Tannehill Rob the Dolphins for $100 Million

The NFL is not the same as it was 10-15 years ago. The Quarterback and passing game is what makes the game interesting. Quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are consistently elite no matter what type of team is put around him. The next tier of QB’s can be put in any order whether its Eli Manning, Drew Brees or Tony Romo, etc. In recent years, teams are awarding this prominent position with $100 million contracts for mediocrity. Andy Dalton just received one before he won a playoff game, even though he put his team in the playoffs since entering the league it hasn’t translated into any success. 

Ryan Tannehill received a multi-year $96 million contract from the Miami Dolphins, with $45 million guaranteed. He doesn’t deserve this large amount of money this early in his career. I have heard every argument as to why he deserve this contract. My co-worker says he has gotten better every year and this is the first stable QB since they had Marino. I counter that by saying YES, he has improved statistically but does that equate to w’s in the win column. No, the dolphins have been on the verge of the playoffs the last two seasons. Coming up short both years. 

 Now I agree he does deserve to be given an extension and this helps them dictate the market since the contracts of Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to be done soon. I thought the NFL was a league of results once you make it in the NFL. Players are drafted because off of potential and growth but this type of investment should be based on the end result of the overall team. Dolphin fans will be paying close attention to the play of Tannehill this year. Any regression from last year will have the dolphins choice to pay him this money to be questioned throughout the league. 

University of Florida: A Track & Field Powerhouse

By: Jimbo Brown

Dedric Dukes bringing home a 1st place finish

University of Florida is considered one of the best schools to attend in the world. Being one of the top-ranked public schools, UF has one of the biggest fan bases. This wonderful institution has excelled both academically and athletically. The Warrington Business School just won 1st place at the national case competition and the girl’s gymnastics team took home a National Championship in 2014. The track program has had the most consistency since Coach Mike Holloway took over about a decade ago.  The Gators are coming off of a successful weekend at Florida Relays track meet. The men and women teams finished with 20 individual personal records and 17 top-five finishes.

Coach Holloway aka “Mouse” a UF graduate is the nucleus that makes the machine produce greatness and consistency. He was an assistant coach on the 2012 USA Olympic team. Through his 8-year career with the Gators he has develop 12 individual national champions. The men’s and women’s programs has won multiple of indoor and outdoor SEC conference championships. If the teams didn't win out right, they either tied with another powerhouse or finished in the top-three. The men’s program has had more success overall bringing 5 team national championships; 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. The program wouldn't be as successful if it wasn't for the talent coach Holloway is able to recruit throughout the year.

Holloway is a mastermind when it comes to recruiting. He has always been able to get the most talented runners in the nation. Both teams are stacked with runners, jumpers and throwers from across the nation. Even though the Gators can have any student-athlete in the country, Holloway focuses on the talent in the state of Florida. Ebony Eutsey and Robin Reynolds two of the most decorated Florida High School athletes. They have contributed to the success of the women program, along with many others. On behalf of the men programs, the athletes that have come through have went on to represent the university and the country all over the world. Will Claye, Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor and Jeff Demps have contributed to our countries Olympic success. Coach Holloway has modeled many athletes to NCAA legends. The track & field program has produced 47 All-Americans and 141 All-American Honors. To have a great program at any level of competition you have to have a great leader.

This past indoor season yielded great results for the University of Florida Men’s program, with them winning the SEC championship this year. Najee Glass posted the second fastest 400m time in the nation this year and the 8^th fastest time in school history. With this early success, he will do nothing but progress. Coach Holloway is one of the best coaches in the nation and has built a program that will continuously  grow.

Best Point Guard in the NBA?

By: Candy Man 

Russell Westbrook is making his case as the best point guard in the league. He’s had to carry his team with Kevin Durant in & out of the lineup and he has been very productive doing so. People are wondering whether Westbrook might be more valuable to his team than Durant. There are also questions if he could possibly have more success if he was the leading man on his own squad. Just take a look at his numbers from this month alone & you can see why Westbrook’s name has been gaining momentum around the league…he’s been averaging about 30 points, 10 assists & 8 rebounds and has been putting up monster stats with Durant out of the lineup. The most explosive playmaker in the NBA, he’s also been more efficient, posting those numbers while only playing under 30 minutes on some nights. I’m calling it now that Westbrook will win an MVP trophy in the next few seasons.

