Reaching the pinnacle of any profession often requires serious sacrifices. For ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, arguably the top NFL insider in all of sports media, the unfortunate sacrifice for him has come to his marriage.
Appearing on The Mental Game podcast, Schefter admitted that his relationship with his wife Sherri has changed over the years due to his work. He said that while they used to go out to dinners with other couples or groups, his work has repeatedly forced him to either leave dinners or cancel them abruptly.
“My wife is a homebody and that works well with the job, because inevitably, we’ll be at home, and stories will happen,” Schefter said. “And I don’t have to feel the guilt of being out to dinner. I’ve had it happen so many times now where I’ve been out to dinner with another couple or we’ve been in a group, and I have to go, ‘Excuse me, I have to go work on something.’ It has happened too many times to count, and it never seems to fail.”
As a result, Schefter said that he and Sherri simply don't go out anymore.
“So we just don’t do those things,” Schefter explained. “We stay home, we order in, we hang out with our dogs, stream some shows. And when the phone call comes in, ‘Excuse me.’ I don’t have to step away from the table, I don’t have to leave the restaurant. I’ve had that happen too many times.”
The unfortunate revelation harkens back to a similar statement made by Schefter's NBA counterpart, Shams Charania. The ESPN NBA insider revealed mere days ago that he's had to walk out on dates due to his work.
“I’ve had to walk out on dates,” Charania told The Sports Reporters several days ago. “I’ve had to walk out on social events — a lot of social events. My friends don’t really like me. That’s why it’s very hard to have a consistent relationship, because you know the time that it requires. And you know the time that they deserve, rightfully. And there’s just moments where I’m always going to choose this, as of right now.
“The one thing that I do, like how I’m able to get away, is just family time. My whole family’s in Chicago; I’m in Chicago. And so, we’re all here. We’re all in very close proximity. It’s the little thing. It could be going on a walk. It could be going [to play] mini golf. It could be playing pickleball or watching a movie together. Now, again, I may not be fully present during those moments.”
Some would gladly sacrifice a social life for a chance to be one of the biggest names sports media. The two men are known to be very well-compensated for their work too.
But others would probably argue that the two men are doing way too much if that's what the job is taking from them.
How much would (or should) you sacrifice to hold a job like they have?
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