Many athletes have been affected by the flu at big moments, including (clockwise from top left) Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Bruce Smith and Elvis Stojko.
(ABC News)Each year, the flu leaves many bed-ridden and unable to get to work. And while you might worry about how your co-workers will feel about the time you miss, it's unlikely you'll have to worry about disappointing hordes of fans.
But star athletes do: The virus has changed the course of championships, either in the form of missed opportunities or plays made even more memorable for what players overcame.
"Fans are not forgiving of athletes for being human," said Dr. Rebecca Jaffe, a family and sports medicine physician in Wilmington, Del., speaking of her own experiences with New York- and Philadelphia-area fans.
"They shouldn't put their overall health at risk to do something that will limit or compromise their well-being."
So some athletes make it out to play, while others have their doctors recommend staying home.
"It depends on the severity of it," said Dr. Scott E. Nelson, a family physician in Cleveland, Miss. "Milder cases of the flu, we've seen all sorts of athletes in different sports make it happen."
How well athletes respond may also depend on whether they've had flu before.
"If you get the true flu, you feel like you've been hit by a truck, so you're not likely to get up and exercise," said Jaffe.
"[An athlete] might have been exposed to the flu previously, and therefore had some antibodies. He may have had a milder case and been able to rise above it," she said.
Athletes who sit out the game may decide they won't be in top form.
"I think a fan's sympathy, at least from me, as both a fan and physician [is that] if someone's got the flu and they don't want to play, they're doing it because they don't want to hurt the team," said Nelson.
That may be something to keep in mind the next time you don't feel you can make it in to help your own team at the office.
But in the meantime, here are some athletes who came down with the flu -- and how that affected their job performance.
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