You may not believe this, but the most frequently asked post-football-career question I receive is this:
"What the heck happens to some of you guys?"
I think the question refers to where do we go next? Or how do we find second careers? But it inevitably leads to the next question: "Why do most ex- football players seem to get so fat?"
This one I'll take a stab at, as I feel I must defend my fellow comrades. We don't all get fat, some of just look like we do.
I could get technical and explain in elaborate detail, but the reality is that muscle shrinks when it is not in a constant state of building up and tearing down. (Just ask Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle) Because muscle shrinks faster than the skin that once enclosed it, one may have what appears to be fat but in reality is soft muscle and loose skin.
Now to explain why some players do become fat. First, their motivation to work is not the same anymore. Picture this: You have spent all your time working out and now that your career is over, you just don't have the same desire or interest in pushing yourself to do it any more. You have already achieved your goals and now you just want to rest. You also may not have the time.
It is a lot easier to workout when it is part of your job but once you stop playing, you move on to other things and like most people, you have to set priorities. Lifting weights may no longer be on the top of your list. Injuries also prevent you from working with the same intensity or frequency. Some guys make it a point to
lose weight because they have worked all their lives to gain weight to keep up a certain size and can't wait to not feel as heavy anymore. (See: Offensive Linemen.)
Another factor - and this is where the business knowledge comes in- is that people are creatures of habit.
Although circumstances change around us we often try to do the same things that we have always done and expect the same results. While playing football, I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted, and how much I wanted and still have a hard time putting on weight. I was the envy of all the women in my life. But the math was simpler then: I burned off tons of calories during practice and games. When you are no longer playing, your habit tells you that you can eat the same way and nothing will happen. But reality doesn't follow suit.
We live in a world today where a lot has changed. The economy is now global, the financial market is different and we will soon have a new president; yet, we continue to want to live the same way and eat the same 'foods.' At the end of the day it comes down to fundamentals. If we continue to take in without adjusting to burn it off, we will get fat and out of shape.