The price behind being a professional athlete.

By V. Messana

Every sponsorship logo or gold medal comes with a price. Not the dollar amount written into contracts, but the hidden sweat and sacrifice that elite champions sign up for.
We often admire athletes for their dazzling performance and untouchable confidence. Today, we’ll explore what we rarely see: the unknown terms and conditions these athletes must follow.
Injuries
Athletes often push beyond the rational limits of the body. Injury rates vary depending on the sport, with contact sports like football and ice hockey exhibiting the highest incidence. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), athletes commonly face injuries such as sprains, inflammatory conditions, and muscle strains or spasms. NBA star Kobe Bryant, for example, once played through a torn Achilles. According to Nature’s Scientific Reports, in 2021, a mean of 62.49 injuries per 100 players per season was recorded across all professional sports.

Emotional Impact
Competitive athletes often experience intense psychological pressure to achieve high performance. The fear of not succeeding or disappointing others can cause intense anxiety, affecting athletes' performance and mental health. For example, Naomi Osaka, a professional tennis player, withdrew from the French Open in 2021, citing mental health issues related to media scrutiny and performance pressure. Similarly, Michael Phelps, a retired Olympic swimmer, has spoken publicly about his struggles with anxiety and depression.

Missing Out / Routine
Being a professional athlete makes it hard to put down roots and spend time with family and friends. You're constantly traveling for competitions, and even when you're not, you must train for at least four hours a day. For Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, this meant thousands of hours alone in a pool while her peers enjoyed summer vacations. For tennis icon Serena Williams, it meant navigating motherhood while facing a relentless schedule and worldwide criticism. Additionally, maintaining your body to perform at peak levels is a full-time job of its own. This includes 5 a.m. alarm clocks, strict diets, intensive workout sessions, and more. Certainly, during the season—and sometimes even in the offseason—you must be careful about eating too much, partying too hard, and maintaining discipline in every aspect of life.