NFL Rookie Symposium

The NFL held their annual Rookie Symposium last week. It’s basically a 4 day prep course to grow college “student-athletes” into NFL players. Lectures, skits and discussion panels make up the majority of the symposium detailing various aspects of life in the NFL including media relations, social responsibility, drug and alcohol abuse, etc. The thing that caught my eye was the defensive coordinator that gave a lecture on financial responsibility.

It just seemed odd to me that an entity that makes money hand over fist didn’t spring to bring in a financial expert. One that makes their entire living on advising people and companies in all matters financial. Dave Ramsey comes to mind. It’s sort of ironic that the NFL made a poor financial decision concerning financial responsibility.

This symposium is the one time the League can gather their rookies to try to explain the world they’re going to be thrust into. It shouldn’t be all that surprising considering the League thought it so vital that they cancelled the 2011 Symposium due to the lockout. They were too busy fighting over 9 billion dollar TV revenue that educating their rookies wasn’t deemed of high enough importance.

I’m not related to any NFL players, so the repercussions of their actions have no effect on me other than a fantasy football implication or two. But wouldn’t it be nice if one major sporting league put the value of education and preparation above everything else? To develop players in such a way that might benefit everyone from owners to fans to players themselves and in doing so, would aid in the ease of growing their brand? No, that would make too much sense.