Whatever twists and turns the games may take on the gridiron Sundays, football players always begin and end the day in the same place. It's a sacred space, a refuge for prayer and reflection — and some friendly trash-talking: the locker room.
The off-field behavior of some NFL players has helped reinforce a negative perception of locker room culture in recent years. But as Chris Kluwe, a former punter for the Minnesota Vikings, wrote in Rolling Stone recently, stepping into an NFL locker room shattered his preconceptions.
"Everyone has this idea of football players as kind of these troglodyte, lumbering mounds of muscle that don't ever think about anything or do anything other than football," he tells NPR's Arun Rath. "But football is this mingling of so many different socioeconomic backgrounds and types of people that it's kind of this cross-section of America as a whole."
It's a melting pot, in which beliefs of every dimension converge on a single point.
"The one shared thing that brings us together is football," he says, "but outside of that, we're completely different people."
Interview Highlights
On discussions inside the locker room
There was always a conversation to be had. You could always meet new people and talk about new things — especially with the turnover in the locker room. Because you see this constant new influx of new thoughts and new ideas coming in from kids fresh out of college.
On the intense — but fleeting — bonds of NFL teammates
We see each other more than we see our own families during the season. And you get to know these guys really well, but then at the end of the year, it's like, "Well, am I still going to be here? Is he still going to be here? Are any of us still going to be here?" We don't know — we hope so!
On working with those whom you might find offensive
If you're going to take a cross-section of American culture, you're going get the entire cross-section. So that means there are going to be guys that don't believe in certain things, or there are going to be guys who make mistakes, who commit crimes and just run afoul of the law. And you can't really shake some sense into them, because everyone has to make their own choices.
But at the same time, there are many parts of the NFL that I think are good for people. I mean, football taught me teamwork. It taught me sacrifice. It taught me how to get along with this diverse cast of characters and accept different viewpoints.
And that may not be the lesson that everyone takes from it, but if anyone can take that lesson away, then I think it's something that's worth valuing.
On whether he's made friends with anyone he wouldn't have if not for the locker room
Probably Ryan Longwell, the kicker who was there [with the Vikings] for a long time, because he's fairly religious, a golf pro, doesn't like video games. ...
I probably never would have met him in my everyday life, but because we were on the same team, we got a chance to spend day after day, talking to each other, you know, learning what makes each other tick.
On whether he misses it
Not at all! [Laughs] It's really like the relationships are the only thing I miss out of it. Well, I mean, the paychecks were nice too, but primarily the relationships — the people. Because in the end, that's really all we have, is our connection to other human beings.
And that holds true for any job. I mean, you have people that work in an office that — maybe they hate their job, maybe they hate everything around it — but there are a couple of people in that office where they're like, "I can't think of a day I won't be with these people."
Yeah, it's a slightly different job, but in the end it's a job. And how you feel about the people around you — that's what defines it.
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Transcript
ARUN RATH, HOST:
Today is the first Sunday of the NFL season. Players start and end of their games in a sacred place, a refuge for prayer and reflection and horseplay - the locker room. Now, the off-the-field behavior of a number of football players has reinforced a pretty negative perception of locker room culture in recent years. But as Chris Kluwe, a former punter for the Minnesota Vikings, wrote in Rolling Stone recently, stepping into an NFL locker room shattered his preconceptions.
CHRIS KLUWE: Everyone has this idea of football players as kind of these troglodyte, lumbering, you know, just mounds of muscle that don't ever think about anything or do anything other than football. But football is this mingling of so many different socioeconomic backgrounds and types of people that it's kind of this cross-section of America as a whole because the sure thing that brings us all together is football, but outside of that, we're completely different people.
RATH: Sounds like you just love that.
KLUWE: Yeah. No, it was really cool. I mean - because there was always a conversation to be had. You could always meet new people and talk about new things and - especially with the turnover in the locker room because you see this constant new influx of new thoughts and new ideas coming in from kids fresh out of college.
RATH: But the turnover's when you also talk about the darker side of that 'cause these bonds are super intense, but they're fleeting at the same time because of that.
KLUWE: Yeah, very much so. I mean, we see each other more than we see our own families during the season. And you get to know these guys really well, but then at the end of the year, it's like, well, am I still going to be here? Is he still going to be here? Are any of us still going to be here? We don't know. We hope so (laughter).
RATH: Now, a diverse cast of characters also means working with people that you might find offensive or that have offensive believes or do offensive things.
KLUWE: Yeah, well, and that's something that happens, too. I mean, if you're going to take a cross-section of American culture, you're going to get the entire cross-section. So that means there are going to be guys who don't believe in certain things, or there are going to be guys who make mistakes, who commit crimes and, you know, just run afoul of the law. And you can't really shake some sense into them (laughter) because everyone has to make their own choices. But at the same time, there are also many parts of the NFL that I think are good for people. I mean, football taught me teamwork. It taught me sacrifice. You know, it taught me how to get along with this diverse cast of characters and accept different viewpoints. And that may not be the lesson that everyone takes from it, but if anyone can take that lesson away, then I think it's something that's worth valuing.
RATH: Are there any enduring friendships you have with people who you would never have been friends with these people if not for the NFL?
KLUWE: Probably Ryan Longwell, the kicker who was there for a long time, because he's fairly religious, a golf pro, doesn't really like video games. That was the guy who I probably never would have met him in my everyday life, but because we were on the same team, we got a chance to spend day after day talking to each other, you know, learning what makes each other tick.
RATH: So on Monday night, maybe not when the Vikings are actually getting on the field in San Francisco, but maybe like an hour before that, do you feel sad? How much you miss him?
KLUWE: (Laughter) Not at all.
(LAUGHTER)
KLUWE: It's really like - the relationships are the only thing I miss out of it. Well, I mean, the paychecks were nice, too, but...
(LAUGHTER)
KLUWE: It was, you now, primarily the relationships - the people - because in the end, that's really all we have is our connection to other human beings. And that holds true for any job. I mean, you have people who work in an office that - maybe they hate their job, maybe they hate everything around it, but there are a couple people in that office where they're like, I can't think of a day where I won't be with these people. Yeah, it's a slightly different job, but in the end, it's a job. And how you feel about the people around you - that's what defines it.
RATH: Chris Kluwe is a writer, a former punter for the Minnesota Vikings. He was here with me at NPR West. Great speaking with you. Thank you.
KLUWE: Yeah, no, thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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