Living from training to training?
I remember a conversation at a football stadium. The guy next to me was looking at his tablet, sweaty after training, saying: "Saturday two sessions, Sunday game, Monday skipping school again." He was proud. And I asked him: "Do you do anything besides sports?"
He looked at me like I'd asked him to quit playing. "What do you mean?" I explained. You live from training to training. Nothing but sports. No other thoughts. No other interests. No plan.
And I said: "You know there'll come a moment when sports won't be number one, right?" Silence. Then: "Well... I'll figure something out." That exact moment motivated me to write this article.
Why "I'll figure something out" isn't enough
A lot of athletes say this. And they mean it honestly. But what actually happens? That moment comes -- an injury, career end, change of circumstances -- and suddenly you don't know where to go. You start scrambling. Quickly looking for what's next. Taking the first thing that comes along, even if it doesn't excite you at all.
It's not that you're lazy or stupid. It's that you never thought in any other terms besides sports. And that's a problem.
Athletes who start thinking about their interests and strengths during their career handle the transition to the next chapter significantly better. Not because they're smarter -- but because they have a head start.
I'm not saying you should put sports on the back burner. I'm saying you should start building self-awareness alongside sports. Who you are. What you enjoy. What you're good at.
3 questions most athletes never ask
Try answering them now. Don't put them off, don't wait for a "better time." Sit down after training, grab a bottle of water, and think.
What do you enjoy off the field?
Not what might interest you. What actually interests you. Right now. Is it working with people? Technology? Business? Creative stuff? Maybe you enjoy photography. Maybe watching how companies work. Maybe you like talking and explaining things to others.
This isn't a pointless question. These interests are your capital. You just don't know it because you've never considered them "important."
What are you actually good at -- beyond sports?
Sports taught you more than you think. Discipline, ability to perform under pressure, teamwork, handling defeat. These are things companies pay good money for. But you need to be able to name and present them. Right now they're hidden under your jersey.
Think about it: can you motivate others? Can you improvise when plans change? Are you the one teammates rely on? These aren't sports abilities -- these are life abilities.
How could you leverage sports one day?
Plenty of careers are built on a sports background. Coach, sports agent, physiotherapist, analyst, marketer at a sports company, content creator. Or someone who understands sports and can apply it in another field -- people management, performance coaching, education.
Your sport isn't just a hobby. It's a foundation you can build on.
Thanks to sports, you have a foundation that can be leveraged in dozens of fields. But only if you start thinking about it now -- not when you have to.
This isn't turning away from sports
I get it if a thought is running through your head right now: "But I want to be a professional athlete. I don't have time for anything else." I understand. And I'm not saying you should stop training or lower your ambitions.
I'm saying once in a while, lift your head from training and look around a bit. One hour a week is enough. A business podcast on the way to practice. A conversation with someone doing work that interests you. Reading one article about an industry that appeals to you.
This won't take you away from sports. On the contrary -- athletes who have a broader awareness of the world beyond the field are mentally stronger. They know sports aren't the only thing that defines them. And paradoxically, that reduces pressure. Less stress, more ease, better performance.
Where to actually start
You don't need a clear plan right away. Just start with small steps and watch what draws you in.
- Write down three things you enjoy outside of sports. Anything. Even if it sounds "weird" or "random." Gaming, cooking, watching business documentaries. Everything counts.
- Ask people around you what they think you're good at. Friends, teammates, parents. The outside perspective is often surprising.
- Follow one person who inspires you outside of sports. An entrepreneur, creator, sports agent -- anyone. Read or listen to how they think.
- Spend 30 minutes every week thinking about yourself. Not about your performance on the field. About yourself as a person. What you want. What draws you in. Where you see yourself in five years -- even if sports weren't in the picture.
These four steps cost nothing. They require no extra time or money. But in a year, you'll know more about yourself than most athletes your age.
Starting to think about yourself beyond sports isn't weakness. It's one of the smartest moves you can make during your career.
One real example
I know a player who started paying attention to what he enjoyed most about sports during his career. He discovered he was fascinated by tactics and game analysis -- not so much the physical performance itself. He started watching how coaches work with data. Read about sports analytics. Then took an online course. Today he works as a performance analyst at a professional club. It didn't happen by accident. It happened because he started thinking about it early -- not after he was done.
This isn't an exception. It's a pattern that repeats among people who don't get lost after their sports career.
So what now?
If this article feels familiar -- if you're that guy with the tablet living training to training -- that's not criticism. It's a challenge.
Start thinking about yourself a bit more. Not instead of sports. Alongside sports. Just start with that first question: what do I actually enjoy?
The answer might surprise you. And that's the point.
If you want to know more about how to specifically leverage sports while building a career, read How Athletes Build a Personal Brand That Works Beyond the Field.