Mod Note (Andy): Best of Eddie, this was originally posted in August 2010.
Given that today is Friday, the NFL pre-season is underway, and I had a little bit to drink last night, I thought I'd pose an existential question today. If you had a choice, would you rather be a professional athlete or an investment banker? I know it sounds a little off-the-wall, but indulge me. I was inspired by the latest article by Matt Taibbi (yes, that Matt Taibbi. Settle down; he leaves Goldman alone in this one.)
Plenty of bankers, and even more traders, come from the ranks of college athletes. And it takes a hell of a lot to compete at the collegiate level. So I know there's a wide cross-section of Wall Street who has at least thought about what it would be like to be a professional athlete. If we're being honest, we've all thought about it a few times. And you don't have to be a train wreck like Lenny Dykstra.
Let's talk numbers. While it's hard to quantify what the average banker makes over a career due to all the variables, it's a little easier when it comes to professional athletes. For example, the median 2009 salary in the NFL was $770,000 and the average length of an NFL career is four years. Baseball and basketball skew higher in both categories, so we'll use the NFL for the purposes of an example.
So the obvious question is, would you forgo a career on Wall Street for the fame and fortune of a professional sports career, even if it were only for four years and roughly $3 million? And over at age 26? Before you answer, maybe I can give you a little context.
I was 24 when I blew out of my first marriage. To say that I was ready to party would have been the understatement of the century. I was a banker making good money, so my options were wide open when it came to living arrangements. Instead of getting a nice place by myself, I fell into renting a room in a big house with four other guys.
Three of the four were former professional athletes. Tom had been a linebacker with the Eagles in the mid-80's. Jimmy was the youngest guy ever drafted by the Minnesota Northstars (now the Dallas Stars). Kevin was a AAA catcher who got called up to the St. Louis Cardinals as a replacement player during the 1994 MLB strike. And then there was me and the Colonel. We called him that not because of his military service (he was sorely unfit for it) but because his given name was Steve Austin. He also happened to work for the local beer distributor. Yeah, you read that right.
I found what I was looking for, and then some. When Taibbi says that professional athletes get away with murder (ahem, Ray Lewis), he's not kidding. Some of the shit that went on in that house would blow your mind.
Tomboy found his niche almost a decade after an NFL career that could charitably be described as middling. He discovered an uncanny knack for procuring Russian army surplus gear and medical-grade marijuana (presumably from different sources). He parlayed the Russian junk into a respectable fortune. Overall, he made pretty good investments and did well for himself from that point on.
Jimmy was whipsmart and you never had to worry about where he was coming from. But you couldn't say the same for his hockey buddies. My years as a boxer and Marine taught me how to take a punch, and it came in handy with that crew. We lived in an IHL town, and we ran with an IHL crowd (the IHL was known in the old days as the "Iron League" and was immortalized by the
in the movie Slap Shot). Anytime the Houston Aeros came to town you were guaranteed to get punched in the face and have the time of your life. Go figure.Before I get too far out of bounds, let me just mention the women. The parade of women that came through that house (and in and out of the hot tub) were stellar. Not to mention they were all high-functioning sociopaths. For some reason, professional athletes attract that caliber of woman. One night, Jimmy's regular thing came over with one of her girlfriends when I was the only one home.
They wanted to hang out in the hot tub, so I told them to go for it. They invited me to join them, and I said what the hell. Then they started making regular trips to the bathroom to "powder their noses". Jimmy's girl was pining over him like he could lick his eyebrows, and the other one was telling her what a bag of shit he was for not marrying her. Shit spiraled out of control until they were screaming at each other and ready to go to blows. I convinced them that we should go to a bar and chill out. You can probably guess how that night ended. If I wasn't a trader, I'd be a bail bondsman.
There's not a lot I'll say about Kevin other than that he was one of the most genuinely sweet guys I ever knew, and he had movie star good looks. He might have only pulled down $1,500 a month playing for the Amarillo Armadillos, but he had women falling at his feet the whole time. And you can't put a price tag on that.
My point in this whole trip down memory lane (and believe me, I could go on for hours) is that professional athletes have it pretty good. Even after they've outlived their usefulness from an entertainment standpoint. Today's athletes are paid so much more than the guys that I knew, and even the guys I knew were having the time of their life years after their careers ended. It makes me think that might be the way to go, if you had a choice.
