Why Most NCAA Athletes struggle after they’re done playing

Before you read any further, let me quickly tell you who I’m writing this post for.

****I’m writing this piece for any fellow former NCAA/collegiate athlete out there, Div 1 through 3, who feels lost or stuck at a point right now in their life. You probably know who I’m talking about, maybe it’s YOU, maybe it’s a friend….

Keep reading.

For a lot of NCAA athletes, playing professional in their respective sport after college is the ULTIMATE goal/dream!!!

The hard facts presented to us are as follows: only 3–5% of all NCAA athletes ever go pro in their sport…..so that leaves the other 95–97% of talented athletic specimens (men & women) to hang up the gear upon graduation.

Even if you are 3–5% who are blessed enough to play at the “pro level” after you graduate, statistics show that your career will likely only last a few years.

At 5 years post graduation, almost all of us will be done with athletics….

This can be a scary feeling…….you got most of your life still ahead of you.

I talk to friends, former hockey teammates (college/pro) all the time who are scared s&*tless about what they are going to do NEXT with their lives after they’re done.

Want to know the #1 reason why this is?

Because from a very young age, growing up as an athlete naturally allowed you to build up your self worth about yourself entirely around the sport you played.

Oh…..little Johnny, he’s a football player

Stacy….she’s a swimmer

Ryan…..he’s a hockey player

This happens unconsciously…..

As you get older in your sport at each progressively higher level, this continues to escalate.

You start to believe the reason people like & respect you is because you’re an athlete.

You never want to lose that feeling…..even if it’s just fictional in your head.

Speaking from experience, I know I sure don’t want to.

Every time I think about not playing anymore, I think……hmmm, will people treat me the same way? give me free practice ice? free gear? priority treatment? etc

And that’s where the problem lies.

When any athletes career comes to an end or within a few years of it, most all of them become scared because they feel that people won’t treat them the same way now that they’re no longer an athlete.

They aren’t looked upon in the same light anymore, etc.

We see this most prominently with ex-nfler’s, ex-nhler’s, ex-nbaer’s, ex-olympians, and so on.

They don’t know how to cope. The same occurrence happens for the tens of thousands of NCAA athletes across the country that graduate every year.

If you’re in this situation (or were at some point), you NEED to realize this.

Just because you’re done playing sports doesn’t make you any less of a person.

You got a boat load of experience at your disposal….you just need to harness it.

If you don’t, you’ll be stuck spending the rest of your life living the “glory days” in your head…..that wouldn’t do you much good.

Instead, use your fulfilling athletic career to your advantage in the business world as you make the transition.

There has never been a better time in modern history than today to start your own business. If that doesn’t sound up your alley, there’s a ton of great companies out there who are looking for A+ players just like yourself.

Both great options!

Unlike the non-athletes out there, you’ve seen your fair share of sh*t….

Since I value your time, I’m going to leave you with 3 valuable tips for you to put into action. Whether you want to work for yourself or for another business, they will help.

1. STOP what you’re currently doing with your resume

Stop blasting out your boring resume to a ton of employers in hopes that you’ll land one or two. That’s what 99.9% of people do. This is the WRONG approach. A few friends are CEO’s of some decent size companies. You want to know what they do with the majority of resumes that come in? They ignore them. It’s nothing personal, but they all start looking the same after a while. I wrote a lengthy post called College Degrees to Craigslist- My Job Post Experiment to dive into even more detail on this.

In order for you to STAND OUT, here’s a few better alternatives to follow:

• Video Resume- create an intro video about yourself to go alongside your resume (trust me…they’ll watch & respect it)….doesn’t have to be complicated. Use your smartphone & upload it to youtube. Takes 20 minutes.
• Free Work- I know what some of you are thinking…..Free work? Yes, I said it. If 100 people apply for a hot position, you have a super small chance of getting hired. Why not reverse the dynamic & maybe offer to work 2–3 weeks free for the company.…on the basis that if you do quality work, it could turn into a full time job….I’ve seen this tactic work wonders.

2. Build your own online business (or website)

The technology available to us today is “head over heels” better than it was even 15 years ago. You can create a website, e-commerce store, or online business venture in a short amount of time, without the need for technical or coding experience. Building a business & growing an audience online today doesn’t require the capital that it use to take either. All you need is a laptop & a wifi connection (the 3+ billion people in the world online are now accessible to you). Sites like Wordpress, Wix, & Shopify make it even easier to get started out in whichever area you choose to pursue.

That’s how I got my feet wet when I started getting into the online business world.

If you have any questions on this, don’t hesitate to ask me here on my site. Though I look like a jock on the exterior, I’m internally a “closet nerd” who’s obsessed with building websites/online businesses, reading business books & studying analytical web data :)

3. Reflect back on all the small lessons you’ve learned throughout sports

Think back on all those moments you went though growing up playing.

……that coach giving a motivational speech (or M-F-ing the heck out of the whole locker room)

…..the highs after a big W

……..the lows after a big loss….

……..…the bonds you had with teammates & the obstacles you overcame personally/together as a unit.

APPLY these same lessons to the business world in new situations that you’re faced with….

You know what you’ll realize when you do this?

That the problems & situations most other people (colleagues/co workers- non athletes) stress over everyday at work are actually EASY for you to handle….

You’ve seen it all before, this is EASY.

Regardless of whether you’re still playing or you’ve already hung them up, you are still an ATHLETE through and through.

Be you, be confident, be humble…..& your ATHLETIC self will take you far in the business world just as it did in sports.

-Ryan Malinowski, Entrepreneur/Pro Athlete (former NCAA D3 athlete)

If you enjoyed this article, I’d greatly appreciate if you shared this on social media or with someone you know could use the read.