Sports’ Rookie Athletes – Too Much, Too Soon?
Williams, Young, Bush – all young men who not only entered the draft but came away with some pretty impressive contracts and salary figures – are all expected to make an immediate impact on the NFL teams who selected them. Can a kid straight from college who’s never set foot on a professional playing field make the impact upon which those salaries are based? Will they live up to the expectations foisted upon them?
Dr. Lem Burnham, a resident of Moorestown, New Jersey, has seen more than his fair share of action both on and off the field in the NFL. Burnham was a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1977 through 1981, having entered the draft straight out of college in 1974. (Burnham was initially signed by the Kansas City Chiefs and subsequently traded to the Eagles.) Burnham was a member of the Eagles’ 1980 Super Bowl team, a repeat of which is yet to reoccur. The three years before signing with the Chiefs were spent in the U.S. Marine Corps., which included a year spent in VietNam with the Third Military Corps. Division. Burnham, a standout high school football player, shone in the military service as well, accumulating receiving the National Defense Service Medal, the Combat Action ribbon, the Naval Unit Citation, the Presidential Unit citation, the VietNam Service Medal with one star, and the VietNam Campaign Medal.
Burnahm obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in ’74 from U.S. International University, now California Western College, as well as his Masters of Science degree from Minnesota State University. (Following his retirement from the NFL as an Eagles’ player, Burnham earned his Doctorate in Psychology from Temple University.) He now is a diplomate of the American Psychology Association and the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and is board certified in forensice clinical psychology, physchological assessment, evaluation and testing, and substance abuse psychology. Burnham received the “Outstanding Athlete of the Year” award in 1994, and continues to be a member of the NFL Alumni Association and was the association’s past president.
In 1992, Burnham joined NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue’s staff; he was hired to develop and establish an official league-wide Traning and Development Department. He has served as the Director and Vice President for Player Development for the NFL for the past decade. During his tenure, the department provided services to more than 10,000 NFL players. Burnham also was part of the NFL’s committee in the formation of its Labor Relations Division; he was the visionary behind the NFL’s training system for new players, now known as the “NFL Rookie Symposium”, which includes a three and a half day mandatory orientation sessions on issues such as player contracts and benefits, conduct, labor relations, education, family and health issues, security and personal finances. Another agenda item is communication and leadership skills for the rookies. Burnham has also lent his expertise in player development and training to the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball. Burnham has authored and co-authored several publications, including “No Means No”, a sexual assault prevention program for the NFL, in addition to “The Athletic Success Profile”, “The Personal Success Profile”, “Personality in Groups: Group Relevant Personality and Sociometric Status”, and “Beyond X’s and O’s”, a handbook for sports coaches to idenfity and effectively manage player-related issues.
Following his career both as a defensive player for the Eagles and his continued education as a licensed psychologist working for a number of U.S. sports leagues, it was also a natural fit for Burnham to enter the somewhat overhyped world of sports agency. As President and CEO of ANTIS Management, LLC, his client list included players from the Eagles, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia 76’rs. “We do sports marketing, management, training and offer seminars and development business models for both teams and individuals in a variety of leagues”, Burnham noted. On the field and off, what changes has Burnham, now in the vantage of a sports agent, seen over the past two decades?
“I would have to say there there have been three very important changes and trends we’re seeing now”, Burnham said. “First of all, players in all sports are coming out much earlier in their sports careers. If you look at hard statistics, there really hasn’t been that much of a change, however, in graduation rate numbers; there is actually a small increase in those numbers. The number of players who come out early for the draft, those who leave college a year or two into their college careers, isn’t really a good thing overall for those players. And it isn’t a good thing for the coaches, the leagues and the colleges either. Maybe more are coming out earlier with dreams of cashing in quickly, of getting that big money sooner, or maybe getting that big money while they’re at what they consider to be their prime; maybe it’s the mentality that if they don’t come out early, the big money may not even be there if they waited.”
“There are a lot of downsides for a kid who comes out of college – or certainly right after high school – for the draft”, Burnham continued. “More of them are coming out early but not necessarily making a team or the cut. Most often the reason is that they don’t necessarily have the skills level they would have had if they’d continued playing another year or two. They need the time to develop the skills that hopefully they aleady have. We’ve found at ANTIS that players are not given the time necessary to develop at a level where they can get out onto the field or the court and make an impact right away. Years ago, it was common practice for kids to go to college, play four years, and hone their skills and improve them consistently during that four year program.”
“That’s where the second big trend comes in”, said Burnham. “Players who are drafted are expected for the most part to make an impact on their team immediately. Those big bucks don’t go towards sitting on the bench and watching. We see a lot of this happening in both the NFL and NBA; teams draft players who can have an impact NOW. From my perspective, this trend is the most significant one I’ve seen over the years. It used to be that players received a fair salary based on their skills levels. A higher salary for those who MIGHT set foot on the field or court during the coming season, but it was generally considered that the salary was like ‘seed money’; you put it into the player’s pocket with the hope that he would continue, little by little, not right away, learn and grow, and find his fit in the team’s dynamics. Now it’s a scenario where most of them – at least the top draft picks and well into the second and third rounds – are anticipated to get out there once the next season begins.”
And the third trend that Burnham has watched develop? “It’s the Achilles’ heel for most of these young kids in that they do not have the time to mature, both skill-wise and personally, because of the anticipation of immediate impact. They’ve blown their college eligibility once they come out early for the draft; what happens when they don’t get selected at all? The waters of the free agency are murky, to say the least. People also tend to forget that having these young kids expected to contribute right away also puts a lot more pressure on the team’s coaching staffs. At the college level, coaches have come to expect that they’ll have a player – most likely one they’ve picked up on scholarship – playing with his or her team for a full four year duration. They have often built their college teams around these kids, and have long-range, four year programs mapped out for their teams. When one or even two kids leave early, it’s really hard for the coaches to have to rebuild, especiallly since this is becoming an almost automatic, expected thing for the kids to do if they’re any good.”
“There’s also the impact of maturity as well”, Burnham continued. “Just how mature can you expect these young kids to be both mentally and emotionally? They’ve been lured by the big bucks and bright lights, but that’s certainly no guarantee that they’re mature and stable enough to deal with all of the sidebar things that come along with instant fame and success. I can tell you far too many stories of kids who left college early at the urging of an agent who saw only dollar signs ahead. There’s no plan in place to take care of the kids’ immediate needs. Coaches, owners and leagues don’t want to see another Ron Liefer type kind of player, somebody who was picked second in the draft at a price tag of $12,000,000 but ends up sadly as only a footnote in the annals of sports history. The kid is now relying, in most cases, for his agent to help him muddle through what to do with his salary, how to take care of his family, how to make the best decisions right here and now and also for the long-term regarding his future. I’ve been on the playing field and I loved football. For me, it’s a natural fit as a sports agent to help some of these kids – whether or not they’ve come out early or after a full four year college program – make the right decisions. For the kids, getting drafted opens up a whole new world for them and their families. In light of these new trends in the sports arena, it’s especially important for them that they get not only solid advice but also a genuine commitment from their agent that their – the player’s – best interests are always the touchstone of that relationship…”
