The Real Athlete blog

Something To Think About: Introduction

by Matt Ramer 02-22-2011 02:24 AM Finance

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The culture of Professional sports is in so many ways glamorous. In fact, more often than not, among the first thoughts one has when thinking of Professional Athletes is their life style and levels of income. We often marvel at some of the current day contracts and wallow in thoughts of how much those paychecks can be. However, while the paychecks may be enormous, do too many of us, including these athletes, make the error of not discriminating between the size of a paycheck, and the amount of career earnings?

Would it surprise you to learn that the average physician in America earns significantly more during their career than the average NFL player? However, we are in awe of the NFL player not because of their career earnings, but because of how big their contracts are perceived to be. And yet, each and every year, retired players are running out of money and declaring bankruptcy. How can that be?

Athletes in Transition: 5 Tips on How to Find Your Next Passion

by Nick Murphy 02-21-2011 09:52 PM Life After Sports | Athlete Services

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Transition Advice for Athletes by Former NFL Player Nick Murphy

Transitioning from sports to business is about more than finding another job. For your whole life (or at least all that you can remember) you’ve been consumed by a passion to compete in a sport. While there are intramural leagues and co-ed softball tournaments aplenty, nothing will ever replace competition at a high level. The crowds, the noise, and the energy—they’re all irreplaceable.

What isn’t irreplaceable is the passion for which you approached your sport. Will anything be the same playing on a NFL field on a Sunday in December? No, of course not. But once you’ve come to terms with this fact, your transition into the business world—the “real world”—will be so much easier.

Will Renardo Sidney Take Advantage of His Second Chance?

by Randy Brown 02-19-2011 01:04 AM Athlete Career Development | Crisis Management | Education | Human Relations

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Renardo Sidney appears to be back on track thanks to a second chance. His team and coaching staff have accepted the past incidents and are moving forward. Sidney was ruled ineligible for his entire freshman year and part of this season due to NCAA infractions. In his sophomore season, he has missed 12 of the 25 games Mississippi State has played this year. Following his two-game suspension in late December after a highly-publicized brawl with teammate Elgin Bailey in the stands of a tournament in Honolulu, the 6-foot-10, 275-pound big man has been averaging 12.9 PPG and a team-leading 7.4 RPG for the Bulldogs.

Changing Lives, The So Cal Falcons Way

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The influence of the National Football League and football reach across our country and our world. One doesn’t need to live in an NFL market to see the positive influence that the sport of football can have on the character of our youth. Before Super Bowl XLV, I caught up with Keith Johnson, President of the Southern California Falcons (The So Cal Falcons), a Pop Warner League, to learn about the organization, its mission, its efforts, and its progress. Despite Los Angeles not having an NFL team (a little bit of irony for me since I helped to relocate the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995), The So Cal Falcons are a beacon of light in a tough part of the city.

In the spring of 2005, Keith Johnson, a speaker and trainer, joined forces with the entertainer Snoop Dogg, and together they created the Southern California Falcons in the Snoop Youth Football League. Their initial goal was to offer an affordable youth football league for children in Los Angeles’ inner city.

The Business Within the Game: How to Out-BRAND the Competition!

by Joe Jackman 02-07-2011 02:29 AM Image Branding | Marketing | Sports Business

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A recent New York Times article featured a story on New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who shut down so many receivers that teammates started calling his turf Revis Island, where opposing players were inevitably marooned. Soon after, Mayor Michael Bloomberg jokingly renamed Manhattan Revis Island. Not surprisingly, Revis sought protection for the term “Revis Island.”

This story illustrates how a growing number of professional athletes are seeking trademark protection for their names, slogans, nicknames and even their catchphrases. This is a good thing. Today’s world-class athletes are becoming more business savvy and brand conscious then ever.

Personal Branding

As many former professional athletes continue to struggle in their post-career endeavors – yes even recent millionaire retirees – finding ways to capitalize on what is often a brief playing career and short-lived celebrity brand is essential in maximizing earning potential.

Rudy Award Winner Chance Anthony and Insightful Player Kevin Reilly Turn Adversity into Awe-Inspiring Triumph

by Chrissy Carew 02-05-2011 05:27 PM Athlete Career Development | Education | Human Relations | Insightful Player

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If you passed Chance Anthony on the street, you might not guess that he was a high school football player, and you almost certainly wouldn’t guess that he recently won one of the most coveted awards granted within his sport: the High School Football Rudy Awards, which searches for the most inspirational football players in America who best demonstrate the exemplary values of football legend Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger, the iconic figure of the classic football film Rudy. The Awards seek to find those players who best define what Rudy refers to as the “The Four C’s”: Character, Courage, Contribution, and Commitment. As the first-place winner, Chance received a $10,000 academic scholarship.

