WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW THAT YOUR ATHLETIC CAREER IS OVER?
Is your current job as rewarding as your job as a player?
Do you feel challenged and motivated?
Are you eager to get to work every day?
Are you happy with your income?
If you don’t like your own answers to these questions you should keep reading. We are looking for a unique kind of guy…
We are Players Capital Group, a private investment banking partnership formed by ex-professional athletes and we’d like to talk to you about the next stage of your life. While you were in the big leagues you were an essential member of an elite organization.
Although playing the game was one hell of a way to make a living you knew that the paychecks and the spotlight would eventually end. But even if you diligently prepared for life after sport, there was no possible way to adequately prepare for the sudden lack of camaraderie with other alpha high flyers and the pride that goes along with the high expectations and competitive structure of an elite organization.
Although we also missed the pride and purpose of the sporting world, some of us were experiencing success in the Mergers and Acquisitions business. As we began recruiting partners to help us grow an enterprise that requires intelligence, aggressiveness and decisiveness we realized that the best candidates for us are guys just like ourselves who had traveled the same rigorous and demanding path we did on our journey to the major leagues.
This is the perfect business for a professional athlete to transition into, for several reasons:
Most professional athletes we know are sophisticated, educated, and articulate. The image of the dumb athlete disappeared decades ago. Most of us have spent plenty of time in a college classroom, whether they graduated or left college early to turn pro. Many of us developed outstanding social skills during our careers and learned how to deal with the public with confidence. That skill and polish goes a long way when you are helping us manage relationships with multi-billion dollar private equity firms and hedge funds.
When you were in the big leagues, everywhere you went you were usually the richest guy in the room. Now, we are usually the poorest guys in any gathering we are a part of. In the NFL or NHL you may have made millions a year for a decade, but with us you’ll be dealing with guys that made as much or more than you ever did that had no athletic talent whatsoever, just their intelligence and wit. They don’t need your money, which is a very good thing.
When you signed your first pro contract you found yourself surrounded by competitive guys that would knock you on your ass if you let up for an instant, which made for a very interesting life. Now you’ll be surrounding yourself with a different type of competitor and this is what our partners enjoy the most. We interact on a daily basis with exciting and innovative people who have built empires. These are guys and gals who are fundamentally just like you; the ones that survived and prospered in the face of tough competition. We’ve found that we are a lot like them and we really enjoy the interactions. Most business people admire athletes they used to watch and take any opportunity to rub elbows with them. They enjoy the stories. They like to ask questions. They see the same drive in us as they saw in themselves. Professional athletes, even the journeymen, are members of a very exclusive club, and ours is an occupation where membership in that club is excellent currency. Dealmaking is all about access. At the end of their careers, most pro players have met many well connected people with whom they can connect with in the business arena. Individually, we all know many successful and influential people, but collectively our Roledex is astounding.
There are no hard and fast rules in this business. No two deals ever go down exactly the same way. Common sense and critical thinking skills rule the day. Most athletes we know have plenty. And when there is a process that needs to be followed, the modern-day athlete understands the value of not only knowing the playbook but the importance of preparation and execution.
If you are actively looking for the next stage of your life and career and want to explore your options with us, fill out the quick questionnaire below and we’ll be in touch. There is no salary cap here!