What it all boils down to is this: would you take $3 million and whatever potential injuries you collected over 4 years to have that money at age 26? How big a factor would the fame be for you? Do you expect to earn more than $3 million over the course of your career as an investment banker? And would you be willing to trade 20 years of your life for it? How about 40?
I just think it's an interesting topic of conversation on the eve of another professional football season. Professional athletes seem to have it all: big money, fame, women, a get-out-of-jail-free card. Plus they get to play a game they love for a living. Can you say the same thing about Excel?
dude get some real topics.
Chess club, I presume?
How about you shut the hell up awp. It Is not normal for a MALE to not want to talk about things such as these.
braverman, your posts are epic. always entertaining
This question has a lot of variables that can skew the answer. The biggest one for me is: am I still coming from the same school or am I graduating from ASU with below average grades and SAT?
If that's the case, I'd rather stay in finance (especially since I'll only be a pro for a couple of years). If I'm coming from the same school then hell yes, I'd rather be a professional athlete, no question.
Every kid's dream was at one point to become a professional athlete - I know I dreamed of it. I would take pro athlete over IB, especially in the US, with MBA schools' and banks' obsession with athletes. Switching to IB is not that hard after an MBA.
This is an ideal scenario though, where everything goes right: you don't go to jail for carrying a gun or raping a fan, your family is sane and gives you good advice, you don't impregnate hookers, you actually find out that there is a thing called "banking" during your career and that the best way to get into it is through an MBA (information is everything), you get to keep the same IQ, etc.
Is this seriously even a question? Almost everyone would go pro athlete, plus are we even including say pro golfers? Their careers are extremely long and being the best seems to yield a net worth of a billion and... It completely depends on the sport and position you play for how long your career/earnings are.
Those who wouldn't go pro athlete are either in huge denial or d-bags.
My boy who I played football with in HS, Russell Okung just got his nice rookie check. Then i got my other boy who is currently an SA for BAML in NY.... I think ill take Rusell's path any day, too bad getting into professional athlete is a crap shoot in alot of ways. That 3 mil assumption is also a bit flawed, first round draft picks are DEFINITELY going to get more than that, just in signing bonus. In the amount of time it takes to make MD at a BB , you could be filthy and retired as an athlete doing whatever the fk you want.
Also, retirement pension for NFL players is activated after 4 years, meaning if you play 4 years in the NFL you get a certain percentage of your salary every year for the rest of your life if you retire. Essentially you could make 3-4 million playing 4 years, retire, and then make money for sitting on your ass all day. Even if that percentage is small and the pension isn't great (let's say you make 100K year for the remaining years of your life) you still make 3 million + 100K every year for 4 years of work. That's an amazing deal.
Those who think this isnt even a decision (would choose pro athelete) never played a college sport, to give you a really small dose of what a professional career might be like. Not saying I wouldn't choose being a professional athelete, but it is stil a JOB, and its still a grind. Alsoof course I would want to be a professional athlete if I could be a first round draft pick superstar (Russell Okung) and had a great shot at some longevity and big money in my sport. However the lions share of athletes are not superstars, and dont make the extrvagant salary. I play baseball in college and playing sixty games a season is a fucking GRIND. The thought of playing 162 seems crazy to me. Its not as easy of a lifestyle as most would think for those that dont have big names in their sport.
I would choose finance in a heartbeat!! I never went pro but playing in college was a JOB like the guy above said. And while it does seem like athletes pull a lot of ass, if your working in a field that is high paying and in a big city you should have no problem getting adequate booty. With that being said I know my orthopedic surgeon on a first name basis and ironically I think I just tore my PCL last weekend playing football. And I'm not even playing collegiate sports anymore. Playing sports is the definitely the "life" but I'm in my early twenties and I'm already tired of the injuries. Stick my ass in a office please.
Yea and i've been lucky enough to never have had a serious injury to contend with, if that happened and had to rehab for months blah blah blah, forget it
Athlete, hands down. People on this site seem to forget that banking is just a job, and a shitty one for that matter.
I agree the only point I was trying to make it that there is a basis for discussion here
Absolutely. I'd easily take Valentino Rossi's or Casey Stoner's life over banking or even trading. Also, those guys have fewer restrictions on what stocks they can invest in and how they can play with their own money.
