For many student-athletes, the ultimate goal is to play professionally one day. When their sport is stripped away like it was during the coronavirus pandemic, the cruel possibility of that dream not happening begins to loom.
Preparing for life beyond athletics consequently became a priority for San Jose State student-athletes, but their futures were clouded by uncertainty when the pandemic began a year ago.
“It was devastating having my [senior] season suddenly canceled like that,” said former SJSU baseball player Troy Viola. “Being a senior, I didn’t really know what my
future held.”
Many SJSU student-athletes including Viola had their spring 2020 season canceled or postponed because of COVID-19; making the path to professional sports increasingly difficult.
“[The pandemic] definitely put a speed bump in the route to professional baseball,” Viola said. “Because I had a lack of facilities, I had a lack of structure and really a lack of knowing what was even going on.”
Those same seniors are now returning one year later because of the NCAA’s policy to extend the eligibility of student-athletes affected by COVID-19. Yet, they still face unprecedented challenges that come with playing collegiate sports in a pandemic.
SJSU women’s soccer defender Lauola Amanoni said because spectators are banned from games, players can’t introduce themselves to coaches and scouts after they play.
She said building that human connection is crucial especially if a student-athlete has professional aspirations.
“Just talking to coaches like after [games], you know, and that’s really where you can introduce yourself and really show who you are,” Amanoni said. “I feel like now having that human connection is just really hard.”
She said her focus on becoming a professional athlete has changed because the pandemic emphasized the importance of having a plan beyond athletics.
“I was thinking like, it just scares me because I really don’t know what I want to do anymore,” Amanoni said. “I don’t want to bank on putting all my efforts into trying to [become a professional athlete], when I really should have a backup plan because the pandemic is really making things harder.”
As the pandemic continues to highlight the impermanence of athletic careers, an SJSU program called Beyond Football has helped some student-athletes navigate these challenges.
Football head coach Brent Brennan founded the program in 2017 after he helped successfully run a similar one when he was a wide receiver coach at Oregon State University
from 2011-16.
“I think Beyond Football is the most important thing we do,” Brennan said. “How we help our young men and women in our athletic department build a plan that gives them a chance to build the life they want to build when they’re done playing is seriously one of the most important things we do.”
Beyond Football coordinator Tobruk Blaine said the purpose of the program is to help
student-athletes find passion and joy outside of football.
She said her job involves helping football players transition from athletics to other careers by building a lasting relationship
with them.
“As they go through the program, the player and I develop our own relationship just like a receivers coach would with their receivers,” Blaine said. “And then once they graduate, because I built a relationship with them, they lean on me in their process of transition.”
Offensive lineman Jack Snyder is one of many student-athletes Beyond Football has helped. He said the program made him realize there’s more to life than just football.
“I always felt like whenever football’s over, I’m going to need to do something,” Snyder said. “I’m still taking Beyond Football pretty seriously because I could play in the NFL for like five or six years and then still have the rest of my life where I need to do something.”
After four years in the program and Blaine’s guidance, Snyder received an internship at Acero Insurance, worked at a construction and real estate company L. Nelson Properties and was recently interviewed by the real estate firm Marcus and Millichap.
Linebacker Tysyn Parker is another Beyond Football athlete who credits the program for developing and executing a plan for career success
after athletics.
“You know for me personally, I have always thought football [as] being the first thing I did,” Parker said. “[But] once I got to college, you kind of get to the realization that [there’s] only one more level from here. I’m not promised to make it so what can I do now?”
Parker said he’s been focusing on becoming a police officer since the pandemic started and has gotten help from other student-athletes who’ve transitioned with guidance from Blaine and Beyond Football.
With the pandemic adding challenges to the dream of becoming a professional athlete, Blaine said she hopes to expand Beyond Football to help more student-athletes.
