In one year, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has accomplished everything a college football player could dream of.
He won a Heisman Trophy. He went •undefeated. He won a national title. He has established a future for himself as a quarterback in the NFL, should he choose to pursue a professional football career.
Winston is also a college baseball player and a Baseball America preseason third team All American utility player for the Seminoles. He also has a 0.69 ERA as a relief pitcher this season.
I think he should play baseball. Let me rephrase: I think he should give up football altogether in favor of baseball. And I think his decision should set a new trend for future two sport college athletes.
I won’t pretend this is a popular opinion. Absolutely everybody, myself included, would be shocked if Winston forwent the NFL Draft in favor of an MLB career. But it would be the right decision.
The most glaring reason for this decision would be for the sake of his health. There’s no question that baseball is easier on the body than football. And even though the MLB season is significantly lengthier than the NFL’s and quarterbacks are heavily protected by NFL rules, there’s still no contest about which sport would better serve his long term health.
The NFL is in the middle of a long concussion controversy — one that is far from being settled — that affects every single player who suits up in an NFL uniform. By choosing to play football, Winston could be subjecting himself to a lifetime of serious mental and physical health issues following a relatively short career.
That brings me to my second point: Just how short would his career be? The average MLB career spans 5.6 years, while the average NFL career is just 3.8 years, according to recent studies. That higher MLB number would likely increase if Winston entered the pros as a relief pitcher, a position with more longevity than any other position.
But, if he were taking that extra beating in the NFL, he would be getting paid more, right? Wrong. NFL players make just $1.9 million dollars a year on average, lowest of any of the “big four” American sports. Major Leaguers, on the other hand, make an average of $3.2 million.
Now, the biggest argument against these points is the fact that Winston isn’t average. He has a special talent, and he has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league upon his joining of the professional ranks. How could you tell a guy with that much skill at one craft that he should pick something else?
Well, that actually brings me to my final point on the extent to which players in each sport rely on teammates for personal success. In baseball, as a relief pitcher (or even an outfielder), all of your stats and accomplishments are your own doing. If you placed the best relief pitcher in the league on the worst team, his numbers likely would not change. Everything rests on the pitcher’s shoulders, and if he is able to get outs, he will get outs, no matter what the guys around him are doing (excluding errors, which pitching stats account for).
In the NFL, however, the quarterback’s performance relies heavily on everyone around him. If his offensive line is bad, he won’t have time to pass. If his receivers are terrible, then there is no one to catch his passes. If the running back is unproductive, then the defense is zeroing in on the quarterback, making passing even more difficult.
Winston will be an NFL quarterback one day. I’m sure of it. But in 20 years, when Winston looks back on his pro choices, I’m almost as sure that he will regret turning down the Texas Rangers in favor of the Cleveland Browns.
Tony Wolfe is a freshman studying journalism a sports writer for The Post. Do you agree that baseball is a better path for Jameis Winston? Email him at aw987712@ohio.edu.
