After watching the previews I realized my friend Hannah put it best, "On one hand, it's definitely funny how stupid and unrealistic the show is. On the other, it's really frustrating to be so inaccurately portrayed. An anonymous NFL wife wrote a post for Thought Catalog that talks about the discrepancies between reality and Reality TV's portraying of football culture. Baseball fiancee and owner of Home Run Sitters Ashlee Rowe wrote a post chronicling where the E show went wrong. Women across sports got upset about the stereotype that this show is reinforcing."
So let me let you in on a little secret.... this isn't really the life of WAGS. Yeah, of course. There are some - the high rollers, the partiers, the "who's hot now"s... they exist. But being a wife of a professional athlete is so much more. SO much more. And it really hit a spot with not only myself but a ton of other wives and girlfriends in the professional athlete world. Because we didn't marry and we didn't date the men in our lives because they were athletes. In fact, we are with them because of the men they are outside of being an athlete.
I married Adam because he is an incredibly caring individual. I married Adam because he works hard no matter what is going on in his life. I married Adam because he can make any human feel like a million dollars. And I married Adam because of the example he sets on a daily basis to be a better human, to give to others, and to be kind. If baseball ended today I would still be married to Adam. In fact, if baseball ended the first day of our engagement, I still would have married him. Because baseball is such a tiny part of our lives in the grand scheme of things. Right now it takes up a large part of what we do and who we are, but I sacrifice and support him because I love him as a human. Not as a professional baseball player.
So last night, we banded together. All of us WAGS decided to share what the experience is really like. Not black cards, not parties every night, not cat fights and drama, not the sheer entertainment and ratings the world would hope for. But the REAL experience and thoughts. And we shared them on Twitter with #WAGSinRealLife.
It is so incredible to me the love and support these women have become in my life. Some that I have met here or there on a series trip - and some that I have never met in real life. I literally only know them by their profile photos. But I look to these women on a regular basis for strength, support, advice, and love. We were all able to come together to share and laugh about how being part of this WAGS community really is. And to be honest, I would not change one single bit of what I have experienced since we were drafted in 2013. There is so much support with these women. And last night proved it.
So go ahead, watch the show. Laugh, be entertained, and enjoy it all... but just make sure you remember it isn't all full of the privileged partiers. The world of professional athletes of full of women who work hard, keep multiple jobs so their man can live his dreams, parent on their own, live apart from their spouses more than half the year, and are educated beyond most. It is full of women who support, serve, and love. They are looking for ways to give back. They are looking for ways to grow. And they are always looking for the best way to support their professional athlete through the highs and the lows because they love him for him. Not for this athlete status.
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