Alright, back for Round 2. This week focuses more on preparation during your careers: your finances, your representation choice, your body, and your off-the-field decisions.


A Professional Athletes' Best Friend
J.S. Kim is the Managing Director of SmartKnowledgeU™. He has over thirteen years of experience in finance and financial services, and has earned a BA in Neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the McCombs Business School, University of Texas at Austin. He is the inventor of the revolutionary MoneyPing™ investment strategies- a novel approach to learn how to build wealth, not just dreams.

Ok, so this guy, J.S. Kim, wrote this article and explains the pitfalls that many athletes wander into when they hire a financial advisor without doing the appropriate research. As he mentions in the article, countless athletes don’t take into consideration that their careers may not last the 10-15 years that all athletes strive for. When this happens, they spend their money way too fast, way too early and leave themselves with no outs when that unexpected, career-ending injury devastates their world. This is a great article for all athletes to read and take into consideration when they start coming up on their big signing day. Even if your career lasts 15 years, it is not the 30-45 years that a majority of America works, so you MUST plan for your future.

Sapp, Gold Medalists May-Treanor and Greene Will be "Dancing With the Stars"
Your revenues from playing sports don’t and shouldn’t end with your playing career. Athletes are constantly on TV and in commercials so don’t forget about the marketing ability you have when it comes time to call it quits on the field. If you’re interested in working in showbiz after you’re done, when you’re considering hiring an agent, look into the connections that they have in Hollywood and the entertainment industry(I recommend that you look for a SAG franchised agent). All players aren’t like or going to be like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, who get any entertainment gig with a backwoods agent who has never seen a TV commercial before. Create the most opportunities for yourself and that starts with an agent that can accomplish the goals you have set for yourself.
 
New Sports Fitness Journal
SMARTT is a sports fitness journal that is dedicated to the advancement of information and expertise in the field of sports medicine and fitness. It is an open source journal that will allow physicians, scientists, and other members of this field to post in their thoughts and experiences to help expand the knowledge base. This is an important journal for athletes to check in on and keep in mind. Injuries are devastating to athletes, especially because as an athlete advances through his career, his opportunities diminish and an injury can destroy any chance of advancing. Read up on as many techniques and information about sports fitness to decrease the chances that you incur an injury during training or even playing.
 
The NCAA’s “No Agent” Rule Discriminates Against Baseball Players
This article by Rick Karcher is very interesting because it deals with an aspect that apparently every baseball player entering the MLB draft has to go through- representation. The article mentions how every single pick, no matter the round, now has representation despite the NCAA’s restrictions on representation. As mentioned, Rick theorizes that this lack of enforcement is due to the obscure boundaries between being an advisor and an agent. It is his proposal that NCAA should amend their rules to reflect similarly to the rules that govern football and basketball.
 
Comment on what you think of Rick’s article and his proposal of leveling the playing field surrounding different sports. And if you have gone through this process, please share your experiences and thoughts on the matter as you have a unique perspective.
 
Pacman Jones Reinstated, Cleared to Play for Cowboys
Pacman is officially back in the NFL after being suspended for 17 months for being an idiot. It is good to see that he has for now turned over a new leaf, even though he will always be on probation. It's a powerful reminder of how bad things can get for a star athlete who gets in trouble. Skilled athletes like Jones get the world served up to them with a silver spoon for the duration of their stardom and all they have to do is be a decent member of society. If you want to drink, that’s fine it’s your right, as long as you’re of age. If you want to go to strip clubs, again it's also fine as long as you’re of age.

Just remember that the multi-million dollar contract or letter of intent you signed isn’t just to play the game; it’s also to deal with the added publicity, to deal with the extra attention, and to represent the many organizations you are now a part of in a good light. As more and more athletes, both amateur and pro, lace the media with stories of crimes and run-ins with the law, the public sympathizes less and less. I know this probably came off a little preachy, but that’s because it’s essential to note the heights that superstar athletes have fallen from for a night of stupidity. 

As always, this column is for you guys so let me know what you think or if you have any other noteworthy news, send it my way to tim@accessathletes.com.

-Tim