ESPN 30 for 30 Broke

30 for 30 Broke. Dir. Billy Corben. Perf. Andre Rison, Bernie Kosar . ESPN Films ;, 2011. Film.

 

 

            The documentary ‘Broke’ provided a lot of necessary information about how former professional athletes went broke and why. It went through different segments about bad investments, too much spending, clubbing, and more of how these athletes lose their money. The documentary was made up of interviews from former NFL, NBA, and MLB players that have had financial struggles including Andre Rison and Bernie Kosar. It also went into detail about how bad marriages and having a lot of children can cost a lot of money, and many players have multiple kids with different women. Child support is very expensive and once the player retires and doesn’t have that income anymore it just drains their money. Another main reason is that athletes are very competitive on the field and off the field. Off the field they want to have the biggest and nicest cars, biggest chain, biggest house and these athletes are constantly trying to upgrade their stuff to outspend other athletes. It surprised me how many athletes said that they actually did that instead of saving their money. Although many athletes come from humble backgrounds you would think that they would save their money for the future. The documentary ended with a very long list of former professional athletes that have gone bankrupt.

 

            This documentary was the reason I chose to do my capstone project on sports business. So many athletes are going bankrupt for numerous reasons. The two that I think do the most damage is the child support and bad investments. Also these athletes have a tough time saying no to friends and family asking for money. Most of the athletes interviewed said that during the holiday season you would see family come around that you haven’t seen in years, and then once they take your money they leave again. I think that the issue of athlete bankruptcy is a serious epidemic that the professional leagues around the country need to help fix. These athletes gave up many years and worked hard and took a lot of hits for their team, and then they let them go bankrupt. I think colleges should also help prepare student athletes for life after college and teach them to manage their money. I think was a very well done documentary and provided many great example of professional athletes going bankrupt and why. I hope that this issue is brought to public attention so that it can finally be solved.