A 2009 Sports Illustrated article reported that 60 percent of former NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. And after two years of retirement, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress. (You can read Pablo Torre‘s piece from the SI Archives – click HERE.)
From the new ESPN Series “30 For 30,” here’s director Billy Corben’s contribution ‘Broke: How Millionaire Athletes End Up Broke.’ (This is the entire 1:27 film so when you start the video, click the Full Screen icon in the lower right corner of the video screen to take it all in.) . We understand the NFLPA is objecting to some statements made by reporter Darren Rovell in the movie.(Read about their statement on B&C – click HERE.) . EDITOR’S NOTE (Oct. 10, 2012):We just added an interview to the end of this post from radio program Sports Unplugged with Broke director Billy Corben discussing more background on what he learned during the making of his film. .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS .
Wednesday, 2 May 2011 .
BY EVAN WEINER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM COMMENTARY . I didn’t know Junior Seau although I met him on the day he was drafted into the National Football League in 1990 and probably interviewed him after a football game a few times more. From all accounts, he was a fearsome presence on the football field; a killer who at times could control a game defensively. .
But Junior Seau didn’t live to be a ripe old age and until an autopsy is performed and a police investigation is complete, there is no need to speculate about the circumstances surrounding Seau’s death other than he was found dead of a shotgun wound on the morning of May 2, 2012 about 22 years after the San Diego Chargers football team called his name at the annual National Football League event. .
The gun wound should strike a nerve among former players. It seems that is becoming a way of life and death among NFL alum suffering from life altering injuries that probably came from years and years of absorbing hits on the football field. People do hear about former NFL players but there seems to be no tracking of high school and college players who years after their football careers ended killed themselves. . continue reading »
From Top Business Degrees: A numbers analysis of professional sports. Of course, football tops the list and generates nearly as much as MLB AND NBA combined. And as most of us already know – especially after BountyGate exposed the tip of the iceberg – gambling makes up the largest piece of the big picture.Just one more topic to discuss at our upcoming Conference in Las Vegas April 20 – 22 – click HERE to register. .
Posted with the express consent of Evan Weiner: THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS . Covenant between fans and sports is a facade
Thursday, 12 May 2011 BY EVAN WEINER NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM .
NFL Smoke & Mirrors
It is almost laughable to hear sports owners and employees (coaches, front office executives and players) talk about their concerns for the fan, the mythical covenant that National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern uses in biblical terms to explain the bond and trust that sports and fans have. It is a mere fantasy. Sports is a big business with cutthroats all about and the fan is the last to know. .
Sy Syms used to use a tag line in his television commercials in the New York market and other points in selling his clothes store saying that “an educated consumer is our best customer.” If that axiom was applied to the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League or big time college sports, anyone with any inkling of how the sports industry works would walk away before they were fleeced. .
Sports fans have online petitions, Facebook groups trying to show their muscle in an effort to put an end to the NFL lockout. They should devote their energies to other pursuits. Neither the owners nor the players care about sports fans except to lift money out of their pockets to pay for the debt service on a municipally built facility or for an autograph at some show. .continue reading »
The Super Bowl is now history and it is time for the National Football League owners and the National Football League Players Association to play the real “Big Game” of the season. The Collective Bargaining Agreement contest pitting the 32 owners against the more than 1,500 players on the teams.
A new study to be released this Friday will reveal some very surprising numbers and statistics in comparing major global sports and professional athletes. While American football is unquestionably the most lucrative professional team sport on earth, most people – especially football fans – will be completely shocked to realize that football doesn’t even place in the Top 10 for salaries. Who’s Number 1? MLB’s New York Yankees is the top team with an average annual salary of $7 million while the NBA is the richest league (!). The NFL is among the cheapest, ranking below cricket!
I didn’t know Junior Seau although I met him on the day he was drafted into the National Football League in 1990 and probably interviewed him after a football game a few times more. From all accounts, he was a fearsome presence on the football field; a killer who at times could control a game defensively.
The Super Bowl is now history and it is time for the National Football League owners and the National Football League Players Association to play the real “Big Game” of the season. The Collective Bargaining Agreement contest pitting the 32 owners against the more than 1,500 players on the teams.
A new study to be released this Friday will reveal some very surprising numbers and statistics in comparing major global sports and professional athletes. While American football is unquestionably the most lucrative professional team sport on earth, most people – especially football fans – will be completely shocked to realize that football doesn’t even place in the Top 10 for salaries. Who’s Number 1? MLB’s New York Yankees is the top team with an average annual salary of $7 million while the NBA is the richest league (!). The NFL is among the cheapest, ranking below cricket!