Work, but still just a game

For most people, football is just a game — a game that fills up languid weekend afternoons and gives Thanksgiving more meaning than mere turkeys and Pilgrims. But for some, football is more than a game: It's a job and a lifelong passion.

Zak Keasey '05, fullback for the San Francisco 49ers, is one of those lucky enough to follow his passion into the pros. A standout on both sides of the ball during his years at the University, Keasey spearheaded the Tiger defense in head coach Roger Hughes' early days. Keasey played with power and passion, delivering crushing tackles as a linebacker and running over opponents as a fullback. As a senior, Keasey amassed 127 tackles, eight sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, four pass-breakups, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. For those impressive statistics, he earned the 2004 Poe-Kazmaier Trophy, the highest award given to a Princeton football player. With his college days past, however, the two-time first-team All-Ivy selection now arms to achieve just as much success at the next level of competition — the NFL.

In just his third year in the league, Keasey is still in the transition phase between the college and the professional game.

"The biggest difference between college and pro football is definitely the speed and intensity of the game," Keasey said. "The players out there on the field are the best in the world. Everybody's fast, everybody's strong. It's a whole different level of competition."

In football, where contact is inevitable, the high intensity also entails physical injuries that often limit players' careers. While Pee-Wee leagues have their fair share of muscle cramps and high school and college athletics have their torn ACLs and dislocations, the NFL boasts a extensive list of career-ending injuries that haunt every player's dreams. In a league where everybody plays with their jobs on the line, a single errant step could mean broken bones or concussions that'll stick around for the rest of their lives.

"I'm lucky to not have had any serious injuries yet, and hopefully it'll stay that way," Keasey said. "I'm shooting for 10 years in the league, but given the average number of years guys spend in the NFL, that may seem like a stretch. I'm just here having fun, though, doing what I love to do, and I'll just take it one year at a time."

The physical intensity of the game isn't the only thing that changes as the level of competition progresses. Keasey got a few surprises when he entered the league two years ago.

"The amount of work you put in off the field was really unexpected. On top of working out and actually practicing football, there's a ton of team meetings you have to go to, and a lot more film sessions. It's surprising how much of a business it really is," Keasey said.

Like all things in life save death and taxes, football has no certainties. After graduating from the University, Keasey entered the NFL as a free agent linebacker for the Washington Redskins. The following year brought a multitude of stints on and off the game and practice rosters, all of which came a few months apart. Keasey joined the 49ers in 2006 and switched to fullback, where the same uncertain future awaited him. In the two years since he left the University, Keasey has been signed and released a total of 13 times.

For now, Keasey is listed as the second-string fullback. He has two carries for four yards this season two tackles. Keasey is aware, though, how quickly that can change.

"It hit me just how much of a day-today job playing football could be," Keasey said. "You sign contracts for three or five years, but it just doesn't work out as easily in real life as on paper. There's a little more uncertainty than I had imagined."

In an era of sports infamous for bribes, corruptions and steroid abuse, one of the most controversial questions posed to professional athletes is whether they play "for love or for money" The game that many were raised on often becomes a chore at the professional level, and the simple attractions of the sport may be lost under the business and legal formalities of the profession.

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"Off the field, it definitely feels a lot more like a job," Keasey said. "But when you're on the gridiron, it's still a lot of fun, because it's still football. This is the game I grew up loving, and I still love it today, no matter what the level of competition is. Football's still football, and come Sunday, I'm just as excited as I ever was to get out there and play."

In the end, football for some people isn't just a game or a job. Football is a way of life.