SOME FOOTBALLERS flaunt their new-found wealth, with flashy cars and a ton of girlfriends. Women come with the territory in professional football.
"Female fans are always there. Everywhere you go people try to get close to you. I have been in the position where I didn't have to say a word to get a girl. I liked the attention. Sometimes you talk to them and it's nothing beyond that."
So said Altimont Butler, recounting the temptations he experienced while still a national player.
"You can't sleep with everybody. It would be pretty hard to have a meaningful relationship with a woman who throws herself at me," he said.
Ian 'Pepe' Goodison, Coach Brown observed, is not a Sidney Poitier... yet a lot of women are attracted to him because of his personality.
"He is loved by the fans, he is very aggressive on the field and off field very gentle," Mr. Brown said.
Sex can be a strenuous pastime for either male or female. It is an activity that can take a lot of energy depending on how involved one becomes. Over the years we have been told that the players cannot have sex before a game, but coach Brown says he doesn't dictate or penalise a player if he engages in sexual activities before a game.
"It's a known fact that sexual activity is a tiring process, so we try to teach and encourage our players not to take part the night before a game," he said.
The love that the players really care about is that coming from Jamaican fans. The admiration showered on the footballers when they do well is the ultimate seduction. Conversely, the rejection that comes when they do badly is devastating.
"I remember playing against Canada, missed a goal, redeemed myself three days later, but this was not good enough for the fans. I went through one week of hell. While driving through the city I heard some people calling me names," said Butler.
The former national footballer said he lived with the guilt for a very long time because he felt he had let the country down.
Abroad, the crowd response is less fickle.
"It was easy to cope when I played in Europe, Guadelope and the United States. Overseas the people have more passion," said Butler.
To Coach Brown unnecessary pressure can be detrimental to the psyche of the team.
"We don't put them through unnecessary pressure; they are the judge of that. Whereas in the earlier part of the programme we had to ensure the players go to their beds at a set time and monitor the type of food they consume, today it's much easier," he said.
