Now What? Part III

"Now What" has been a series of articles concerning the financial woes and successes of professional athletes after retiring from sports.  Let's recap.  Part I focused on athletes who lost it all, spent/invested unwisely, and could have considered burning their money as a better alternative.  Part II went down the other path, exploring the post-athletic careers of Magic Johnson, Mo Vaughn, and others.  These men put their millions to good use, helping communities and turning a profit at the same time.  The third and final installment focuses on the future.  Will former athletes continue to make headline news with their financial blunderings, or will something change?

Professional athletes make incredible amounts of money.  With average salaries going up every year, being drafted gives athletes the opportunity to make more money than many Americans will make in their lives.  Although most people rightly see this as a blessing, it has also become a curse.  Athletes are seen as rich playboys who spend their money on all sorts of frivolous and unconscionable mansions, cars, and other toys.  Few people see the likes of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, or Michael Bloomberg in a similar light.  Instead these billionaires transcend their own money, seen as smart and prudent instead of vacuous.  So far, I have delved into the many causes of this irresponsible spending and investing on the part of former professional athletes, but I have not given a forecast for the future or a comprehensive way to solve these issues (education being the only solution I previously referenced).  



Athletes, like presidents, should have both a keen mind and good advisors.  To expect every professional athlete to be schooled in post-keynesian economics, or how global trade effects their annual salaries is a futile task.  On the other hand, it would not be unreasonable for every professional athlete to read a chapter of "Freakonomics" or "Personal Finances for Dummies" every week.  Professional athletes, who have just entered the world of the upper class, should have a rudimentary understanding of taxes, investments, and banking.

We all have certain predispositions from our childhoods, whether we were originally dirt poor or wealthy, that cause us to make certain decisions.  Situations arrise, such as the poor black basketball star who wants to buy his mother the house she could never afford, or the Yale graduate who uses his money to set up trusts for the children he hasn't borne and the wife he has yet to marry.  Both scenarios have validity and neither necessarily constitutes a bad decision.  An athlete should be able to buy his mother a mansion, but simultaneously understand that he cannot buy every friend from his neighborhood one as well.  Limits exist, and as the old adage goes, everything in moderation.  These are lessons every athlete should learn.  Not only should these newly minted millionaires have at least a minor knowledge of money, they should hire the right people to oversee their wealth on a day-to-day basis.  Making your best friend your financial advisor probably won't work unless he recently received his MBA from Wharton.  Hire a team of financial advisors to manage your considerable wealth, it's exactly what most upper-middle class and upper-class Americans do.

Luke Skywalker

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is depicted as the only remaining hope to save everyone from the evil empire.  George Lucas' first film is titled "A New Hope".  Don't worry, I don't think I've found the one athlete who will save the rest from financial ruin, but I do think Andrew Luck should be the next poster child for "best financial decisions made in a career".  Nothing has been written in stone, much of this is speculation. 


Andrew Luck, son of Oliver and Kathy, brother of Addison, Mary Ellen, and Emily Luck, and the most recent quarterback to be chosen number one overall in the NFL draft, possesses immense talent, intelligence, and upside.  When the Indianapolis Colts selected Luck no.1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft, they knew what they were getting.  They wanted the next Peyton Manning, and from most accounts and predictions, Luck may be a Manning look alike.  He stands 6 foot 4 inches tall, weighs about 230 pounds, throws a football at the speed of an intercontinental ballistic missile with the accuracy of a skilled marksman.  His athletic abilities are only matched by his gifted mind.  Luck was co-valedictorian of his high school class, entertained scholarships to Northwestern, Rice, and the University of Virginia, and chose to attend Stanford University.  

Andrew Luck

By all accounts, the 22-year old is athletic, smart, and a soon to be inductee into the select group of professional athlete millionaires.  Will Luck be smart with his money?  He comes from solid stock.  Luck's father, Oliver, played quarterback in the NFL for the Houston Oilers.  After retiring, the senior Luck received his law degree from the University of Texas, and moved to Germany to practice law.  Following an unsuccessful run at a seat in the United States Congress, Oliver Luck was named the CEO of the Houston Sports Authority.  Next, he took a position as the athletics director of his alma mater West Virginia University.  So, it seems young Andrew has a pretty good role model to look to for guidance in both his athletic and post-athletic pursuits.  Luck has a good advisor, but how about his personality?  According to an article in USA Today, Luck rode his bicycle around the Stanford campus instead of toting an expensive car.  He decided to forgo the NFL after his junior year of college to return for his senior year.  Luck graduated with a bachelors degree in architecture, carrying a 3.48 GPA while studying his other major, football.  


So it seems like this young man has the makings of someone who will not only succeed on the field but off of it as well.  He has a good head on his shoulders, strong role models, a great arm, and most importantly a solid attitude.  If ever there was someone whom young athletes should emulate, it is Andrew Luck.  I predict that, no matter the direction his football career takes, Luck will be successful in many spheres, especially financially. 


