On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, I had the distinct pleasure of watching the NFLPA's Fireside Chat with Magic Johnson which kicked off the fifth annual NFLPA Pitch Day. He made things clear. Success on the field does not guarantee success off the field. Things don't just happen by ‘magic’. Just like on the field, it takes hard work, discipline, and knowing what you want your post-playing career brand to be. One piece of advice he emphasized was that when you get a meeting, be on time - in fact - be early! Magic’s words of wisdom were recapped very nicely in the blog post by my teammate, Evan Vladem, head of the Sports and Entertainment Division at Associated Financial Consultants & Investor Services. While Magic’s audience was primarily athletes – and, in particular, NFL athletes, his advice applies to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. Check it out here: https://www.afc-ais.com/blog/nflpa-super-bowl-chat-with-magic-johnson-save-your-money.
Pitch Day presented by Panini America, spotlighted women- and minority-owned companies. Congrats to sports lifestyle brand Round21 who was the winner.