Other names that are brought up in the best point guard conversation are Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving & John Wall. Paul has been considered the best point guard because he is the prototypical guard with a pass-first, shoot-second mentality. He puts up high assist numbers and gets his teammates involved in the game, while being one of the most efficient players in the league. The only knock against Paul is that he hasn’t gotten deep into the playoffs. His teams have been disappointing in the playoffs, coming in with high expectations but consistently getting knocked out in the first & second rounds. He has cost the Clippers late in games with dumb mistakes & turnovers and he should be more aggressive in scoring as I feel he could score more than 20 a night if he really wanted to. Steph Curry, the best 3-point shooter in the game today, probably has taken the best PG title from Paul this season. He’s elevated his game and improved on much criticized areas such as defense & passing. Curry is the most exciting player in the NBA to watch and is deadly from anywhere on the court. From pulling up for the 3 to swerving through traffic down the lane with his fancy ball handling, he can get any shot he wants and hit it with pinpoint accuracy. John Wall is one of the best finishers in the league and is having a career season. He leads the NBA in assists with over 10 a game and he’s been the key piece to the Wizards getting back into the playoffs. Kyrie Irving is another point guard with a shoot first mentality. He’s not much of a facilitator, isn’t impressive on defense but is a lethal scorer and probably has the best handles out of anybody. With LeBron James & a better supporting cast, he has the potential to be a more all-around guard in the next couple years.

The talent at the point guard position is probably the deepest it has ever been. In addition to the first five, you also have Damian Lillard, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Kyle Lowry, Mike Conley, Goran Dragic, Tony Parker, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, & Eric Bledsoe. In my opinion, Lillard has the potential to be the biggest star out of all those I just named. He’s still young (3^rd year in the league) and is far from reaching his prime. If this was a list of the top 5 offensive point guards, he would definitely be in there without a question. He’s one of the most clutch players in the NBA, hitting big shots for the Trailblazers late in games. The man hit one of the best buzzer-beaters I’ve ever seen when he sent Houston home last year in the 1^st round of the playoffs. This season, he’s averaging over 21 points, 6 assists & 4 rebounds a game.

The way Stephen Curry & Russell Westbrook are playing, they’ll be considered for the MVP trophy at the end of the season. Steph most likely is going down as the best 3 point shooter ever along with Ray Allen & Reggie Miller. It seems like Westbrook has gotten even better & more explosive since his torn meniscus injury in the 2013 playoffs and arthroscopic surgery last year. I feel like Westbrook is the player Derrick Rose was supposed to be before his knee injuries. With Steph & Westbrook in my top 2, the rest of my top 5 in no order would be Paul, Kyrie & Wall with Dame not too far behind them at 6th.

#AthleteTalk Recaps National Signing Day

By: Candy Man

National Signing Day came & went and Dade County sent athletes to schools all over the country. Two of the biggest football programs in Miami, Booker T. & Central, had about 30 players altogether sign with schools yesterday. Both schools are coming off three straight state championships & have sent big time athletes to college & the NFL over the years. Booker T. had 2 players sign with Miami, running back Mark Walton & linebacker James King, joining Chad Thomas & Demetrius Jackson from last year’s class. Devonaire Clarington & Davante Davis, a Homestead transfer, both signed with Texas. The 3 other Homestead transfers that played big roles for the T last season committed to FIU (Maurice Alexander), Florida (Antonio Calloway), and FAU (Ocie Rose). Two other key players that had productive seasons, Terry Jefferson signed with FAMU & Vaquan Smalls signed with Samford. Central already have 2 of their best players from this class attending Florida State, receiver Da’Vante Phillips & defensive back Calvin Brewton, continuing the Central to FSU pipeline. Fermin Silva & Anthony Jones both enrolled early at FIU. Marshall University, where former Rockets Rakeem Cato & Tommy Shuler have broken multiple records, is getting Marquis Couch & Jason Jean. Keivonnis Davis will be joining the Gators & Dade County’s leading rusher signed with Jacksonville State. I’ve seen Miller play in person & I’m surprised because he has the talent to play for a major D1 team & should’ve got more offers. 

Some of the best high school football is played in South Florida & that is illustrated on National Signing Day every year, with high schools all over Dade & Broward sending athletes to college on football scholarships.

