Pat McAfee unimpressed with how Ian Rapoport is spending divisional round week

Pat McAfee would be the first to say that in the NFL, January is often seen as a month as critical as any in a season. If their team is in the playoffs, they are working as hard as possible. For Ian Rapoport, his team is every team. Therefore, many expect him to be busy at this time of year. Instead, many would be surprised to find out where Rapoport was this week.

Pat McAfee: a little envious?

While much of the football media industry is nose-deep in stats, news, and prep work, Rapoport is out on the slopes at an unnamed mountain. According to the Pat McAfee Show, Rapoport was out getting skiing lessons. Based on the clip posted and the attached comment, McAfee seemed a little envious.

Ian Rapoport defended himself by responding to the tweet, citing work/life balance. He also admitted that he has already been back since.

It would be easy for Ian Rapoport and similar insider-types to let their jobs become an all-day affair. Thanks to smartphones and social media being accessible anywhere in the world, Rapoport could work anywhere and everywhere as much as he wants. On one hand, the ability for flexibility is great. However, if he allows it to follow him around, it could be a never-ending chain holding him back.

Too much time working leads to burnout and work quality suffers as a result. So Rapoport is perfectly happy to shut it down and do something different at times.

Of course, that brings up the timing. Is the meat of the playoffs the best time to be off skiing? Some would say it would not be, as the time commitment and injury chances could bleed into work time during a critical moment. This could create risk.

However, others would say that line of thinking becomes a slippery slope. If one can find one reason to push themselves harder, they can find other reasons to do so. Once boundaries get pushed around, it becomes quite difficult to reestablish them.

Ian Rapoport's skiing brought to light on the Pat McAfee Show - Credit: @Pat McAfeeShow on Twitter

It could even take a long time for it to become clear that boundaries were moving too much. In the process, someone could end up taking things too far, which could have created long-lasting side effects in the time between the first and final erosions of boundaries.

As for Ian Rapoport, it is clear which side he has landed on in the discussion. No matter how many media outlets do a story on his adventures, Rapoport will continue to do what he feels is right for his work/life balance.