Easy Come, Easy Go

Most of us are astonished at the amounts of money earned by professional athletes. Despite making millions of dollars, many of these famous athletes end up declaring bankruptcy. A 2009 Sports Illustrated documentary concluded that as many as 78 percent of NFL players face financial difficulty within two years of retirement. NBA statistics were as high as 60 percent. While every case was different, bad investments certainly played a part. Besides his dog-fighting conviction, Michael Vick lost six million dollars in car rental, real estate, and wine shop investments. John Elway had his agent illegally invest 15 million dollars in a Ponzi scheme. Sheryl Swoopes, great women’s basketball player, blew through her 50 million dollars through bad investments. Mike Tyson lost 400 million through a divorce and extravagant spending (two Las Vegas mansions, $173,000 necklace, etc.). Jesus warned His audience one day (Lk. 12), “For not even when one has…