The sports world, and the news world in general, is often headlined by negative stories. There are a number of reasons for it, but it is definitely a reality. Some people believe that the world is just full of negative people doing destructive things. Other people might believe that sad headlines catch more attention than happy ones. While, in reality, it is definitely a combination of those two, it is nice to come across a story that I did this morning. Even if it is minute and seemingly meaningless in the grand scheme of the news world, I was still happy to hear about how Baltimore Ravens' safety Matt Elam is spending his offseason.
First off, a little background information on Elam. He went to high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, and after being rated as the 10th best high school player in America, he attended the University of Florida. In his first year as a Gator, Elam was one of only six freshman to play in all 13 games of the 2010 season.
By 2011, as a sophomore, Elam was already one of the key cogs of the Gators' defensive unit, and in his junior year in 2012, Elam had become one of the best defensive players in the country. As a team captain, he became an AP All-American player, and therefore, he decided to enter the draft following the 2012 season, and he was selected 32nd overall by the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
As a rookie this past season, Elam made $3.7 million. So why, then, is his offseason so important and newsworthy? It isn't because of what he has done to spend that money, it is because of what he has done to continue making money. Elam took a part-time job at a Finish Line store in a Gainesville, Florida mall as a salesperson selling shoes. He has stated that one of his goals following his career in the NFL is to open a sports merchandise store, and he felt as though this job would be a good way for him to get a better feel for what the sports merchandise industry is truly like, and I find his work to be truly commendable.
As we have learned on thousands of occasions before, the professional sports world, and especially the world of the NFL is an unforgiving one that often times leaves its former stars stranded with nowhere to go after their careers end. There are endless numbers of athletes who have taken their abilities for granted, and been unable to sustain themselves once they were no longer able to make a living as a professional. It is far too often that we hear about athletes spending all of their money on outlandish things during their careers, thinking that their incomes will be everlasting, only to come to the harsh realization that what they do on the field/court/rink can only support them for so long before they have no other means to do so. While what Elam is doing may seem insignificant, I think it is something that shows foresight and intelligence.
Just like we have seen innumerable amounts of athletes blow all of their money before their careers even end, we have also seen plenty of them do so soon after their playing days are over. Whether it be a clothing line, a car dealership, a video game company endeavor, or any number of other things, professional athletes often seem to think that their physical success will lead to entrepreneurial success as well, and that is usually not the case. Clothes go unsold, cars go without drivers, and video games become dusty on the shelves of indifferent gamers, but in the end, former athletes lose their money in each and every scenario, and that is why what Elam is doing is truly admirable. If he wants to own a sports merchandise store after his career is over, then actually immersing himself within the business is the best way to get that ball rolling. Instead of retiring and then throwing a bunch of money into something he knows nearly nothing about, he is learning the business from the ground up.
Sure, Elam made more money in the past year than many of us could ever imagine, but he is also demonstrating the fact that his money will not lead him astray. Life as a professional football player is momentary in the grand scheme of the human timeline, and NFL players have decades to live after their playing days are over. While Elam's career in the league has only just begun, it is nice to see that a young man already is planning for his future, even if it begins with an hourly job at a mall in Gainesville, Florida.
Daily Nets Update: Brooklyn was blown out in Portland last night, and will face the Nuggets tonight in Denver. There is still a pretty small gap between home court advantage in the first round and missing the playoffs outright in the Eastern Conference, and the Nets are right in the middle of that fight. There are 27 games left to play, and a whole lot of sorting out to do in the East.
Daily Rangers Update: The post-Olympic season finally begins tonight for the Rangers against a very good Chicago Blackhawks team. As is the case with the Nets, the Rangers are in the middle of an enormous scrum within the middle of the Eastern Conference, and there is still a whole lot of season left to be played.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Spring Training games are finally underway, and the Diamondbacks have gone 2-1 in two days (after split squad games today). Brandon McCarthy was very good yesterday against the Dodgers, which was a great way to start off the spring, but we are still just under a month away from the games actually counting, so right now, all we can do is enjoy baseball while it finally swings back into motion.
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