New aspirations from Super Bowl Champ Russell Wilson
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson looks at the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After retirement, most NFL players try to get back on TV, whether it is analyzing the game like Antonio Pierce, commentating and reporting like LaDamian Tomlinson, or get their own show like Michael Strahan. But Russell Wilson yet again impresses — as well as surprises — the world when he states in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, “I want to be an owner of a team one day, whether it’s baseball or football, maybe even both.”
Wilson just keeps adding to reasons why people love him. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2010 and was selected by the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 draft in December. Then, Wilson was drafted in the 3rd round by the Seattle Seahawks of which he’s the starting quarterback, a two-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. Many said he wasn’t capable of succeeding to all of these. So, I’m sure many are still saying that he won’t be able to scratch this off his bucket list either.
Now look, this guy is only 25 and he’s talking about dishing out an estimated $1 billion dollars on a professional football team. Either the confetti from the Super Bowl celebration hit him too hard on the head to hard or he’s really got something going here.
I’m sure he’s done his research and discovered that there was a time when the cost of ownership was less than the price of a new car today. And he also would’ve seen that even in the mid-1980s, when prices skyrocketed to about $70 million, not many people predicted the huge return the NFL would bring. However, those who did see into the crystal ball of the future, have seen near humungous long-term growth in their investments. Now he wants in on the fun.
“For me, I’d love to get around to as many people as I can,” said Wilson. “Because at the end of the day, I want to learn as much as I can so that way, in my future — down the road after playing 20 years hopefully for the Seahawks — I can do that.”
Smart guy.
Many other athletes like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and David Beckham have placed a check mark in the square on their To-Do Lists by owning at least minority shares of major sports franchises after they have retired. So, Wilson would not be the first to do so.
“The biggest thing is networking, first of all, and doing your job well,” Wilson said. “Whenever you do something, do it the best that you possibly can and produce all the time — whether it’s playing football or communicating.”
At this point in his career, he’s doing both very well. A guy like Russell Wilson doesn’t see what’s below him or behind him. With him there’s no where to go but up, and he’s got to keep moving forward.