·      NORLAND…Carlton Davis – Auburn, Rayshad Jackson – Florida, D’Andre Smart – Kent State, William Gordon – Alcorn State

·      KILLIAN…Jaquan Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine – Miami, James Bowe – Massachusetts

·      NORTHWESTERN…DeAndre Baker – Georgia, Khalid McGee – South Florida, Samuel Dervil – South Carolina State, David Vincent – Mississippi Valley State, Xavier Bailey – Florida A&M

·      CAROL CITY…Rashad Fenton – South Carolina

·      EDISON…Robert Knowles – Miami

·      GULLIVER PREP…Dominic Sheppard – Virginia, George Grimwade – Samford, Antonyo Sotolongo – Bowling Green, Jowan Watson - Georgetown

·      ST. THOMAS AQUINAS…Jordan Scarlett, Richerd Desir-Jones – Miami, Damon Arnette – Ohio State, Colin Byrne, Samuel Clausman – Syracuse, Chris Hart, Tyson Cisrow – Utah, Devante Peete – Louisville, Brandon Boyce – Duke, Rashard Causey – Central Florida, Wyatt Ray – Boston College, Jawaun Harris - Rutgers

·      MIRAMAR…Tyrek Cole, Jovon Durante – West Virginia, Kahlil Lewis – Cincinnati, Leeward Brown – Tulane, Jeffrey Hill – Northern Illinois

·      AMERICAN HERITAGE…Torrance Gibson – Ohio State, Tarvarus McFadden – Florida State, Christian Irving – Wyoming, Anthony Flory – Appalachian State, Janarvis Pough – Bowling Green

·      MONARCH…Calvin Ridley, Shawn Burgess-Becker – Alabama, Ronnie Hoggins – South Florida

·      HALLANDALE…Sh’mar Kilby-Lane – Florida State, Juwan Taylor – Georgia, Taj McGowan – Central Florida, Malik Henderson – Pittsburgh, Dana Levine – Temple, Richie Cooper – Akron

Alabama, Florida State, USC, Clemson & Tennessee all finished with top 5 recruiting classes according to Rivals & ESPN, with Alab

ama having the #1 class in the ESPN rankings & USC with the #1 class in the Rivals rankings. Florida State, by far, ended up with the best class in the state. They signed 5 5* athletes that should be able to come in & contribute right away. Florida had a horrible class a month ago but new head coach Jm McElwain & his coaching staff had a great National Signing Day & finished with a top 25 recruiting class. Headlined by Martez Ivey & Cece Jefferson, they also stole a few recruits from Miami including Jordan Scarlett, Jordan Cronkite & Antonio Callaway. Miami had a good class and ended up finishing a few spots behind Florida in the rankings. Mark Walton, Jaquan Johnson, Bar Milo & Scott Patchan are some of the key players they signed but UM also lost a lot of potential players with about 15 decommitments.

Things I learn during the 2014-2015 season

By: Jimbo Brown

Tom Brady is the best ever

• After winning his 4th Super Bowl, Tom Brady, has cemented his spot as one of the all-time greats. Tom is the poster child for the NFL since the start of his career. First, he was a 6th round pick who was the 2nd a string quarterback behind the legendary Drew Bledsoe. Once throw into the starting he began to show levels of greatness by winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. While losing twice to Eli Manning in the big game, Tom still lead his team to the first undefeated regular season since the 72 dolphins. He had his down points during his career with the knee injury and recent deflate gate scandal. When the clock reached zero this past Sunday and the New England Patriots was world champions again, Tom had put the exclamation mark on his profound career. 

2014 Wide Receiver Class on track to the best ever

• The 2014 draft class was deep with receivers. There was so many receivers that talent like Allen Hurns went undrafted after setting records at the University of Miami. Rookie receivers has shined all over the NFL. Odell Beckham Jr, Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Brandon Cooks all high draft picks had good start to their careers. Even the overlooked guys have contributed to the success: Allen Hurns, Jon Brown and Chris Matthews late Super Bowl efforts. I can’t wait to see how do these guys careers pan out. If they stay hungry and work hard everyday, we will see many great moments. 

Running Backs = Super Bowl

• The road to the Super Bowl is hard and difficult for even the best teams in the league. Those two teams this year was preseason favorites: New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Even thought they have two different cultures, they are built on some of the same principles. Both teams came into the playoffs at full stride. The teams are highlighted by their defensive powers. Richard Sherman and Darrell Revis are arguably the two  best cornerbacks in the NFL. With talent at each level of the defense these two teams are offensive coordinators nightmare. Both teams had a strong running game. Seattle put the offensive success in the hands of Marshawn #BeastMode Lynch. On the other hand, the Patriots put their running in the hands of a cast of running backs. Legarette Blount become the main gut once things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh and he went back to his former team. 

