Orem 10/20/2011 11:47:33 PM
News / Entertainment

Professional Athletes & Business - Promising Business Ventures for Athletes

Every savvy professional athlete knows their professional sports days are numbered. With the harsh demands of professional sports weighing down on the body, the average career length for any athlete is only about 10 years, depending upon the sport. For the NFL, the average length of time is even shorter. This is the driving force behind the growing desire for professional athletes to get involved in business ventures before their celebrity status fizzles out. So what are some promising business ventures for athletes to take on before their moment in the sun turns into dusk?

Market Health Products

Professional athletes inherently have the credibility for marketing any type of health products. They could head up campaigns for anything from how to get rid of hemorrhoids to simply putting their face on a bottle of multi-vitamins. There is a never-ending variety of products that are meant to increase health. Since a professional athlete does not have to be the scientist behind the creation, they can simply use their 15 minutes of fame to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Reality TV

There’s been more than one professional athlete to pave the way from sports to celebrity status via reality TV. Pro tennis player Anna Kournikova is just one of many who have landed a spot on a highly-rated reality television show. Unfortunately for Anna, her gig on the Biggest Loser is rumored to already be up at the end of the current season. Regardless, it got her name out to millions and provided a few good-sized checks along the way, too.

Modeling

While modeling is not something every athlete can do, it is something that most would be fit for. Professional athletes typically have a rock hard body with chiseled abs and great features. This makes them prime for modeling anything from sportswear to underwear. The downfall to this business opportunity is that its days are numbered much the same way as is that of professional sports. No one cannot model forever, after all. In the mean time, it’s not a bad way to bring in some extra revenue.

Writing and Motivational Speaking

Everyone has a story. For some reason, the story of an underdog who became a professional athlete is irresistible. Many a professional athlete has cashed in with book after book and speaking engagement after speaking engagement. These books and motivational speaking opportunities can be anything from biographies, autobiographies to self help compilations and more.

Invest in Retail Businesses

The main goal for any professional athlete should be to get their foot in something that will pay them long after their sports career is over. That’s why investing in retail businesses and restaurants are a phenomenal way to go about it. There are literally thousands of investment opportunities in retail and they can become a great form of passive income that will last for decades to come. Indeed, whether a professional sports player decides to write their own memoirs or sell a hemorrhoids symptoms treatment, something should be done to plan their retirement while they’re still getting a paycheck.