Although he has the strong physique and size of many high school football players, Chance is different from most in one significant way: one of his arms is normally formed, but the other ends at the elbow. But his parents set an example for him from day one that he could probably do just about anything his peers could. As a doctor told them around the time of Chance’s birth, Chance would never know his body any other way; to him, his status would feel normal, and he would learn what his body was capable of doing as he grew the same way any other child would.

Kevin Coble, Bryce Brown & Seantrel Henderson’s Tough Decisions

by Eileen Wisnewski 02-05-2011 04:01 PM Athlete Career Development

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With the college bowl season in the record books and college basketball in full swing, I want to discuss some college athletes who made tough decisions to move on from their teams. As these stories have since evolved in the press, I am focusing on the initial actions and reports.

1. Kevin Coble & Northwestern:

Kevin Coble did not return to the Northwestern Wildcats basketball team this year. After surgery on his left

Kevin Coble led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding each of his three seasons. (Getty Images)

foot he went through rigorous rehabilitation and was told he would eventually have full recovery. During the rehab process, however, Coble made the decision to finish out his senior year at Northwestern, but not to return to basketball. Northwestern coach Bill Carmody stated, “[Coble] looked me in the eye and told me. We had some talks. He’s a thoughtful player and you have to respect it.”

Source: [Coble quits Northwestern basketball team]

Relevance to careers:

What Kevin did here was the best you could hope for as a college coach or an employer. Keeping people in the communication loop will always have positive results – even if the message is not what people want to hear. They will respect your honesty, even if the outcome is not what they were hoping for. Both coaches and employers just want open communication throughout the process. Does this mean you should inform your employer as soon as you think about applying to a new position? No. This could actually backfire and result in you being unemployed. It does mean, though, once you have made a decision to accept a new offer be respectful of your current employer and let them know immediately – give a proper notice which is typically two weeks.

The Limits of Loyalty: How Far Should Friendship Go for Pro Athletes?

by Dr. Timothy Thompson 02-04-2011 12:52 AM Trusted Athlete Educator | Athlete Career Development | Human Relations | Image Branding

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The Oregonian columnist John Canzano raised an important point in his January 5 piece about a New Year’s Eve murder allegedly committed by one of former Portland Trailblazer Zach Randolph’s running buddies (at least while Randolph was with that team). Although nothing links Randolph to the murder, for Canzano the incident raises serious questions about which kinds of personal demons a professional sports franchise should accommodate and which ones should be deal breakers.

My understanding of the columnist’s main answer to that question is that he believes sports teams should consider the types of people in a player’s inner circle as a major clue about the player’s true character. Canzano goes further to suggest that the Portland Trail Blazers and all other professional sports teams should stay away from signing any player who hangs around with people who are likely to be involved in criminal activities, despite how talented such a player might be.

Lessons from the Jay Cutler Story

by Jason Krump 02-03-2011 10:45 PM Social Media | Human Relations

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Not that there needs to be another piece on the Jay Cutler saga, especially now that it seems the furor has died down (unless you are a Chicago Bears fan, like me), but the story does offer lessons about the ever-increasing influence of social media and the power of perception.

First a couple of disclaimers.

1) As I have already mentioned, I am a die-hard Bears fan which leads to…

2) …that I, too, joined the multitude of fans, who offered their thoughts via Twitter on Cutler leaving the Jan. 23 NFC Championship Game.

So what motivated me to express my opinion?

Athlete Weekly Rundown: The 10-day NBA contract, Luther Elliss is bankrupt & the journey of Jorge Gutierrez

by Matthew Allinson 02-01-2011 10:40 PM Athlete Weekly Rundown

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Athlete Development

Tamir Goodman is now in northeast Ohio using basketball as a tool to teach kids about life, sharing his story to inspire others. [Catching up with Tamir Goodman, aka 'The Jewish Jordan']

The adventures of former Va Tech standout Zabian Dowdell as he tries to survive the NBA's 10-day contract. [10 Days To Live]

Business

Ngum Suh is the director of operations for the Ndamukong Suh Family Foundation and is also responsible for handling her little brother's business ventures, appearances and nonfootball related activities. [Sister leads 'Team Suh']