Well, folks, this trilogy has now come to an end.  I've profiled financial dunces like Curt Schilling and Allen Iverson, movers & shakers like Magic Johnson and Mo Vaughn, and the star of the future, Andrew Luck.  All of these men have one thing in common.  They all played or will play professional sports.  In fact, they have succeeded or most likely will succeed in their given sport.  The X-factor with these men, and all professional athletes, remains the manner in which they treat their status of "wealthy".  Education, solid role models, and above all else a strong attitude constitute the most important factors of financial success, even for those with the most money.   

Now What? Part II

Erving "Magic" Johnson co-owner of the LA Dodgers 

In the first installment of the "Now What?" three part series, I explored the problems many professional athletes encounter in their post-sports careers.  Professional athletes usually retire with large sums of money that they must then put to some use.  As was previously discussed, athletes like Curt Schilling and Allen Iverson chose paths that inexorably led them towards bankruptcy and humiliation.  In part II, I will delve into the lives of those professional athletes who have experienced financial success following productive and lucrative careers in sports.

Michael Jordan was the greatest basketball player the world has ever seen.  Few people would truly disagree with that statement.  What is the answer to this question: "Who was the greatest point guard ever?"  Not everyone (Celtics fans), would say Magic Johnson, but I would.  Johnson won 5 NBA championships, 3 league MVP trophies, and 3 Finals MVP trophies, and those are only a few of his accolades.  Magic Johnson, by all accounts, had one of the most prolific NBA careers of all time, but it was cut short when he discovered he was HIV positive.

For many professional athletes at the height of a hall-of-fame career, this news would cause them to become recluse.  Instead, Johnson decided to begin his second career, as a businessman.  Not long after retiring from the NBA in 1995, Johnson began searching for investors for an urban rebuilding project he predicted would become a money maker.  Most rejected his proposal, but friends urged Johnson to use his considerable wealth for the venture.  Johnson's proposal was to put in place food, retail, and entertainment stores into predominantly poor, black, and hispanic neighborhoods in Los Angeles.  He believed he understood what the people in these communities wanted.  Where most saw dilapidated  shopping centers, Johnson saw a business opportunity, one in which he could dually profit and supply desired demands to lower-class citizens of Los Angeles.

He showed his business acuity by meeting with gang leaders, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, and other community leaders in order to perfect his investment plans for urban Los Angeles.  He instituted different food and beverage options in the blacker area movie theaters, switching from the usual options to sweeter drinks, spicier hot dogs, and buffalo wings.  Johnson racked up business success after business success, eventually leading him to create Magic Johnson Enterprises, a company Forbes estimates to be worth over $700 million.  He owns 5% of the Los Angeles Lakers and recently joined Guggenheim Partners and Stan Kasten in buying the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Success after a professional sports career doesn't even begin to describe Magic Johnson, he is a  tycoon.  

Mo Vaughn, MVP turned Businessman

If Magic Johnson represents one end of the spectrum and Allen Iverson the other, Mo Vaughn sits comfortably between them.  Maurice "Mo" Vaughn played professional baseball for 13 seasons, accumulating just over $100 million in the process.  He made 3 All-Star teams and was crowned the 1995 American League Most Valuable Player.  Two events, one negative and the other positive, happened in Vaughn's post-MLB career.  First, the Mitchell Report demonstrated that he knowingly took performance enhancing drugs supplied by Kurt Radomski.  Second, he decided to invest in creating better living spaces for poorer New York City residents.  


Towards the end of his MLB career, the Anaheim Angels traded Mo Vaughn and his $70+ million contract to the New York Mets.  Once in New York, Vaughn experienced debilitating injuries that forced him to retire in 2003.  After retirement, Vaughn, the child of a high school teacher and principal, decided to give back to the city he felt he had failed.  Instead of donating money to non-profit charities, Vaughn decided to assist New York City and simultaneously begin his second career.  The former Red Sox 1st baseman created OMNI New York LLC., a company whose main goal is to invest in and repair low-income-housing.  Vaughn partnered with savvy businessmen and others more experienced in the world of low-income housing in order to create a juggernaut of a company that has bought and rehabilitated 1,142 housing units in New York City.  The company has been a success, and in 2009 Vaughn moved to purchase and recondition low-income housing near Boston, another city in which he played Major League Baseball.  

Good deeds can include profit

While former athletes like Curt Schilling and Allen Iverson squander their millions by investing poorly and spending like a teenage girl at Coach with daddy's Mastercard, others like Johnson and Vaughn became successful businessmen in their post-sports careers.  So, why did it work out for Mo Vaughn and not Curt Schilling?  Vaughn found a niche market, diligently researched the venture, and then asked for help from those with more experience than he.  Johnson utilized his knowledge of the day-to-day lives of low-income minorities to eventually provide them with products they desired.  Somehow, both Johnson and Vaughn were able to help communities, as many former professional athletes do, while simultaneously finding a way to make a profit.  Building your own video game studio, so cleverly named 38 Studios, depicts a self-centered man who wanted to first have fun and secondly run a business.  Johnson and Vaughn saw their ventures not as fun, but money-making opportunities that would both benefit the community and create new careers for themselves.  