The Best in Florida: Gators, Hurricanes or Seminoles?

By: Candy Man

            Who can lay claim as the best football program in the state of Florida? College football in the Sunshine State took off in the 80’s when Miami won their first national championship in ’83. The U went on to win 3 more titles before UF or FSU won their first. FSU got on board in 1993 with Heisman Trophy winner, Charlie Ward. Soon after, the Gators joined the club in 1996 when they beat the Seminoles in the title game. Since the 1980’s, the rivalries between the U, FSU & UF have grown into the national spotlight and these 3 programs combined to win 11 national championships, about 1/3^rd of all the championships in that time period. That is a great accomplishment and a testament to the quality of football being played in this state at the college and high school level. But who can say they have the best football program out of the three?

The team that invented swagger makes a good case as they have the most national championships with 5. The U was the most dominant and most hated team in the 80’s when head coaches Schnellenberger, Johnson & Erickson led them to 3 championships. They spoiled many teams’ shots at winning a title including Florida State, Nebraska, Oklahoma & Notre Dame. That success carried over into the 90’s until a Pell grant scandal knocked them off for a few years. They came back strong with Larry Coker and won another title in 2001 with the “greatest team in college football history.” Their cocky & flashy style created a brand & a legacy that is recognized throughout the college football landscape. You can say they produced the most talent in the state also. 2 Heisman Trophy winners have played for the Canes, quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde & Gino Torretta. They have set multiple NFL draft records & they could field a complete NFL team, 2^nd string and all, with just their own players. Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, Clinton Portis, Devin Hester, Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, the Blades brothers, Jonathan Vilma, Jim Kelly, Jerome Brown, Bernie Kosar and many other stars at every position.

The Florida Gators are the oldest team in the state but didn’t reach consistent success until the 60’s when they had Steve Spurrier, 1966 Heisman winner, at quarterback and Ray Graves as head coach. This is also the time when Gatorade was first invented. The 70’s were so-so with head coach, Doug Dickey, and the 80’s were more successful but tarnished with major infractions that resulted in severe penalties from the NCAA. The Gators rebounded in the 90’s & reached national prominence with multiple SEC titles and a national championship in 1996 under head coach, Steve Spurrier. They won 2 more championships with Urban Meyer & arguably the best college football player ever, Tim Tebow. Some of the Gator greats include Heisman Trophy winners, Danny Wuerffel & Steve Spurrier, Emmitt Smith, Fred Taylor, Ike Hilliard, Jevon Kearse, Brandon Spikes, Percy Harvin, Joe Haden, the Pouncey Twins, Kevin Carter, Rex Grossman, Jack Youngblood & Wilbur Marshall.

           

The Florida State Seminoles, the former all-girls school & the youngest team out of the 3, started playing D1 football in the 1950’s. It’s impressive what they’ve done in a short amount of time when there are schools that have been playing D1 since the 1800’s. One of the greatest coaches in college football history, Bobby Bowden, took over in the 70’s and led the program to great heights. FSU ran the 90’s, fell off in the late 2000’s at the end of the Bobby Bowden era and have rose back to the top under Jimbo Fisher. Now you can say they are on the same level as UF with both having 3 national titles and 3 Heisman winners. No question, the best team right now are the Seminoles. Jameis Winston led them to a championship last year & he is on his way to becoming the 1^st overall pick in this year’s draft. They’ve racked up on a lot of talent with top 5 recruiting classes and are sending them to the league more than any other school besides Alabama. Their most impressive accomplishment, in my opinion, are the 14 straight years they finished in the top 5 beginning in the late 80’s to the end of the 90’s. That’s consistency and they could’ve added a few more championships if it wasn’t for Miami & Florida. Some of the greatest athletes to come through Tallahassee are “Primetime” Deion Sanders, Heisman Trophy winners, Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke & Jameis Winston, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, Terrell Buckley, state of Florida legend Derrick Brooks, Marvin Jones, Ron Simmons, Peter Boulware, Anquan Boldin, & Fred Biletnikoff..

