D1 Scholarship versus Rap “Career”

There was a recent story of a senior from Downingtown East in Pennsylvania that lost his D-1 scholarship for football because of a rap video he uploaded showing the incumbent rapper extraordinaire smoking weed in a car. Here's the post. This was one of nine videos uploaded in attempt to kick start his career. This kid was also no chump on the field as ESPN had him ranked as the no. 17 senior and second best wideout in the state. Add to that the binding letter of intent he signed to Michigan State where he would be an instant campus celebrity. Would any of you ever consider giving up your career aspirations in (enter finance field here) for something as retarded as this?

Barstool.com rips this kid a new one citing his awful lyrics, and lack of general ability to rap. Also take into account that he filmed the video mentioned above at a pretty well-to-do neighborhood, which certainly adds to his thug life persona, no?

There have been a few stories here about trading a career in X for a career in Y, but I would love to see some details on the potential financial gain/loss in a scenario like this. If you think IB/PE/hedge funds are competitive, rap seriously has to be one of the hardest industries to break into, since everyone and their dog seems to want a piece of the action.

What are the career earnings potential? Sure, we can all look at people like Birdman, Kanye, Jay-Z, etc. that blew the doors off earnings potential but how many one hit wonders out there ever really cash in? While he says he freely chose to pursue his passion (and good for him for doing that), this just reeks of bad ideas leading to bad decisions.

Who knows, maybe I’m jealous he had a ride to the Big Ten. Maybe I’m jealous that he is now an internet phenom. Maybe I have no credibility to write about how shitty a rapper’s talent and abilities are, but I can assure you I don’t know anyone that would have any sympathy if this doesn't work out for him and he’s left serving us all at McDonald’s.

Given the average career in the NFL is ~ 3.5 years (source: NFLPA and includes players getting injured, retiring or being cut by their team), and the average wide receiver salary today is $1,806,999 (SI link to salaries by position), take that over 3.5 years and you have a combined earnings of $6,324,496.50. And sure, Uncle Sam will take a good 40% of that but you would still be left with $3,794,697.90.

Here are some crazy figures on how much some of the more popular rappers make per concert that might offer some perspective. I have no idea how much the “average rapper” makes in a few years, let alone a lifetime but I have to think if he were to make it to the big leagues as a receiver that could be a better long-term proposition. Yes their bodies get destroyed in a few years, and sure they have more expenses than taxes, but it can also lead to endorsement deals, TV analyst positions post-career, etc.

Hopefully someone slapped some sense into this kid while he’s still young enough to correct a huge gaffe in chasing a rap dream rather than something a bit more realistic.

Feel free to sound off in the comments, call me an idiot who doesn't know what he’s talking about or whatever. I just can’t imagine finding anyone on his side for this “decision” he claims to have made when saying, “I've always had this in the back of my head but never had the courage to tell my parents that this is what I want to do.”