Money isn't everything.... or is it? As another symbolic 'tax day' comes and go I thought it appropriate to talk about money and pro sports (as many athletes may be writing large checks to the IRS).
With the NFL veteran minimum over $800,000 annually, NHL team caps over $50 million, the top annual NBA salaries over $19 million, and some select MLB contracts approaching the moon, money does appear to be a focal point in professional athletics. But what many people don't realize is that many professional athletes only make a fraction of these well-publicized salaries. The median professional athletes' salary in the United States is $28,567 as reported by a CNN Money report. Let me clarify, this median is based on ALL professional athletics in America, which includes everything from gymnastics, swimming, bowling, all the way to the major sports of football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. Hard to believe it is so low, isn't it? Especially since the majority of the contracts we read and hear about in media are astronomical.
Former Tennessee Titan quarterback, Vince Young, is well above this median salary when he signed a $58 million contract some years back. So what's my point?
My point is this... This is the same Vince Young who returned to his University of Texas alma mater in order to complete his remaining academic requirements so he can graduate with a Social Work degree. You might ask, why on earth would a professional athlete with a $58 million contract go back for his Social Work degree? Is it because he read the same CNN Money report and noticed the median salary for a social worker is $13,586 higher than a professional athlete? (I'm not kidding, its in the same salary report) Maybe he felt it might give him something to fall back on if this professional athlete thing didn't work out?
I highly doubt it.
So why on earth would this premiere athlete say "no" to all of the other things he could do with his free time in order to focus on his studies. Well, to express the reason accurately, I believe it needs to come directly from Vince Young, himself. "It's not about the money and fame," Young said. "It's about education." He went on to explain that he wouldn't feel comfortable talking to kids about the importance of education if he didn't complete his own.
So whether it be the pursuit of education, lucrative business, charity, or whatever...Money truly isn't the only factor to being a professional athlete. Many current and former professional athletes would support Vince Young's thinking and indicate it in my book, FROM GLORY DAYS - Successful Transitions of Professional Detroit Athletes.
You can find out more about me and my book at: www.fromglorydays.com