            

One thing for sure, each one of them had successful runs. It’s like a power cycle where one program is on top for a few years then comes back down to Earth while the others catch up & take over that top spot. Miami ran the 80’s, all three programs dominated the 90’s, UM was scary in the early 2000’s & the Gators were on top a few years later while FSU struggled. Now FSU is one of the best teams in the nation while the U & UF are struggling. Miami hasn’t done much in more than 10 years after losing their last title game to Ohio State & moving to the ACC. The Gators were in a great position just a few years ago but all that got derailed when Urban Meyer left & Will Muschamp was hired. It’s been years since Miami & Florida beat Florida State and both are trying to place themselves in the best position to knock off FSU & return to their glory days. Factoring in the history & present day of all three programs, who would you say is the best in the state of Florida?

The Great Urban Meyer

By:Candy Man 

​Ohio State just won the first College Football Playoff National Championship. Before the season, many people counted the Buckeyes out when their star quarterback for the prior two seasons, Braxton Miller, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Then they lost their first game of the season to Virginia Tech. But since then, backup quarterback & Heisman candidate J.T. Barrett led his team to 10 straight victories before he went down with an ankle injury during the Michigan game. In came the 3rd string quarterback, 6’5 250 pound Cardale Jones. Never before getting a chance to step ontothe field for Ohio State, he finished the season with a win in the B1G TEN championship game over Wisconsin, the playoff semifinals over Alabama & the national championship this past Monday over Oregon. It was an improbable season for Ohio State full of adversity and many people thought they were still a year or 2 away from reaching the championship game. When the playoffs committee picked them as the #4 seed in the playoffs over TCU & Baylor, it was a controversial decision and the general thought was that they didn’t deserve a spot. But with a coach like Urban Meyer, anything is possible.

​Meyer, who already won 2 championships with the Gators, will become a legend in the state of Ohio after winning another one at his alma mater. Urban Meyer got his Master’s in sports administration from Ohio State and also started his coaching career there in the 80’s. His first head coaching job was Bowling Green where he took a 2-9 team to an 8-3 season in 2001. He left after his second year to coach at the University of Utah. He won the MWC Coach of the Year award in his first year after winning 10 games, and followed that up with the first undefeated season at Utah in his second year. He then jumped at the chance to coach the Florida Gators where he won 2 championships in 2006 & 2008. He left the University of Florida in 2010, took a year off, then was hired in 2012 to become the next Ohio State football coach after a disappointing 6-7 season the previous year. In his first year, he went undefeated but couldn’t contend for the national championship because of NCAA violations that resulted in a bowl ban and a loss of scholarships. His second year started strong but ended in 2 straight losses in the conference championship game and the Orange Bowl. He then went on to win the conference and national championship in 2014. So in summary, he went undefeated at 3 schools and won national titles at 2 of them. It only took him 2 years to win one a title at Florida and 3 years to win another title at Ohio State. So you can see why many people and the media are already calling him the greatest of all time and even better than Nick Saban.

While Ohio State fans were celebrating Monday night, Gator fans were reminiscing to the good ol’ days when Meyer was theircoach. Many of them are grateful for the 2 titles that he brought to Gainesville while there are others that would never forgive him for how he left UF high & dry to suffer in the years after he stepped down for “health and family” reasons. Despite that, nobody can doubt his coaching success. He’s on his way to starting a dynasty at Ohio State and could be even better than Woody Hayes, a legend in Ohio who won 5 titles as the Buckeyes coach in the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s. With a young team that is returning most of its starters including the national championship MVP and possibly all three quarterbacks, Ohio State will have the best odds of winning the 2016 CFP National Championship.

Should Collegiate Athletes get Compensated?

By: Candy Man 

We’ve heard the arguments hundreds of times. Student-athletes receive more than enough from a full scholarship & free education. Student-athletes enjoy perks that regular students don’t have access to. Student-athletes should be getting a cut of the revenues the athletic department earns. Student-athletes should profit off the likeness of their names. Over the last few years, this question has lead to heated debates about how universities profit off their athletes while those same athletes can’t profit off themselves until they go pro. The NCAA itself has been taking heat about the petty rules & regulations they use to govern & restrict its student-athletes off the field. “Impermissible benefits” is a phrase everyone has heard & it has affected many big time college football programs around the country such as Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, USC, North Carolina, SMU, & Auburn.

