In the first 150 pages of, War Room, by Michael Holley, it is evident that a coach of a professional team, even people less involved than a coach, are always away from home. It takes someone that is not hugely tied to their home or family to work for a professional team, and this concerns me. There were multiple interviews in the book with family members of Belichick and other personal working for the patriots and they all said the same thing, that they are never home. Bill's wife said that a job like this takes 100% attention and dedication, almost like a cult. She further explained that this job was not for the weak. It takes a strong minded and confident individual that can give the game everything they got, and want nothing less than success. Because Bill got his sons involved in the Patriots organization, his wife claims it feels like she's living alone. One person in particular that stood out to me in terms of dedication was scout Thomas Pioli. Even though he did not hold a high position in the patriots organization, he still spent countless hours at the facility, at one point saying he felt like it was his home, and his home was his work. His job, in a nutshell, was too find good college players that were ready to play in the NFL, and would fit into the team the Patriots were trying to create, but he took scouting to another level. Pioli would spend hours upon hours studying film and contacting college coaches trying to find out what the players were like on and off the field. He was always on the road visiting colleges and talking to players when permitted. All this time away from home took a toll on him and his family, and drove them apart. Reading about this story and realizing how much time away from home this job requires makes me less inclined to try and pursue a career like this. I want to get older, find a good job that can support me, and settle down with a family. Being a coach and always submersed in my work will impede this greatly, and I would have to think a lot about pursuing this field.
I think if you want to be a coach, though, and you're also worried about travel, football is the way to go. There is only one game a week, so you aren't traveling for more than a couple days a week. Think about that in comparison to a sport like basketball or baseball! Of course you are at the facility a lot, maybe twelve hours a day even, but lots of people in high intensity jobs work that much. If you love it enough, I think it could be worth it.
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