Work, Sports, and Being on the Team

Last Monday, New York Giants defensive great Michael Strahan announced his retirement from football after an illustrious fourteen year career. Driving to work on Tuesday and while listening to the morning sports talk radio, another former New York Giant spoke about the difficulty of retiring and what Strahan would most likely feel in the upcoming months. Just to preface though it is of only minor importance, Strahan retired after winning the Super Bowl and while still very physically capable of playing. Thus he left the game not because his body could no longer hold up, but rather because he wanted to leave on top.

This former New York Giant that was on the radio said that the most difficult part of retiring from the game, especially when still physically able to play, was leaving the feeling of team and the camaraderie amongst teammates. He said that Strahan may have days in the upcoming months where he will consider calling off the retirement to return to the team. He also went on to explain that while the public views football as just sport, to the athlete playing the game, it truly is a job that one commits to and forms a ritual around. Granted, I think this only slightly valid as even the most hardworking players still get about three-four months off a year not to mention the league minimum salary of 285,000. (for a rookie, it goes up based on experience.) The point he was making however is that to the retiring player it is difficult to leave that sense of team and the daily routine of meetings, workouts, film study, and preparation. Once outside of the game, a player can find himself lacking the structure that was once a defining part of their daily life and miss the team that was like a band of brothers.

After hearing this and while on my way to work it made me wonder about how I view my own job and fellow co-workers. Though distinctly different, I'm not sure if I see work as this great team that I am part of. (And I try to think back to my previous employer as well, as it can be argued that it is unfair to make that assessment after only three weeks at the new job.) I don't know if I long for the daily rituals and I wonder if most people feel like this too. Do we work because it is our love and our passion? I'm sure some do, maybe even a decent percentage, but I doubt the majority. Do we work because we are told to and it is socially ingrained into us? Or do we work solely for financial reasons? The former player mentioned how some football retireries, have the urge to come back to the game and play again. These are players that are making millions of dollars, who never have to worry about money ever again, and they still want to go back to work.

If I was super rich, I'm not sure if I would have this extreme urge to go back to work. Maybe in my current state of career as there is a lot more I would like to accomplish, but again I'm not sure if the majority of people would feel this way.

During my three months of job searching, I did feel a lack of structure and missed being around people, but I wonder if that was because I often remained in the apartment due to a lack of funds. In addition my missing of company had a great deal to do with Mel still being on the East Coast. If Mel was here and if I had no worries about money, would I really want to jump back into work or would I enjoy my time and do what ever leisure activities I desired? Like I said before, I most likely would want to achieve something more with my career. But I've only been working for four years and I'm already wondering this. Double that amount and I'm still six years shy of the worked years by Mr. Strahan. Now take the full fourteen years and I'm healthy, still young at 36 and in a place where I have achieved something with my career. Would I really feel myself screaming to go back to work and call off my retirement if I was wealthy enough? Would most people?

So, I guess in conclusion to this pondering and slightly whiny blog, I wonder how the majority of people view their jobs and career. Is it viewed as institution much like Mike Judge's Office Space or do we view our jobs as a team that we are part of, one in which we are bound by camaraderie, ritual, and structure. I would think that the majority of people would unfortunately feel like the former and that then brings up a even better question; how does society change the perception of work and employment so that in retirement instead of feeling freed from the shackles, we long to go back to those glory days and the teammates we once shared. Have a pleasant working week! Blog with you later.

-SMA-

Editor's Note: After some quick research, assuming NFL salaries don't increase (which of course they will) a fourteen year player on the league minimum will earn $8,815,000. Just think about that and wonder if you would really want to come back to work on Monday.