Pro Pressure

[mtlstreitfan]

Wasn't sure what section to post this in - so it goes here for now.

I was reading an article on Yahoo sports about the pressures (and mental health issues) in the NFL and it got me thinking about how we - as fans - treat the players in open, online forums; slagging players for poor performances, accusing players of not caring and just wanting their pay check, booing players at home games etc etc. There was one particular section that really made me want to post here:

Many outside observers like to think players’ financial compensation makes up for all the pressures they endure. Sometimes, however, a lot of money for someone in their 20s has just the opposite effect. It adds to already enormous pressure. ... “Teams spend millions of dollars every year looking for somebody who is better than you. Could you imagine going to work like that every day, thinking that somebody you worked with was doing nothing but trying to replace you?”

so when we accuse a player of not culturally understanding the importance of 'our' game; or only playing well when they 'want' to - take a minute and think about the things the player has to deal with - while playing in the NHL surely is every hockey-playing boy's dream, I don't think the pressures that come with it are ever fantasized about.

Take a minute or two and read the article - it is worth it...