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With the latest news of Jarryd Hayne’s success over in America playing in the NFL, it is clear that athletes can be very good and succeed at multiple sports at a professional level.
Some of the most well known athletes in their respective sports have ventured from other codes or from a different background altogether. It’s obviously exciting when the unusual occurs, but is the world blind to the problems sport hopping can entail?
The rare ability to be good at multiple sports at this level is not only beneficial to the new sport in regards to viewership but also to the old sport which is making financial gains also.
But is it worth the loss of a crowd-drawing star?
Israel Folau and Sonny Bill Williams are two of the biggest and most successful athletes in ‘sport-hopping’ and are thriving in their chosen professions. Yet they are constantly looking for the possibility to benefit in another sport.
Most people have many theories as to how such an athlete can be skilled at multiple sports from variations of religion to determination, but with the success of these players in different codes, parts of the games are changing in regards to the way it’s played.
Throughout their future careers the comparisons will mount, as they already have. The changes they bring to the game and the way they change the game overall is spoken about often. But is this a good thing?
“All those skills from rugby league – the running, the catching, the tackling – come into play,” commented Fox Sports writer Roger Craig.
With Hayne’s success many have stated how his past profession of playing rugby league in Australia has brought about more excitement to the NFL. He is already being compared to past legends of the game such as Walter Payton.
But as with Folau and Williams, the opportunity to achieve more is always on horizon for ‘sport-hoppers’ and, although Hayne turned down a multi-million dollar contract to move overseas, the temptation to change sports and seek a new challenge will be at large.
Furthermore, with what Hayne and other NRL ‘sport-hoppers’ such as Anthony Mundine, Folau and Williams have achieved the NRL should be concerned with the increasing amount of athletes making the change.
Hayne’s recent success has given him more money, exposure and an international fandom. Who’s to say that the next young star with unseen ability won’t be scooped up by an opportunity the NRL can’t meet?
No doubt each athlete has their own reasons to jump sports but without control over the NRL’s biggest athletes and scouting from overseas, future generations will soon be aspiring to do the same. Already other great athletes of the game are looking at crossing the pond to join the NFL.
With the overflowing amount of pros in ‘sport-hopping’, the cons need acknowledgment as well. If the temptation to chase a better deal and ‘follow dreams’ becomes easier to master, the future of NRL may be in question.
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