This is really a no-brainer. Unfortunately, there are fewer entrance opps for nerdy engineers who have an excellent sense of balance but are otherwise kinda uncoordinated in professional sports than there are in banking. Maybe my kids will get to compete in the MotoGP one day, but if farming was good enough for Grandpa and accounting was good enough for my Dad, I can be content with being a quant.
Becoming a professional athlete is much more difficult than breaking into finance. Having a long successful career as a professional athlete is way more difficult than becoming, say, an MD at a BB. That being said, I'd much rather be a pro athlete. If I could choose any two sports, it would have to be baseball or golf. Golfers can have long careers and travel the world playing courses that people wait months, maybe years and pay huge $$ to play on. Baseball players, it seems to me, have the least demanding physical requirements. Baseball players pull more tail than football or basketball players.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone who plays college sports. I played football freshman year and retired after the season was over. That shit was miserable and I'm enjoying the retirement. They wanted me to put on 20 lbs during the off season, all the practices, weights, meetings, travel, etc,.
At the college level, even in D1, few girls give two shits if you play football or basketball.
At the high major/BCS schools, if you play football or basketball, you are basically a god. I don't even know what I would have given to have been the, I don't know, starting linebacker at Virginia Tech.
The only sport I'd take over what I do (real estate development) is American football. The glory on the football field is unparalleled. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be the Superbowl MVP. But I'd much rather make money the hard way than the "easy way" (i.e. being a gifted athlete, although I'm aware that it's not "easy"). I love what I do and I love the fact that what I do helps my friends and acquaintances make money and I make a tangible impact on my community. That said, having done a brief stint in IB, yeah, I'd take being an MLS soccer player over that.
Playing a professional sport, especially football, is much harder than what you do in real estate development.
This is highly variable. Yeah, if you're some fatass lineman maybe not. But there are plenty of chicks (especially at the dumber D1 schools) who are more than willing to fuck a no name football player. And usually the better the team the dumber the girls.
You think any dude at UMiami has a problem around campus or in the city pulling hot ass chicks? I mean Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy probably could have bedded almsot every girl at their schools. And the girls at OK and Texas are very attractive.
You probably just played football at a school where no one cares.
NBA
The only sport I would do would be golf. Albeit I've probably been injured more than others, but football just wrecks your body. I imagine there's a fairly large population of the NFL who when they retire say "Was the money worth it?". And NFL is the weakest paying pro sport (save hockey and soccer, but cmon its America).
Soccer is the highest paying sport in the world bar none. Not in america in the world. MLS soccer is like A-ball in professional baseball. Not even AA or AAA, forget the major leagues
Umm... no its not.
Forbes (including endorsement income): 1. Tiger Woods, golf - $110 million 2. Kobe Bryant, basketball - $45 million 2. Michael Jordan, basketball - $45 million 2. Kimi Raikkonen, NASCAR- $45 million 5. David Beckham, soccer/football - $42 million 6. Lebron James, basketball - $40 million 6. Phil Mickelson, golf - $40 million 6. Manny Pacquiao, boxing - $40 million 9. Valentino Rossi, motorcycling - $35 million 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR - $34 million 11. Roger Federer, tennis - $33 million 11. Shaquille O'Neal, basketball - $33 million 13. Oscar de la Hoya, boxing - $32 million 13. Lewis Hamilton, NASCAR - $32 million 13. Alex Rodriguez, baseball - $32 million 16. Vijay Singh, golf - $31 million 17. Kevin Garnett, basketball - $30 million 17. Jeff Gordon, NASCAR - $30 million 17. Derek Jeter, baseball - $30 million 17. Ronaldinho, soccer/football - $30 million
And Michael Schumacher's not even on this list, probably cuz his new contract hadn't been inked yet. He makes about $35 million salary per year, which is, I think the highest in ANY sport. Tack on endorsements on top of that and he's pulling in well over $50 million a year. He, at is peak, was pulling $60 million a year... which was about 5-10 years ago. Beckam still isn't at that level.
This can't even be a choice. If anyone chooses finance over athlete they are drinking the wall street koolaide a little too much and need to step back and take a deep breath.
Sure being an athlete may be a job as it was eluded to above but you know what so is banking. Except in banking your job doesn't entail playing baseball, basketball, football, golf, etc. You might work the same hours, doubtful, but you are playing sports. Also, last time I checked banking doesn't have an off season. I worked 3.5 years without a 1 week vacation. Brutal. Even if you ONLY make 3 million by 26, you can go on and pursue whatever career path you want. You can do banking after the NFL but you can't do the NFL after banking.
