We’ve heard plenty about how the life of a sports insider is constantly interrupted by breaking news, but for ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, excelling in his career meant putting some aspects of his life to rest altogether.
Early in their relationship, Schefter and his wife, Sherri, would often go out to group dinners with other couples and friends. They were constantly interrupted by stray NFL leads that Schefter had to chase. He would frequently have to step away from the meal or leave the outing entirely. Eventually, Schefter and his wife stopped going out altogether.
“My wife is a homebody and that works well with the job, because inevitably, we’ll be at home, and stories will happen,” Schefter explained on The Mental Game podcast. “And I don’t have to feel the guilt of being out to dinner. I’ve had it happen so many times now where I’ve been out to dinner with another couple or we’ve been in a group, and I have to go, ‘Excuse me, I have to go work on something.’ It has happened too many times to count, and it never seems to fail.”
It was Sherri who initially noticed the pattern. She banned outings around NFL free agency and the draft to make it easier on everyone. Before long, the couple fell out of the habit of going out to dinner or scheduling dates with friends.
“So we just don’t do those things,” Schefter explained. “We stay home, we order in, we hang out with our dogs, stream some shows. And when the phone call comes in, ‘Excuse me.’ I don’t have to step away from the table, I don’t have to leave the restaurant. I’ve had that happen too many times.”
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania shared a similar sentiment, revealing that he rarely goes on dates or spends time with friends these days. Even Charania’s close family is exhausted by how distracted he always is.
It is hard not to think when hearing these stories of Adrian Wojnarowski, the first social media-based insider, who called his legacy a “vapor” upon retiring from media last year. The level of sacrifice required for individuals like Adam Schefter to be the first to every story in the 24/7 modern news cycle is only worthwhile for so long.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.