I'll Be There

27 | take off your cool

"Spencer James. Current wide receiver for the LA Rams. Been with the team for six years now," she smiled up at him. Even with the thoughts lingering in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but be proud of his achievements. "You're hoping to win a Super Bowl title this year. How are you feeling about the odds?"

"Good. Just taking it one Sunday at a time. Our guys are doing everything we can each week to be ready come game time," he replied, keeping his answer brief.

"Well, I'll be anxiously following along and cheering you on."

"Thank you," he murmured, giving her a soft smile.

"Alright, so let's get to it." She spread out the two pages that were lying in front of her. Her eyes flickered up to him before she started with her first question. "It's no secret that a life in the NFL comes with a lot of demand and pressure. Between meetings, workouts, practices, and games, you're often left with only a few months of the year to truly prioritize anything outside of football. As a player who has yet to start a family, how has this hectic schedule affected family planning?"

He dragged his teeth down his upper lip and raised his eyebrows at her.

She had already encouraged him to be open but gave him an extra nod anyway.

"Well... the biggest factor for me has always been timing. When it comes to timing, there's first the pregnancy, but then also, the months after. Personally, I want to be there for it all, but with the way our season is set up, it'd be nearly impossible for me to be around to support my girl all year long. So the question ends up being – what do I sacrifice? And I don't really have the answer to that. We've talked it out and tried to come up with the best plan for us, and that's really the best we can do."

Nodding, she took a second to keep herself composed. Those conversations they used to have, laying in the dark late at night, were some of the sweetest memories she had with him, and she underestimated the emotions that this conversation would bring up.

On the other side of the table, Spencer waited patiently for her next question.

"Well, as it stands now, the NFL provides paternity leave for its employees, but not its players. On the topic of sacrifice, taking any amount of extended time off during the season could mean potentially jeopardizing your playing time or even your position on the team all together. How do you justify risking the career you've worked your whole life towards?"

"I worked hard for it, but it doesn't eliminate my other desires in life. A family has always been just as big of a goal as football. My kids won't remember the first days of their lives, but I will... and I'd like to have those memories. Because those moments, they'll be just as sweet as a touchdown or a win, if not better."

"And the potential backlash? NFL fans aren't exactly known for being subtle with their opinions."

He leaned back in his seat. "You said it earlier. It's my life. And at the end of the day, it's my family over the game. They're gonna have to accept that."

"Okay, so what would a paternity leave look like to you?"

"I'm no expert, but I think it could be something new, you know. Maybe not a month off straight but a week. Then an extra day off every once in a while or getting off earlier from practice. Any extra time with my kid helps." Leaning forward onto the table, he kept his eyes set on the tape recorder, "I think the world thinks that we just wanna ball, that everything else comes after, but that's not true, man. We want to be there."

Hearing a sniffle, his eyes drifted up to Olivia's face.

"Sorry," she laughed quietly, swiping the back of her hand under her nose. "It's been a while since I've heard you talk like that."