Travel! Meet famous people! Work once a week! No fancy degree required! And at $53,000 per year, you can make decent coin. Sweet.
That is (supposedly) the paid job of the NFL waterboy. You'll see this NFL employee running up to a bunch of grown men and squirting water in their mouths or faces. They hand out towels, too. And the cameras don't see the water guys bobbing and weaving around players, staff and camera cables on the sidelines to get where they need to be without getting in the way.
But all in all, it would be a pretty good gig. A job almost too good to be true — because it probably isn't true. Sources differ on whether this is a job a person can actually get paid for. True, someone does it, but do they really get paid and is there ever an opening? Maybe not.
First, it is unclear as to where the $53,000 salary point comes from. Since waterboys are part of the training staff, this probably reflects an entry level training salary. Fanbuzz.com seems to think the job is real and the pay is true. But Reference.com seems to think waterboys are unpaid interns or are paid a small stipend for the job. Football referee Justin Klug, writing in Quora, says NFL teams don't hire waterboys. They are usually training staff, interns or children of coaches and players who volunteer for the job.
One thing is for sure: The NFL doesn't advertise for waterboys. BUT NFL clubs do advertise for all sorts of other jobs. If you love football, check out the jobs at nfl.com/careers/clubs. With the right training, you could be working for your favorite team.
