right? Not in the NFL.
NFL players wear pink accessories each October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, who lost his mother to breast cancer, expressed an interest in wearing pink all season. Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the NFL denied Williams' request, citing the league's uniform policy.
Similarly, Williams' teammate, defensive end Cameron Heyward, was told he couldn't wear personalized eye black during games.
Keep Their Manhood off Television
6 of 12
It's probably safe to say most people don't have an issue with television networks accidentally broadcasting NSFW images of them to the world.
With athletes, it happens. During the NBA Finals, LeBron James took a moment to adjust his uniform, and ABC accidentally aired what turned out to be an exposed James to the world.
After the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 NFL action, the NFL Network inadvertently broadcast images of nude Bengals players in the locker room. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, NFL Players Association president and Bengals offensive tackle Eric Winston said:
"Listen, I understand the media's got a job to do, but there's some common ground that we can find right now. This is something that has been bubbling up for some guys over the years. Unfortunately that kind of came to a head in Buffalo with the poor camera angle, and then to top it off, actually using the footage which shouldn't have been used.
"
Take a Sick Day
7 of 12
Of course, athletes can take an actual sick day, but man, they have to be really sick. None of this "I woke up with the sniffles" business.
In probably the most famous instance of an athlete playing sick, Michael Jordan fought through a bout with the flu during an NBA Finals game in 1997 (and crushed it, scoring 38 points).
More recently, Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was hospitalized with a bacterial infection just two days before starting, and winning, a game at Houston.
Teammate T.Y. Hilton said, per Steve Andress of Colts.com: "He was very sick, in and out of meetings. He didn't practice with us at all. We knew he was a guy we could count on...He came straight from the hospital and gave us his all today."
Keep to Themselves
8 of 12
If you're coming off a rough day at work or just don't feel like talking, chances are no one is going to make you. Or, at least no one is going to make you talk to the media about it.
But they will make you in sports. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was fined $100,000 in 2014 for refusing to speak to the media, a duty he is bound by NFL policy to perform. LeBron James was fined $25,000 for skipping a postgame press conference in 2009.
More recently, Venus Williams refused to attend a mandatory presser after her defeat in the French Open in May. She was fined $3,000.
Have a Private Life
9 of 12
Sticking with this theme of being unable to exist in anonymity, star athletes generally can't keep their personal lives private. Sometimes, that is a result of their own doing by posting pictures to social media and whatnot, but other times, it's not.
During Deflategate, divorce rumors surfaced surrounding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele, according to WEEI.com (h/t People). If the Seattle Seahawks lose a game, fans are quick to blame quarterback Russell Wilson's girlfriend Ciara. Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes had his private family business broadcast all over the Interwebs recently—business that included his two young sons.
Hello fame, goodbye privacy. That's just the way things go.
Skip Leg Day
10 of 12
Athletes can't skip leg day or upper-body day or whatever day in the gym is crucial to the maintenance of their physical fitness. They must remain in peak physical form throughout the season and pretty much year-round.
A quick note: Fitness is a part of many jobs—military, law enforcement, personal training, etc. This is not meant to take anything away from those professions but rather point out it's simply not the norm for everyone.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is famous for his work ethic in the gym. Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson trained with Bryant while still in college at Arizona and told Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News those days were "the hardest workouts of my life."
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt told Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com he spends so much time working out it's tough to consume all the calories his body needs for fuel. Watt said, "It's literally, if I'm not working out, I eat the whole time I'm not working out. It's exhausting."
Have an Opinion
11 of 12
For most people—right or wrong, good or bad—opinions expressed in public don't actually blow up. With athletes, however, their opinions become news.
Take political views, for instance. Speaking to the media September, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appeared to endorse Donald Trump for president, saying "That would be great."
He later clarified on Boston radio station WEEI (h/t Jeremy Diamond of CNN) that it wasn't an actual endorsement: "I think that it's just a different world than when I started in professional football. Even an offhanded comment like that...that people may run with."
Speaking of Brady, in January (way before Deflategate really blew up), Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman stated he didn't believe the New England Patriots would be punished fairly due to a friendship between owner Robert Kraft and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reported Sherman's coach, Pete Carroll, said: "Richard has an outlook that Richard owns. And he had opinion about something. I don't think he knows the commissioner and Mr. Kraft very well, I don't think they have a long-standing relationship. But he has an opinion and he expressed it."
Make a Mistake
12 of 12
More than anything else, athletes can't make mistakes. That is to say, they can't make mistakes without a firestorm of scrutiny crashing down upon them within seconds.
Because their jobs are based on physical performance, and because their jobs are so highly visible, the microscope on every tiny misstep is inevitable.
Just ask Blake O'Neill, the University of Michigan punter who received death threats after a bobbled snap cost his team a big game against Michigan State. (For the record, O'Neill handled the backlash beautifully.)
Or talk to the Indianapolis Colts about the failed attempt at a fake punt—a scene so confusing it led to endless mockery, especially after the Colts lost the game.
Even the great Michael Jordan missed big shots. Even Mariano Rivera blew saves. Athletes are only human.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
