by Jessica Zimmer
An excellent athlete is usually part of a great team: their own. Athletes combat stress and unfamiliar situations by surrounding themselves with helpful, knowledgeable, and creative people. These people range from coaches to fellow athletes, managers to family members, financial advisers to psychologists. An athlete’s team forms a tight network around him. They protect him from disastrous personal relationships, spiraling credit card debt, and unfriendly media attention. Athletes and advisers agree one of the first jumps in sports, from college to pro, can be the hardest.
Hampton Tignor, a recent draft for the Anaheim Angels, was formerly a catcher on the University of Florida baseball team. Tignor says there is a big difference between the structure of college and professional baseball.
“In college, we had a whole team of staffers making sure we got good grades, ate right, and trained right. In pro ball, we have an athletic trainer and we have a strength coach. It’s up to the individual (player) to do the right things,” said Tignor.
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Pam Provo, executive vice president of business development of Athlete Advisory Services, works with clients who play on a variety of professional teams. These include the National Football League, the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball League, and European basketball leagues. Provo says many new athletes trust the wrong people. “(It’s because) they’re on top of the world. They feel invincible,” she said.
Chris Henry, director of player development for the National Football League, agrees. “(Joining a professional team) adds a great deal of pressure. Are you going to say you’re stressed out because you signed a $50 million contract? You’re going to act happy,” said Henry.
Provo says she assists new players by teaching them how to read the Wall Street Journal, explaining the concept of interest, and defining what is bad about having debt. Even with self-education, many players hire personal financial advisors when they go professional. Teams typically do not provide or refer financial advisors to a player unless that athlete is on an extreme downward spiral. Some leagues, such as the National Football League, has player’s associations with a financial education program for athletes and an official training program for financial advisors.
Although athletes typically get bigger salaries as they grow as players, the problem of managing money does not get easier over time. Experienced athletes typically continue to have difficulties tending to their finances. “That’s why we created a (financial planning) program called GAP, an acronym that stands for ‘grow and protect,’” said Provo.
Provo says the term also refers to the gap of time, usually 20 years, between a player’s financial career and the point where they can access their retirement funds. Provo improves her planning program by taking suggestions from her firm’s professional athlete’s advisory board. The board includes current and former players.
Henry also believes athletes can help each other. He says the annual NFL rookie symposium contains a lot of advice from “players, not trainers or doctors.” “We have breakout groups (in which) players talk about things (they’ve) already experienced,” said Henry. “Players learn from each other and solve problems constructively. We try and mix it up to send an overall message. How do you deal with success? How do you deal with injury?”
Henry says the symposium covers almost everything: Twittering during the game, bad investments, friends and family who ask for money, and drug and alcohol abuse. “We do not advise players. Our job is to educate players so they can make the best decision for themselves,” he said.
Paul Chandler, a coordinator of strength and conditioning who works with the University of Florida baseball and football teams, shares this philosophy. He believes a coach or teammate should help an athlete help themselves. “Learning how to overcome (mental obstacles) in a proper way is a huge skill to learn,” said Chandler.
Chandler remembers when he trained football players at the University of West Virginia. He says a number of offensive linemen dealt with serious issues. “Some had a grandparent who got cancer. Helping them deal with that process (involved) just being there, listening to them, and helping them work through that.”
Chandler says large teams can benefit players facing such traumatic events. “On a football team, you’ve got 104 to 105 other guys. Someone’s got to have gone through the same thing. That’s really comforting.”
Provo says when professionals are necessary when an athlete’s circumstances are outside the norm. “(Professional athletes) get pitched all the time, for all of these businesses,” she said. “It happened to one player as he was leaving church. He went to a funeral for his grandmother. She was 90 years old. No one really knew her (but so many people showed up). As he was leaving, people were running after him with scripts, business plans.”
Provo says her team of advisers provides athletes with the skills to deal with such situations. “We have a director of communications who specifically coaches them (the athletes) on their on-camera presence and their off-camera presence. We have a relationship expert, Skip Lockwood, who is in his 60s. He’s able to introduce a topic (players might be having trouble with), read between the lines, and see what’s going on.”
Provo says her firm provides athletes with help as soon as they become clients. “They travel so much that they don’t have resources (on hand),” said Provo.
Henry says in dire situations, such as if players violate a policy, the league or their team forces them to get help. Typically players are remanded to a professional counselor. “(For example), if they get arrested for DUI, they’ll be evaluated. The evaluator makes a determination. The player may be referred to counseling with a substance abuse expert and undergo periodic testing.”
Henry said players who violate team and league policies can also face suspension, sanctions, or being kicked off the team. Tignor says despite all the difficulties, he finds value in the personal relationships he makes through being part of a team. This belief helps him deal with a constantly changing roster and a new system of playing the game.
“I have a very variable schedule. I am in Orem, Utah right now playing for the short season A-ball team. My family is in Florida. There’s the constant stress of performing well on the field. There’s always a group of new guys coming after you, pushing for your spot and your money,” said Tignor. “The best thing about playing sports is the relationship that you form with the people. There’s something about sacrifice and sweating with the teammates to form lasting bonds.”
