Back when most of us men were just little boys, when asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, we had generally pretty similar answers. But no matter what our first choice was, at some point the professional athlete was mixed in there, probably just before or after fireman. We wanted to be football players and baseball players. We watched our sports heroes on TV, and we wanted to be just like them. But at some point in our lives, we realized those dreams are just a bit unrealistic, and we settled on something a little more within our grasp.
That, however, does not mean we’ve given up on everything. There are some of us who have not quite accepted that yet. There are plenty of thirty- and forty-something’s who are still holding out hope that they too one day can make it on the Senior PGA Tour, or, at least one of the smaller tours. Sounds silly, right? Well, what about those of us who have not only dreamed it, but have made it, or are making it happen? Meet Rashean Mathis.
If you’re an NFL fan, you may know Rashean Mathis is a cornerback for the Detroit Lions. You may know that he has 31 career interceptions and that he, even at 34 years old, is still one of the better players at his position in the league. But what you may not know is, despite making almost $40 million dollars in his career, he is already looking at his next profession after the NFL – professional golf.
See, Rashean is an avid golfer, but for only six or seven months of the year (the NFL off-season). But despite not playing full time, he is a 4-handicap. So he is considering, after retiring from the NFL, getting a coach and going all out for a year to attempt to become better than scratch. His ultimate goal? To play on the Senior Tour.
And it doesn’t stop there. Rashean has a son as well who he is planning to steer away from football and toward golf. While the money is good…obviously…due to his own finger, groin and knee injuries, he knows the toll football can take on his body. Golf on the other hand? Good money…much less toll on the body.
I for one am pulling for Mathis. Here’s a guy who lived-out every kid’s dream to play in the NFL. And further, is attempting to live-out a lot of our middle-aged guy dreams to play on a PGA tour. Who doesn’t want to live vicariously through him? Make millions playing a sport you love. Retire in your 30’s. Have the money to go full-on golf for at least a year. And possibly, once again, make lots of money playing a sport you love. Sign me up!
I think we can all agree that when we are watching the PGA Tour, we are watching the highest level of professional golf we are likely to see. And that probably goes double for a major. Face it, the absolute worst player on the tour will still wipe the floor with most any of us. These guys are simply the best. So why is it that so many viewers need to have Tiger Woods there, or they’re not interested in watching? Is a large collective of most of the best players in the world not good enough?