Why Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Brady, and other athletes are left empty after winning championships
Bryson DeChambeau revealed the surprising loneliness he felt after winning the 2020 U.S. Open, echoing struggles shared by Tom Brady and others.
Some of the biggest names in sports have reached the pinnacle of success, only to discover that championships, trophies, fame, and fortune can't provide the lasting fulfillment they have been searching for. Many have wondered why they feel lonely, empty, and even depressed after major accomplishments.
Tom Brady, Bryson DeChambeau, Aaron Rodgers, Sean McVay, Michael Phelps, and more have struggled with this inner turmoil after major accomplishments in sports.
These men have won championships, accumulated millions of dollars, earned worldwide recognition and cemented their legacies in sports history. They are some of the most accomplished in their respective sports, yet despite all that success, they've publicly acknowledged something that should make all of us stop and think: Winning doesn't necessarily bring the lasting happiness, peace or fulfillment we expect it to.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is the latest example.
During a recent appearance on the "Figuring Out with Raj Shamani" podcast, DeChambeau was transparent and vulnerable as he reflected on winning his first major championship at the 2020 U.S. Open and the surprising loneliness that followed.
After dedicating nearly his entire life to reaching that moment, he finally accomplished his dream. But the celebration eventually ended, and he found himself alone in bed with the trophy beside him.
"I gave 20 years of my life to do this and I did it. Well, now what do I do?" DeChambeau recalled.
He described waking up the following morning, realizing he'd won the U.S. Open, and almost immediately questioning what came next. What he had worked so hard for was fleeting.
"I'm in bed alone. I don't have my family with me. I don't have anybody around," he explained, describing the experience as a moment of vulnerability.
DeChambeau went on to explain how the experience forced him to reconsider his priorities, relationships and what he wanted his legacy to be, because he was realizing that being known as a U.S. Open champion only meant so much. What should have been one of the most satisfying moments of his life instead exposed a loneliness that a championship trophy couldn't fix.
DeChambeau continued: "I don't have somebody loving on me and giving me a kiss and a kid coming up on the bed and holding my hand and all that. Is that really what I want to do for my life? Is that one legacy I want to leave to? And so it really transforms you and makes you realize what life is about.
Interestingly, fellow golf superstar Scottie Scheffler expressed a nearly identical sentiment ahead of the 2025 Open Championship, explaining that even winning major championships doesn't provide lasting fulfillment.
"It's fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart," Scheffler admitted.
Quite the perspective and juxtaposition to DeChambeau, who had to find out the hard way.
Unlike DeChambeau, who described the loneliness of winning a U.S. Open without a wife or children to share it with, Scheffler has been outspoken about finding his ultimate identity and purpose in his Christian faith and his relationships with his wife and children.
In fact, Scheffler declared he'd rather be a great father than a great golfer, emphasizing that his faith and family take priority over his career. A very counter-cultural stance. It's a fascinating contrast between two of the world's best golfers: DeChambeau discovered that reaching the pinnacle of his sport left him longing for something greater, while Scheffler has already recognized that no trophy, paycheck or world ranking can satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart.
But DeChambeau is hardly alone.
In 2005, a 27-year-old Tom Brady had already won three Super Bowls when he made a remarkably similar admission during an interview with "60 Minutes."
"Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there is something greater out there for me?" Brady asked.
His conclusion was that there has to be more than just being an accomplished quarterback.
Think about that. Arguably, the greatest quarterback in NFL history had already accomplished more than most athletes ever will, yet he still wondered whether there was something greater to pursue.
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More than two decades later, that sentiment continues to resonate with other prominent sports figures.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay opened up about the same struggle during a September "60 Minutes" interview, which I previously wrote about for OutKick.
McVay admitted he'd convinced himself that winning a Super Bowl would finally make him happy. Instead, the championship exposed just how much of his identity and self-worth he'd attached to winning football games.
"The lies I told myself were, 'Once we win a Super Bowl I'll be happy,'" McVay admitted.
When the Rams followed their championship with a disappointing 2022 season, those insecurities became even more apparent. McVay seriously considered walking away from coaching for a broadcasting career before his wife challenged his thinking.
Aaron Rodgers has expressed similar concerns about finding identity outside of football. In a 2013 interview with Sports Illustrated, Rodgers emphasized that money couldn't buy happiness and that athletes needed to establish their identities beyond the game and the fame.
Years later, in the Netflix documentary "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma," the Super Bowl champion reflected on the unsettling question that followed reaching his ultimate professional goal: "Okay, now what?"
Even Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history with 28 medals, has spoken candidly about the emotional struggles that followed his greatest accomplishments.
Phelps revealed that he experienced periods of depression following multiple Olympic Games, describing the disorientation of spending years pursuing a goal only to feel lost once it was over. He has since become an advocate for mental health treatment, explaining that helping others means more to him than winning another gold medal.
Different sports. Different personalities. Different accomplishments. Yet a remarkably similar struggle.
Here's the reality: There's nothing wrong with pursuing greatness, working tirelessly toward a goal or celebrating the fruits of your labor. Sports provide some of the most inspiring examples of discipline, perseverance, sacrifice and excellence. Those are worth pursuing and celebrating.
But there's a difference between being passionate about what you do and allowing what you do to become who you are.
When your identity is built on winning, what happens when you lose? When your happiness depends on the next championship, what happens after you've won it? When your worth is measured by accomplishments, what happens when those accomplishments fade?
There's always another trophy to chase, another contract to sign, another record to break or another mountain to climb. But, if those things become the ultimate source of our happiness and identity, the satisfaction they provide will always be temporary.
While there are many books, philosophies, and worldviews, and intellectuals that have aimed to guide and warn us against the pursuit of worldly success as the ultimate goal, I believe the Book of Ecclesiastes says it best. King Solomon describes the emptiness of pursuing earthly pleasures and accomplishments apart from God. It's a lesson that remains just as relevant today. He calls it "vanity." It's essentially chasing after the wind.
As I wrote in my previous article about McVay, pursuing excellence in your career isn't a bad thing. Whether you're an athlete, accountant, plumber, or school teacher, you should aim to be the very best. But when your job, accomplishments or success become idols, they will eventually fail to provide the lasting fulfillment you're seeking. They can't be your primary source of meaning and fulfillment.
Personally, that fulfillment is found in Jesus Christ. My identity isn't in my job, my accomplishments, my failures or the opinions of others. It's in Him.
And while these athletes haven't all arrived at the same spiritual conclusions I have, or even you as a reader, their experiences point toward a truth worth considering:
You can win every award and trophy the world has to offer and still find yourself searching for something more.
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