Single-minded determination can be what scores the winning points of a game, but Alaric Jackson’s advice for young athletes is to be open to growth outside of sports if they want to win the game of life.
It can be tempting for young athletes to treat sports, or a single sport, as an entire life plan. But athletes who end up thriving, on the field and off, tend to be those who build something alongside their sport.
Alaric Jackson is an example of what that looks like in practice. The Los Angeles Rams left tackle went undrafted out of Iowa in 2021, made the roster anyway and won a Super Bowl ring in his first season. Since then, he’s returned to school for a leadership degree, invested in AI and technology and earned the Ed Block Courage Award for the way he handled a serious health setback with blood clots. He’s also spent years volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club, working directly with the kind of young athletes this advice is meant for.
Growth Beyond Sports Improves Performance in Sports
Becoming an expert in anything and striving to be the absolute best in your field can come with a lot of success and rewards. But high specialization also comes with disadvantages, some of which play out on the field for athletes who never focus on growth outside of their field.
According to a study published in HSS Journal, youth athletes who specialize in a single sport are more likely to experience fatigue, poor mood and soreness than those who enjoy multiple sports. Other research suggests that early specialization leads to:
- Higher burnout rates, especially for the youngest athletes
- A 27% to 36% higher likelihood of injury on the field
- Issues with physical development
Jackson notes that seeking other growth opportunities doesn’t just reduce these risks; it can help improve performance in a chosen sport when you return to the field. He uses the example of yoga and mindfulness, which he said contribute to on-field performance. He says it helps him read a defensive front and react in fractions of a second. He also credits reduced stress and anxiety and better sleep that come from yoga with more longevity on the field.
Playing Sports Isn’t a Forever Situation
Sports shouldn’t be the only goal in a young person’s life, because even for those who make it to the pros, it’s not a forever situation. According to one source, the average NFL career lasts about four years.
Career span averages vary depending on the sport and situation. For example, in football:
- Players who make NFL opening day rosters as rookies average 6 years
- First-round draft picks average 9.3 years
- Running backs average around 2.5 years
- Kickers average closer to 5 years
Another study looked at career lengths for professional athletes across several sports, finding a mean career length of:
- 8.2 years in the NBA
- 5.5 years in the NFL
- 7.8 years in the NHL
- 7.3 years in the MLB
While the numbers vary depending on a variety of factors, one thing holds true: no one plays professional sports their entire adult life. Jackson also points out that injury and other unplanned events can shorten a sports career. He’s had his own run-in with physical health issues in the form of blood clots, saying, “There’s only so much you can control. What you can control is how prepared you are when they tell you it’s time.”
For younger athletes, part of that preparation is growing outside of a sport so there’s something to fall back on when the sport is over.
Not Everyone Ends Up Going Pro
Only around 6.5 percent of high school football players go on to college, and less than 1% of high school footballers play in the NFL. For most young athletes, sports will end at some level below “professional,” whether that’s after high school, after college, or somewhere in between.
That doesn’t make the years spent on fields and courts wasted, but it does mean that growth happening alongside sports, whether in a classroom, at a part-time job or through a hobby, often matters as much or more than the sport itself.
Jackson, who went undrafted out of Iowa before making the Rams’ roster, has said that returning to school for a leadership degree is part of preparing for life after football, regardless of how long that football career lasts.
Focusing Too Much on Sports Can Be Bad for Mental Health
Sports can build confidence and community for younger athletes, but too much focus on winning and performance can tip the scales in the other direction. Research shows that the risks increase the more seriously an athlete competes:
- Up to 34% of elite athletes experience symptoms of anxiety or depression.
- As many as 70% of young athletes quit organized sports by age 13, often due to pressure to specialize and win.
- In one study of elite swimmers, depression rates roughly doubled among the top 25% of performers.
- Athletes who build their identity primarily around sports tend to struggle more when that sport ends.
Sports aren’t inherently harmful, but an identity built exclusively around performance carries psychological risk. Jackson, who has practiced yoga since college, has spoken about the mental benefits of a life that extends beyond the field.
Financial and Business Acumen Is Important for Professional Athletes
A big contract doesn’t guarantee lasting financial security, and the numbers often play out otherwise:
- A National Bureau of Economic Research study found that 15.7% of NFL players, roughly one in six, file for bankruptcy within 12 years of retirement.
- Bankruptcy filings climb steadily throughout the first decade-plus after a player’s career ends.
- The average NFL career lasts four to six years, leaving most players with decades of financial life to navigate after their paychecks stop.
Given how short a playing career can be relative to a lifetime, treating the business side of life, such as budgeting, investing and planning for what comes next, as seriously as training is important. Jackson has taken this approach himself, returning to school for a leadership degree and investing in AI and technology to prepare for life after football. That kind of forward planning, started early, gives young athletes a foundation that doesn’t depend on how long a sports career lasts.