Many people argue that there are so many cases of illegal benefits in college sports because the athletes aren’t being properly compensated. Combine that with the wild wild west nature of recruiting where recruits are being offered any & everything from coaches to play for their teams. You hear stories about athletes getting free cars to play for this football team or getting paid thousands of dollars for a big play. You hear stories of star athletes that can’t even afford clothes or food, such as Shabazz Napier, who said he sometimes goes to bed starving. And then you see cases across the country where the NCAA penalizes programs over little things such as an athlete receiving some extra help here & there from a coach such as a free meal or gas money and you can see why people have been turning on the NCAA to loosen up their rulebook. Even artists such as Wale have taken notice to the hypocrisy of the NCAA, rapping about it in a song called “Varsity Blues.”

 Some student-athletes consider it a full-time job. They wake up early in the morning for practice, workouts & conditioning. Go to class late into the afternoon. Another evening practice, study hall and then spend the rest of the day finishing up on studying or homework. Some athletes desire to work part-time jobs on the side to earn a little extra income but they’re not even allowed to earn money outside of their scholarships. So it’s easy to see how they end up struggling in college. I honestly think student-athletes will be paid eventually. College football, and college sports in general have become too big of a business for the athletes not to see any of the profit. The NCAA & athletic departments make billions, not millions but billions, off television contracts, sports apparel deals, & sponsorships and some of the top coaches are getting paid more than 5 million every year. The University of Texas even have their own network channel with ESPN dedicated to their athletic program. Student-athletes should be getting more than a scholarship & free gear. I don’t believe in them being salaried employees making millions in college but they should at the least, be able to profit off jerseys being sold with their names on it. That’s another issue that rises if they do end up getting paid, how will they split the profits among revenue-generating sports like football and the lesser sports like tennis & volleyball, and how big of a paycheck should they see? But when you realize that some of the top athletic programs earn more in revenues than professional sports teams, they have more than enough to share the wealth. 

Athletes & Their Business Endeavors

By: Candy Man

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and also a talented businessman. It is said that his net worth is more than a billion dollars and he acquired that after decades of a Hall of Fame NBA career and a variety of business deals. He’s had sponsorships with Nike, Gatorade, McDonalds, Hanes, 2K Sports, Upper Deck & a host of other corporations. Those sponsorships included shoe deals, commercial appearances, being a spokesperson, & cover athlete of NBA 2K for a couple of years. He also has multiple business investments. He owns restaurants, car dealerships and is also the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. He has earned millions on the court and even more millions off of it from his endorsement deals and business interests. More than anything, he made most of his earnings from Jordan Brand & his partnership with Nike. He makes more than $60 million a year from his contract with Nike. Jordan sneaker sales are still growing after all these years and generate more than $2 billion every year. Due to the massive popularity and influence his shoes have had, Jordan Brand owns more of the basketball shoe market in America than Nike itself.

MJ is the most influential example of athletes turning their career success into a profitable business of their own. There are so many NBA players today with their own shoe deals including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose & Dwayne Wade. Damian Lillard & John Wall recently joined the competition with sneakers of their own. Outside the NBA, some of the most popular athlete endorsement deals are George Foreman and his grills, and Tiger Wood’s partnership with Nike. While the highest paid athlete contracts come from baseball, some of the wealthiest athletes in terms of endorsements come from tennis, golf and soccer; Roger Federer, Phil Mickelson, Maria Sharapova, David Beckham, Rafael Nadal, Rory McIlroy, Serena & Venus Williams.

Besides endorsements, another popular option for athletes to increase their net worth is through franchising. Many athletes partner with corporations to own & operate their retail stores. Peyton Manning owns multiple Papa John’s stores in Colorado. Former NBA player, Jamal Mashburn, owns many stores across a variety of businesses including Papa John’s, Outback Steakhouse, Dunkin Donuts & a Toyota dealership in Kentucky. Junior Bridgeman, who spent most of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, owns about 160 Wendy’s & Chili’s restaurant franchises around the country. Many professional athletes are also franchisees in Wingstop restaurants. Wingstop has become more popular due to Rick Ross rapping about their lemon pepper wings and all that good stuff. He and his sister, Tawanda Roberts, opened 6 new stores across the South and Rozay heavily promotes their chicken wings in his music.

If you’ve seen the ESPN 30 for 30 “Broke” documentaries, you know how fast athletes can make money and how fast they can lose it all. Athletes like MJ realized their power and influence and took advantage of it. With so many athletes going bankrupt and blowing their money away on gambling, splurging, or domestic issues, Jordan is a role model in the business world for developing the knowledge and network to turn his name into a billion dollar company. Many of today’s athletes are following his lead and creating their own brands. I just highlighted a few athletes but there are many more that are successfully building their own companies after retirement.