If professional sports leagues were to write a manual for how to succeed after retirement, Magic Johnson and Mo Vaughn should be included.  In addition to businessmen, former pro athletes have successfully run non-profits (Dikembe Mutombo), become broadcasters, or chose to remain in sports as coaches (Robin Ventura) and administrators (John Elway).  The end of an illustrious sports career does not imply success after the fact, but with so many positive examples, there must be hope for all of them.  
Next time you watch a former profession athlete receive a community service award, provide play-by-play analysis, or buy/rehabilitate low-income housing, remember the numerous ways in which that person could have selfishly slapped the American Dream in the face by squandering their millions, but instead decided to take the opposite path.

Now What?: Part I

Athletes dazzle us with their incredible competitiveness, talent, and will to win.  Following a player from prospect to professional athlete to veteran provides fans with exhilarating and fulfilling memories.  During these careers, most professional athletes earn exorbitant amounts of money, placing them in the United States' top tax bracket as well as the everyday citizen's category of rich.  One question remains: "Once retired, what do athletes do with the money they made during their careers?" This three part series will explore the financial highs and lows of professional athletes after they retired from their given sport.  Part one focuses on athletes who'se retirements have been marred by financially difficulty.

Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling is in trouble.  By all standards, the former Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox pitcher needs help.  Following retirement from Major League Baseball, Schilling decided to create and run his own video game company.  He called it 38 Studios, named for his jersey number throughout his career.  From an outsiders perspective this venture seemed harmless.  A rich man who wanted to exploit the video game craze, and, more importantly, put his personal stamp on the project.  Unfortunately for Schilling, venture capitalists did not agree with Curt's optimism for the company, refusing to invest millions of dollars in the video game studio.  In response to a lack of funds, Schilling sunk about $50 million of his own into the company.  In his 18-year career, it is estimated that Schilling made just over $114 million.  


Despite putting almost 50% of his MLB earnings into 38 Studios, the company required more money for day-to-day operations.  Thus, Schilling applied for and was subsequently granted $75 million in loans from the state of Rhode Island.  The recent recession has caused strife for most state economies, but Rhode Island has been hit harder than most.  38 Studios recent filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy only deepens an already hurting state economy that, like George Foreman, cannot afford another Muhammed Ali sized punch, lest they fall to to the mat in defeat.  Schilling faces numerous other issues including an inability to pay for his employees health insurance, and failing to pay some employees' salaries.  Overall, I think it reasonable to call 38 Studios a sunk venture in need of serious help.  Schilling screwed the pooch in every way, showing his ineffectiveness as an entrepreneur, CEO, and citizen.  While Schilling could do no wrong on the mound, he did everything wrong when it came to investing his millions and running a company.  

Allen Iverson

Schilling does not constitute the only famous millionaire athlete to incur financial troubles after retiring from professional sports.  Not to pick on former Philadelphia athletes, but no conversation concerning athletes financial troubles can begin or end without including Allen Iverson.  The former 76ers MVP guard has hit rock bottom.  After securing himself as one of the greatest professional basketball players of all time, and racking up over $200 million, Iverson retired from the NBA in 2010.  During that illustrious 15-year career, Iverson supported more than 50 of his closest friends, a family, and his "thug" desires.  "The Answer", as Iverson was known during his career, owes $859,000 to a Georgia jewelry store and $2.5 million on a house in Denver, Colorado.  In addition to simple debt, Iverson's wife has filed for divorce, which could cost the broke former NBA All-Star even more money.  


So, to recap, Schilling took his riches and invested poorly, irresponsibly managed his business, and now wants help cleaning up the mess he made.  Iverson lived above his means, leaving us wondering how a millionaire could be so stupid, and faces more legal issues due to divorce.  These two former athletes shed light on a number of common problems that plague former professional athletes.  Poor investments, frivolous spending, unreasonable loyalties for friends, and familial issues lead to the most prolific falls from grace.  


What can we learn from these regrettable situation?  First, we learn that no matter how iconic and rich a person is, the ability to lose everything remains constant.  The American Dream is built upon every person striving for more and greater life pursuits.  More often than not, one of these chief goals is to attain wealth.  Professional athletes are blessed with special talents, and simultaneously work incredibly hard, thus earning themselves the title of millionaire.  Unfortunately, earning millions of dollars does not imply financial acumen or the ability to make informed and well-calculated decisions.  


So, what are the issues involved, and how can athletes help themselves to avoid financial ruin?  First, athletes need to take their educations more seriously.  Almost every NFL and NBA player attends college, but few take advantage of the gift of education.  Maybe, instead of majoring in fitness and exercise science, athletes should consider taking a few classes in economics.  This might be a smart decision, even if said athlete plans on leaving school early for the pros.  Second, finding smart, experienced, and trustworthy financial advisors to educate, instruct, and assist in investments and money management might prevent future financial collapse.  This advice only grazes the surface, and with so many professional athletes wasting their fortunes every iota is necessary.


In the second and third installments of this ongoing series, I will delve into professional athletes' successes in retirement, the future of post-athletic financial activities, and my take on the whole situation.