Personally, I think I'd be a pro surfer. Sure you make less than the NFL but the top ones are still pulling home some serious money. You travel to the nicest beaches in the world, your fans are super hot bikini clad girls and over all one hell of a time.
At first blush I'd say professional athlete but when you really think about... is that really the case?
One would say athletes make more money than bankers, take Kobe/Tiger/LeBron vs. my MD, right? Wrong.
Kobe is the creme de le creme professional athlete. A better comparison would be the late Wasserstein/Kravis/Moelis/Schwarzman vs. Kobe, as each of them are the Kobe's of banking. I'm going to say Kobe makes between $30-45 million a year, during his peak years. So maybe he'll have 5-10 prime years of this type of earning. I don't know what each of those Wall Street BSDs make per year... but by way of example, its rumored that in the late 90's Wasserstein made $300 million in a single year while at CSFB (I believe). Thats the equivalent of 7-10 years of Kobe's prime earnings. Similarly, Shwarzman made $700 million last year and is expected to have a similar annual income as his options continue to vest into the next 5 years. So his single year's earnings are well over Kobe's cumulative prime earnings and 2 years of the Schwarz's income is WELL over Kobe's lifetime earnings. I'd fare to say that Kravis and Moelis are in a income universe.
So you need to realize the question is would you rather be an average pro-athlete or an average banker? Or would rather be an all-star pro-athlete or an all-star banker. I'd probably go with banker for both. I've known a couple of "average" professional athletes and its nothing too glamorous. They worry about money and their financial security, they know that tomorrow they could get in a car accident or bad tackle/fall that ends their careers... etc... As for the all-stars, again, tomorrow is never promised and more than anything else people are always trying to get a piece of your action/have your baby/say you raped them. You never really know who your true friends are. Given thats the case for anyone with money, but Kobe/Tiger are public personas and everyone knows that if you can somehow get them, be it through blackmail or false claims, its a free meal ticket.
But you see to me at that point the $ differential isn't such a huge deal. $45 mil a year is PLENTY. I can tell you I would rather be a Kobe and adored the world over than Steve fuckin Schwarzman
I would bet there are more people that hate Kobe then their our that adore him. His wife and the chick he raped come to mind...I'm sure there are plenty others, mostly fans of rival teams.
Also, the point to Marcus' post was to have people be realistic and compare apples to apples. For most people on this forum, you will "just" be a "mediocre" banker, not a superstar like Steve S. In order to have a decent comparison you need to compare the earnings of an average banker to an average professional athlete.
Although this topic seems like a hands down win for professional athlete, I don't think people are truly taking into consideration the sacrifices they would have to make in order to make it. There is certainly a likelihood you could finish your 4 year pro career and get an MBA and get into banking, but realistically, if you were a pro athlete, you wouldn't have come from the target school you came from and your grades wouldn't have been as solid. Not to mention you might not have any idea what an investment banker was.
I think the real question is would you sacrifice everything you have learned/earned to have a 4 year pro career and a 3.2 from a non-target state school and (likely) be totally disadvantaged in recruiting from Bschool assuming you would have an idea that the industry existed and that it would be a stiff uphill battle?
I think for most people finance isn't where they want to be long term, its simply a stepping stone to bankroll other ventures. It's a safe bet that you will make a good bit of money in the industry and be able to get out to start your own business, etc. So choosing the pro athlete route offers the very same thing, minus the 100+ hours weeks and the academic rigor that is typically required to break into the industry.
Regards
you nailed it Marcus
Yea I know I was talking about America though, specifically b/c the OP used the NFL as the norm for this situation. I'll still take golf though.
If you look at salaries it's definitely soccer. All those people at the top of the list, most of it's from endorsements. Hell MJ is one the list and he doesn't play.
Highest paid sports (Boxing is #1, Baseball is #1 team sport): http://us-open-golf-betting.com/highest-paid-sports.html
Highest paid teams (Yankees #1, Soccer Clubs at #2,3,4): http://www.caughtoffside.com/2010/03/30/top-ten-best-paid-sports-teams-…
yes the highest salries are found in soccer, thats all I was saying
In a heartbeat. Football would be rough, but there are plenty of other sport. Maybe a kicker in football. You get paid well and your body doesn't fall apart. Seriously, how freaking sweet would it be to get paid to drive a racecar or play golf, hell even just being active would be worth it.
