Subscribe | Español 中文
The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890
Sports

The worst job in sports?

LeBron James tweeted, "Wow what a game!! Auburn vs. Clemson. Being a kicker has to be the worst job in sports."

LeBron was referencing the Clemson kicker who missed a 31-yard field goal in overtime, cementing the Tigers' 27-24 loss Sept. 18 at Auburn. He was talking about the kicker who drilled a 42-yard field goal earlier that game, but whose name led off every story as the reason they lost - the kicker whose disappointment was plastered all over every game recap.

It is understandable why LeBron could see that kicker and come to his "worst job in sports" conclusion. Although I rarely look to LeBron's Twitter account for my primary source of wisdom, this comment struck me as particularly meaningful because that kicker is a friend of mine.

Chandler Catanzaro and I grew up in Greenville, S.C., a city where the majority of people bleed Tiger orange. We went to the same small school together for 13 years - a school that sent 25 percent of its graduating class to Clemson, and a school that has never produced a major college athlete.

Clemson football is everything there, so we were proud when Chandler made the team as a preferred walk-on. We knew, though, that he was on the same roster as the No. 3 kicking prospect in the country, Richard Jackson, and consequently did not expect him to start. But Chandler had other ideas.

"I always believed I could do it," he said in a phone interview earlier this week. "I feel like God called me to be a kicker, and I worked my butt off in the offseason to prepare myself for the opportunity if it came up."

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney noticed all that work. He gave Chandler the "Offseason Weight Training Award" for specialists, and about a week before the season began, named Chandler the starting kicker. When Chandler's name went up as No. 1 on the depth chart, my home town began buzzing about its new star.

"We grew up in an awesome community within Greenville, where everybody seems to know everybody," Chandler said. "It was a surreal feeling. My parents were ecstatic ... And when people found out, they were so excited. Everybody's been really supportive."

Chandler savors that support and "the opportunity to represent everyone from Greenville." He thrives on the pressure it brings, of which there is plenty. Chandler is not a scholarship athlete at Clemson, but he often feels the weight of a whole community on his shoulders - or more aptly, his foot. When Chandler yanked that kick left, his own sadness was shared by countless others.

"I don't think you'd be human if you didn't feel some disappointment after that," Chandler said. "Especially after the team had played great ... Guys worked their butts off out there, and I was definitely disappointed. It's a tough loss."

In moments like this, kicking really does seem like the worst job in sports. Football is king in this country and thus draws the most extreme passion from fans.Frequently, though, fans vent their anger toward the team as a whole. Not so with the kicker - rarely is any sequence as focused on one individual as when he takes the field.

"That is the tough thing. The focus is really on you," Chandler said. "My main objective though is to try to do the best for my team."

A quarterback is also constantly in the spotlight, but at least most of his incomplete passes are followed by opportunities to redeem himself. And after that loss, few people were talking about Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker's incomplete pass on third-and-goal. The only lasting memory of Parker that game was when he angrily threw his helmet after Chandler's missed field goal.

It is difficult to call placekicking the worst occupation in sports when there are so many other high-pressure situations and thankless jobs. Few times are more trying, however, than when a kicker misses a field goal with the game on the line.

"It's definitely got to be one of the toughest jobs in sports. You only get a couple chances a game really to show what you have, and in those couple chances, there's a lot of stuff that goes on," Chandler said. "Some people think it's just kicking the ball. It's more than that though, you have to have such a great focus. Yeah, it's a tough job, but that's why I do it."

When you're playing in front of 250 fans in high school one day and are the subject of LeBron James' tweet the next, it is a demanding transition for any athlete to manage. But to his credit, Chandler has handled his sudden fame with dignity and poise.

"It's definitely a big difference ... But I love to be the guy that has the game on his shoulders, that's what a kicker is, it's his job," Chandler said. "I was sad after that game, but I've moved on, and my family, friends and team helped me do that. My main objective is to do the best for my team, and when that next kick comes, I'll nail it."

I hope he does. I grew up a Gamecock fan and have never rooted from Clemson in my life. I am rooting for you, though, Chandler - because when you miss a field goal, kicking can be the worst job in sports. When you make it, however, it might just be the best.

Read More

Comments

Latest Podcast

Today, we sit down with both the president and treasurer of the Virginia women's club basketball team to discuss everything from making free throws to recent increased viewership in women's basketball. 

Print Edition


Print Archive | Download Latest Edition