Player’s View: The Games (In Other Sports) We Have To Miss

The NFL season kicks off tonight, with another game tomorrow, 13 more on Sunday, and a Monday Night Football matchup set to cap off the Week One slate. Millions will be tuning in, although not everyone will be able to watch their favorite team (or keep close tabs on their fantasy football squad). Among those missing out will be the vast majority of big leaguers. At the same time that pigskin luminaries like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are performing on the gridiron, major leaguers will be plying their trade on the baseball diamond. When you’re a professional athlete, forgoing other pastimes — watching other sports is but one of many — comes with the territory.

What is it like to miss out on things you’d be enjoying were it not for your responsibilities as a ballplayer? I asked several big league players for their perspectives on that very subject. Here is what they had to say.

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George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder: “I wouldn’t ever say ‘Why do I have to play today?’ but I love football. I’m a big football fan. When the NFL gets going, and college football gets going, it’s exciting for me. A lot of it is just a break from the constant everyday grind of baseball, having a chance to go to an NFL game, to a hockey game, to a concert. Anything like that.

“I’m a Patriots fan, and yes [I will have to miss their opener]. But it’s not that I don’t get a chance to watch things and go to things. I’ve kind of learned to appreciate the times that I do have to watch. During the offseason, me and my buddies, or me and my son, get to sit down and watch football on Sundays. It’s awesome to have that chance. Yeah, there might be some games that I have to miss, but at the end of the day, I’m playing major league baseball. I get to enjoy that, too.”

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Patrick Wisdom, Chicago Cubs infielder: “My perspective is that I’m grateful to be on the field in a big league game during another important sporting event. However, there are times you wish you could watch the other sports. For instance, when the Olympics were on and Mal was playing [Mallory Swanson, the wife of Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, plays soccer for the United States Women’s National Team], it would have been pretty awesome to watch one of her games with the guys, especially with Dansby.

“The Masters, too, being able to watch that on a Sunday, although when we play a day game we can watch them come down the stretch; we can get the last few holes in. But to your point, yes, it is tough. You do miss a lot in the summer. At the same time, like I said, I’m grateful to be out there playing in a big league game.”

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Luke Raley, Seattle Mariners outfielder: “I’m a big UFC fan and the pay-per-views are Saturdays and usually start about 10 pm Eastern time — the main card — which is 7 o’clock in Seattle. Every time we’re home, I have to miss that. At the same time, this is our job. You have to miss stuff for your job sometimes, and you’re OK with it. But it is a bummer to have to miss some of those. Obviously, there are also football games in the early part of their season. I’m a big Cleveland Browns fan and a big Ohio State fan. Until our season is over, I’m going to miss most of those.

“There are a ton of things you miss. With baseball, we always play on July 4th. There are always Fourth of July parties and family get-togethers that you miss. There are weddings. I missed my best friend’s wedding a few years ago. It’s unfortunate, for sure.”

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Chris Martin, Boston Red Sox pitcher: “Obviously, we’ve got the NFL and fantasy football. We do fantasy football together and are playing right in the middle of the day games on Sunday, so we’re always trying to check in. We’re not allowed to have cell phones, but if somebody comes out to the ‘pen late, we’ll be asking, ‘Hey, what did so-and-so do?’ or whatever. We can also maybe ask a fan or a security guard, ‘Hey, what’s going on with the Cowboys game?’

“I’m a huge Cowboys fan and I’ll miss the first month of their games. But it’s not that big of a deal. It’s fun to be here with the guys, and with college football on Saturdays, we’ll be out there talking about all those games. It is what it is.”

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Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers infielder: “Missing some of the NBA Finals games this year. We were on the road when the Dallas Mavericks were at home, and that would have been something cool to see. A lot of Warriors games over the years, because I’m a [Golden State] fan. At the beginning of NFL season, missing those games when you’ve got your fantasy team. Those are something we miss a lot. But at the end of the day, we get to do what we love. And those guys are missing our games, too.

“Clubbies, or other staff members, can keep guys informed, but our game is the most important thing. Starting pitchers who aren’t throwing that day maybe have more time to come in and check [scores], but unless you’re using the bathroom, you’re not really coming in here. You’re focusing on the game.”

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Josh Rojas, Seattle Mariners infielder: “Football is the sport I watch the most. Fantasy football has a lot to do with that. I’ll try to catch updates on games, but I’m usually so locked in on what I’ve got to do that day, preparing for our game. If there’s a game I really want to know the score of — the Arizona Cardinals are my team — maybe I’ll ask a trainer, but for the most part… yeah, I can’t think of a game in my career where I’d have preferred watching that over playing in a major league baseball game.

“If I’m not starting, I might sneak in [to the clubhouse] to check the score of a game, or maybe check on how many points one of my running backs got, but if I’m in the lineup, or it’s close to me going into the game, I’m focused on my job. I can get that other stuff later.”

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Liam Hendriks, Boston Red Sox pitcher: “It’s every Grand Final — Australian Rules Football — which is in September, so we’re still playing. One, I can never get there. Two, the timing isn’t good. I can try to catch it on TV, because it’s in the middle of the night, but depending on where we’re at and how we’re doing, it’s kind of irresponsible to try to wake up that early.

“I don’t watch amateur sports, so I can’t really talk about college, but being able to go to certain hockey events and stuff like that — or the football season — some of it is in the middle of our season. The Olympics. It is what it is. It’s part and parcel of how it goes. There are definitely things you miss.”

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Jake Meyers, Houston Astros outfielder: “Mine might be a little different than other guys’. I’m a huge Nebraska Cornhuskers football fan. I grew up watching Huskers football games, so missing those is what I’ll get bummed out about. Depending on the times and our schedule, I might be able to catch a few drives. But they haven’t been very good the past couple of years, so there haven’t been a lot of great games.

“I love fantasy football as well. We always play in the middle of the day on Sundays, which is right in the heat of Red Zone and the NFL. But Nebraska football… this year I’m lucky, because they play Colorado their second game of the year, on the seventh, and we have a 3 o’clock game. They play at 6:30 or 7, so I’ll be able to catch the game this year, the big one. I’m excited for that.”

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Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit Tigers outfielder: “I wouldn’t say that it’s frustrating. I chose what I wanted to do and this is kind of my dream. Obviously, it’s cool to be able to sit down and watch a good sporting event, but I’m living out a prayer right now. It’s a pretty good sacrifice if I have to miss some games. I get to be here, hanging out with these guys and playing a game I love.

“If you miss a game, you miss a game. I think everybody loves college football, and when they’re playing, we’re playing. It’s our job. It’s cool to watch a college football game, or watch an NFL game, but we have to go to work. We have to be professional about it. This is what we chose to do, and it’s one of the small sacrifices we need to make.”

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Dane Dunning, Texas Rangers pitcher: “For me, I would say ‘No’ to the ‘Man, I have to miss that.’ Nowadays, if you really want to watch something, you can record it and watch afterwards, or find some sort of showing of the game. You’ll probably see spoilers ahead of time, but you can still watch.

“There are certain things that I miss out on that I think would be really cool to do. Concerts, for instance. My wife likes to go to some concerts and, for instance, Morgan Wallen performed in Dallas recently. I missed out on that opportunity. But it comes with the territory. It would be cool to go to these things, but at the same time, this is my job and it’s what’s allowing me to have a wonderful life with my wife and kid. There’s some give and take to it. We experience a lot of cool things when it comes to baseball, too.”