Thursday, October 23, 2008

Basketball is a job

Christopher,
thank you for your comment. I will try to answer your questions in the following post.

I did not complete a graduate degree at UVM, because at the time it didnt seem necessary - I did very well in my undergrad studies and could have gotten a job without it. It is very likely, though, that I will pursue a graduate degree after Im finished with basketball. Without it, it will be nearly impossible to find a job I want, especially since Im planning to continue with basketball for another 2 to 3 years (or until the economy starts growing again... what a great time not to be involved in the financial industry right now).
It is interesting to note that Im one of two players on my team (the other being my American teammate) who have an undergraduate degree. In fact, none of my Spanish teammates ever attended college and never will. Playing professional sports in Europe comes at the cost of receiving higher education. Most players begin their professional careers at the age of 17 or 18 (some even sooner), right after they finish HS. By the time they finish playing, it is too late and undesirable to attend college.
The players, however, are well compensated for their commitment to the sport. A normal contract includes, besides the monetary compensation, a house/apartment and car paid for by the team. The payment depends on the league you play in and, of course, how good you are. For instance, the payments in the 3rd league (the league above ours) start somewhere around 25000 Euros per year and range up to 100000 Euros per year; the best players in the top league make up to 1000000 Euros a year and more. You may think that 25000 Euros is not much, but you have to look at it from this angle: you have no monthly payments for house or car and you work about 6 hours a day. If you do the math, you will see that the pay per hour is excellent.
For the players basketball is a regular job. With the money they earn through basketball, they pay their mortgages, car loans and support their families. For example, all of my veteran teammates have already paid off their mortgages and car loans. So even though they may never earn the same amount of money as by playing basketball, they will also never experience the difficulties of monthly debt payments.
So what do players do after they finish their careers? A lot of them remain loyal to the sport: they become coaches, team managers, agents, or get a job in the basketball federation. The others find a job through their network. It is amazing how many influential people you meet through the sport (team managers, sponsors, fans) and how many of them are willing to help.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Life outside the court

Ever wondered what professional athletes do when they are not practicing? The answer is fairly simple: not much!!!
Let me describe an average day. I usually wake up at 9am so I can have a light breakfast before practice at 10am. After practice - around 11:30 - I go with my roommate David "a tomar algo". This spanish term can be literally translated into "take something"; it means to go to a cafe/bar and have a drink of any sort. Afterwards we return to the apartment and I chill out for the remainder of the afternoon (in this time I eat, spend some time on the internet, take a nap, etc.). At 5:40pm we leave the house for evening practice at 6pm. After practice - around 8pm - I go with my roommate "a tomar algo" again. When we return to the house depends on a lot of variables, such as how tired we are, if we meet friends, if we practice in the morning, if we have a game the next day, if we're having a bad day, etc.; thus the point of return is anywhere between 10pm and 5am.
Since we only play once a week on the weekends, all of the days are pretty much the same. It does get pretty boring at times, especially since I dont have to go to class or work. Fortunately I have a great roommate; David is an incredibly funny guy and makes every day interesting. Ill also be taking a spanish course online so that should keep me busy throughout the afternoons. If any of you have read a good book recently, definitely let me know.