I guess here's what I'm trying to say: at age 15, who is more likely to be a millionaire at 22? The 6'3", 200 lb kid who is running a 5.0 40 and is ready to suit up for the high school football tryouts or the nerdy white kid? That's what I mean by "easier".
Well assuming the nerdy white kid goes to college for 4 years then yea he pretty much has no chance. Now if you ask me who is more likely to become a millionaire period...gimme that nerd.
http://www.funny2.com/odds.htm
How accurate these odds are I have no clue but I found some of them funny. I have a better shot at getting murdered than becoming pro ha!
Well, yes, but they're all risking pretty serious injury.
I might take being a quarterback over banking, but I'd take banking over being a linebacker. My knees will thank me in ten years.
Professional motorsports? Soccer? Basketball? Baseball? Ok, there's less risk of physical injury there.
Definitely pro athlete. You get to make good money at a young age, work less hours, and get higher quality tail. Besides, your career will probably end at a relatively young age, and if you want, you can go into the business world at that point.
The 78 percent number (i.e., 78% of NFL players go bankrupt within two years of retirement) is buoyed by the fact that the average NFL career lasts just three years. So, figure a player gets drafted in 2009, signs for the minimum and lasts three years in the league: He will have earned about $1.2 million in salary. Factor in taxes, cost of living and the misguided belief that there will be more years and bigger paydays down the road, and it becomes a lot easier to see how so many players struggle with money after their careers end
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Why-do-so-many-NF…-?urn=nfl-190555
So no......
I was never good at sports. I mean, I was horrible. I played basketball, baseball, and soccer. I might have scored 10 points, hit the ball once, and scored one goal in the few years that I played. So I'd choose finance.
Both require you to be extremely competitive. But sports are obviously physical. Especially in little league lol. The best kids in 3rd grade were the biggest, strongest, tallest, etc. I was none of these. I still am none of these.
I once heard a hedge fund manager on Bloomberg Radio describe working at a hedge fund as being an intellectual athlete. The drive to compete is still there. But instead of being the fastest or strongest, you just have to be the smartest. And that is something I do have. I may never have been a stellar athlete, but I've always been a bright kid. So for me, working in finance would give me the chance to compete at this level, not with my body, but with my mind. The money you make on the buyside (at least in my opinion) is basically just a validation of how smart you are anyway. Just as a good athlete gets paid well for being good at what he does, the best investors make the most by using their minds to get the biggest returns.
And to be honest, all you Randians should agree that competing with your mind is much more rewarding than competing with your body.
Oo I was referring to HF guys. Based on HF guys I've met with, and some of the horror stories posted on here, these guys don't seem like team players. Its more a "me me me" thing. A few weeks ago there was a post on here about a guy whose fund was up like 190% or something and he only got like 200,000 when he should have got like 1,000,000. To me, that doesn't seem like a team environment. I guess its irrelevant though, since OP was asking about banking vs sports lol.
Pro Athlete --> MBA --> Baller
I am a former professional baseball player looking to break into IB (and I picked one hell of a time to do this). Despite having a B.S. in Finance and my MBA (which I was smart enough to do during the offseasons), I know that I have a long mountain to climb because of my lack of relevant work experience, since internships were not an option in college while I was playing in summer collegiate baseball leagues.
I was trying to last long enough until the economy came back a little and hiring picked up a bit. However, I was faced with the harsh reality this March when I was released during spring training.
While I knew that professional baseball was not how I was going to make my ultimate living, I was going to give it a shot as long as someone wanted me. I was able to last three years, topping out in Class A-Advanced, and being a AAA call-up for a short period. It was a long and hard three years though, with many frustrations, failures, and always having in the back of your mind that only something like 5 percent of all minor league players ever make it to a Major League roster (even for one game). I dealt with bare bones salaries (measley pre-tax incomes coupled with facing life's expenses and paying the clubhouse attendants for their services), long bus rides, and a fair share of injuries (two trips to the disabled list during my professional career, and countless injuries in college).
I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. However, at the same time, it has left me in a tough position right now trying to break into finance. I transferred out of a top-40 US News & World Report to warmer weather to pursue a shot at professional baseball, then turned down a business school acceptance from the same school to play the game I grew up with.
