Dear Michelle: What do you think will happen tomorrow night when some of those players who played college football get drafted by the National Football League? Is there a downside to being in the limelight? Would you want to date someone famous? Why or why not? – Just Curious
Dear JC – Tomorrow night may of those who have played football for much of their young lives will be greeted by the ‘NFL Commish’ and welcomed into the National Football League. With that lives will be changed forever. Not just the lives of the players, but also the lives of those who are closet to them are likely to be affected. Is it all its cracked up to be? It, being the limelight and the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
While much of the attention will be on the players and the teams, inside the personal lives of the soon-to-be stars, are those who are closest to them, being their wives and girlfriends. What’s it like to be the partner of someone who goes from relatively no national attention, to being whisked away and for some, having their pick of women who are pretty much waiting on them in ever city they play?
WAGS are an acronym used to refer to wives and girlfriends of those soon to be high profile NFL stars. Many times professional athletes end up marrying someone who is famous, but what’s it like to be the high school girlfriend who stood by all those years, only to watch their boyfriend move up and possibly be left behind if not now, maybe sooner than later?
Tomorrow night many former college football players will be surrounded by family and friends, others will be in Chicago in attendance at the NFL Draft, hoping their name gets called. For some the night might be long, and if their name is not called early on, these players may find themselves pacing, checking their phone, making sure it works, and then playing the waiting game. For the significant others, there is bound to be elation when they hear their boyfriend’s name called, but there might also be fear. The fear of change, of losing the boy and hoping the man will be with them for the long haul.
In my personal life, I’ve only had been out with a professional athlete once, and during the time we spoke he shared that his fame was sort of like a curse because he longed for the ‘good old days’ when he was just a regular guy and knew that people loved him for him and not the way he played baseball. Of course, there’s little doubt that many would welcome switching shoes. I, honestly, never dated anyone who ever played football. So I could only imagine what it would be like to be sitting during the NFL Draft wanting so much for my guy’s success, but knowing that his entrance into the NFL could be detrimental to our relationship. There are going to be parties, long road trips, and all those ladies showing up along the way. I have a feeling that some guys stay pretty grounded and actually like being around the people who knew them when, and maybe there’s something special to being the girl who was there during the struggle. On the other hand, it’s not that players will necessarily be tarnished by fame and fortune. Maybe some find true love later on in life, and their NFL careers have little to do with their love life. Although, chances are it’s more than probable it does.
For some, life many change and those ladies who lose their significant partners might end up hearing the stories of how their guy ended up married to some super model who walks the runway, but for others like Mario Manningham’s high school girlfriend that waiting game will end with and engagement after their guy registers one of those game changing catches that makes NFL history.