So, in response to the question posed, I think almost anyone would take the opportunity to play a game for a living, and get all of the money and fame of being in the Majors. However, the life is not all it seems for most; the hours are long and hard, very undercompensated, all the while you are always trying to defy the odds that you likely won't make it to the top. I would speculate that it is as glamourous for a few in each sport as it is for a few people running the biggest and best financial firms and banks out there.
I just wanted to give some perspective from someone who has "been there, done that." I think it is cool that I can say I did something that most people dream of doing, even if it was only for a little while. Now, I continue my quest of leveraging this experience, and finding some bankers who will listen to my story and how I can make their team a winner.
.
My question to you is this... I run a 5.0 40, bench 280, squat 640 pounds, and deadlift 300... I'm from a semi-target feeder school (think... UVA, Syracuse, UConn). Will it reflect poorly if I have no summer training camp experience? What are my chances at getting into a top NFL program?
If I have an offer for a top XFL team vs. a mediocre NFL team... which should I accept? What are the exit ops? Can any of the experienced monkeys please rank the most prestigious programs.
haha nice, btw your squat is extremely disproportionate to your deadlift, you need to bring up your hams
Is he for real
If you do well: Sports commentator News Anchor Movie Star Porn Star University Coach(make sure you coach at least DIV I, preferably in the PAC-10) or Pro Own a car dealership Sell insurance
If you don't do well: Bouncer Canadian football league High school coach Sell insurance Motivational speaker at high schools Drug dealer
As everyone knows you really want to end up being a coach. The lifestyle is amazing! Remember you'll need to destroy the Wonderlic if you have any desire to get that far, prepare now. Also, the interviews can be brutal.
Remember during you're time as a player you need to avoid shooting yourself or running afoul of PETA. Rape is still taboo, but if you're good enough, it shouldn't be a problem. After your career you're going to want to stay in the public view.
I'd stay out of the XFL, really these guys just couldn't cut it in the NFL. They're the minor league of football. As far as ranking, hasn't this been discussed enough. ESPN and coaches polls should tell you all you need to know, look it up.
I'm confident that awp is actually Matt Taibbi. Let's crunch the data.
They both hate: 1) Badasses 2) Being respected 3) Being lusted after by women
They both love: 1) Circle jerks 2) The poster of Cramer and Nails holding hands that is hung over their bed 3) Team Edward 4) Power bottom
awp, please leave WSO and head back to the children's table. You will never be a BSD, largely because your dong doesn't have enough mass to actually hang, let along swing. It just kind of sticks out. Fact. I've seen it.
Congrats on your above average vision, lol.
Regards
The answer to this question also comes down to the durability of your own body. Every year in the NFL takes off +-3, depending on your position. A career in finance might be stressful but doesn't take nearly the physical toll on your body that football would. I'd go with finance.
Trading will take years off your life.
If you focus on having a healthy attitude, focusing your competitive spirit on doing well as a team, and realizing that it's not just about you, you mitigate about half the damage, though, IMHO.
Imagine we get another flash-crash. The firm's COO has literally come running up two flights of stairs to the trading floor and is running around figuring out what everyone's risk is. The guys who are looking out for themselves are a lot more panicked than the guys who are looking out for the team.
haah no hes not for real, its just what alot of the post's on this forum sound like, but ibanking
I have to say, you guys have really surprised me on this one. Patrick and I were talking about it last night, and he predicted the vast majority of you would rather be a professional athlete. In fact, the first draft of this post included the average NFL salary of $1.8 million per year or $7.5 million for the four year stretch, and Patrick told me to dial it down to the median comp because at $7 million he didn't think a single one of you would pick investment banking.
I told him he was crazy and that the majority of you would rather be bankers, mostly because you believe that you'll make more that $7 million (and definitely more than $3 million) over the course of your career. Odds are you won't, but I know most of you believe you will when you're getting started, so I'm really surprised to see so many of you throw banking over to be a pro athlete.
I'm actually kinda pleased. There might be hope for you guys yet.
Now be honest. How many of you would do it for the money versus the fame (read: hot tail)?
Any guy can get hot tail: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/006055…
The main character learned all his moves from a magician who painted his finger nails black and wore mesh see through shirts. All it takes is game lol.
The book does mention, however, that movie stars and celebrities get more tail than the average joe, simply cause girls find it hot (so thus, a famous athlete will def get more girls than a non-famous rich ibanker). The author shaves his head at one point and goes to a club and everyone thinks he is the musician Moby so tons of girls just come on to him for no reason other than the fact they think he is Moby. This is a great read because its not a how-to guide on picking up girls, but is instead just a story about a journalist who discovers an online community of pick up artists.
I'm too lazy to click the link, but I presume you're speaking of Mystery.
That reminded me of this, which I think everyone here will value so highly that I got this for you.
http://www.leveragedsellout.com/2007/09/the-banker-method/
...I should have put money on this. You were so convinced I probably could have even gotten odds. Lost opportunity.
LOL. I was ready to bet you a C-note.
haha too lazy to click a link
sorry im laughing out loud at that... and yah its mystery haha
I'd take being a NFL player any day. It just doesn't compare unless you have a real passion for Finance. Even then unless you're making good money at a HF, its not worth it.
Just sprained my ACL and dislocated my knee cap. I guess I'm lucky to not be a pro athlete.
I think the answer really depends on the nature of the pipedream here. If you are talking about the VERY small percentage of athletes who stay in their respective professional leagues for a long time and make great money... then that is a no brainer for any red-blooded american male. Everybody would pick the athletic role.
However, if the pro athlete dream actually consisted of the reality that many NFL/NBA athletes face, I think i would almost choose banking. By this I mean the player that is constantly up and down between the scout team and the people who dress. These guys make damn good money for their age, but they are not making enough to live the rest of their life off of. Plus, they usually end up battling injuries and have physical problems later on.
Being an athlete is nice. I was a college lacrosse player. Although we are not regarded like the football players at a BCS championship school were, we did enjoy "off-field athletic privledges." It was fun, but burn out rates were still high. I know that burnout rates were much higher in more target sports like football, baseball, and basketball.
The reason I say this is that I have felt both sides of the aisle. So if I could trade my IB position currently for 4 years in the NFL playing for the cleveland browns and getting some special teams time with a mediocre degree and two concussions and three knee surgeries? Probably not . It does sound awesome to do so, but all those blows to the head and the shitty education do not usually translate into substainable income later on.
However, would I trade In IB to be lebron james/john elway/ or some other nasty pro athlete who stay in the game for a while? Yes, and I would burn the fucking building down I work in if I had to do so to get that distinction.
How is this a question? Indubitably a pro athlete - the two aren't even remotely comparable.
One thing to note, if you play MLB for a total of ten seasons you qualify for the MLBPA pension. I do not remember the exact numbers, but it is somewhere around $300k a year, vesting at age 60.
However, what is the percentage of folks who step into pro ball (minors and majors) who play ten years in the bigs? Probably less than 0.1 %.
I played college baseball and would take my IB associate gig over grinding it out in the minors......
NFL and NBA got pensions too, but i heard baseball is has it the best. But obviously not enough to cover their extravagant lifestyle and 10 hookers.
It's actually 43 games
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-01-26/sports/29955208_1_nfl-pl…
For me, I guess the pro athlete is the obvious choice, but it would have to be a sport that didn't require running and one that paid a lot. I fucking hate running.
Which is the most prestigious and highest paying sport that doesn't require running that I should shoot for?
NFL kicker.
Used to love to watch "Snortin'" Morten Anderson stub out a cigarette on the sidelines and then trot out onto the field to boot a 50-yarder. At 45 years old, they handed him a scotch when he got back to the sidelines.
I believe anyone would Choose pro-athlete over Ibanking. However its not as easy as people make it, one of my friends, friend is going go play for the NFL. And its intense work out session and not easy one injury you can ruin your career. Now the difference I feel pro-athlete truly love the sport they play. I have not met a single banker who has truly loved banking its still B.S. You get paid more as a pro-athlete than a banker even if your athlete have shorter careers the exit opps aren't bad. You can go coach, work for ESPN. Its truly better than banking.
No one has said it's easy to be a professional athlete, only that if you're born a physical freak it's easier to become a 21-year-old millionaire than someone who is born with a 150 IQ.
Professional athlete all day everyday. While yelling at the over weight ugly associates and analysts is fun for a day or two, the job is still balls. Besides, sell-side = begging side.
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