PHOENIX — West Valley high school finds a way to exercise the financial adaptability of some student-athletes.
On Monday, the Centennial High School football players put on their helmets and grabbed a piece of paper describing a new position they’ve probably never played before.
Like Dylan Roberts, the starting defensive tackle promises to play for the Northwestern Wildcats after graduation.
To this day, he’s a “graphic designer” making $60,000 a year and has a fake child who needs daycare.
Each student was given a sheet detailing their job, salary, family situation, and student loan payments.
They then went to various centers around the cafeteria that represented living expenses such as household budgets and health care to see if they could afford to maintain their finances.
When Dylan asked if he had enough money, he laughed. I mean, barely. It ended up being $15.”
There are even astonishing costs if some students manage to go through the “wheel of life” with a bogus, but expensive, appendicitis diagnosis.
This exercise was conducted by the Arizona Economic Education Council.
They recognize that talking to high school students about Roth IRAs and 401Ks can be a challenge to keep them in the TikTok era.
So, nothing beats hearing about the importance of money management from an NFL linebacker like Brandon Copeland.
“When I got into the NFL, I started hearing a lot of information. Why are you hearing this for the first time now?” said the University of Pennsylvania alumnus.
College athletes can now benefit from a name, image, and likeness that is widely known in college sports as a NIL contract.
Sites like Opendorse simplify how companies and sponsors find athletes to partner with.
The University of Arizona and Arizona State University have dozens of student-athletes who offer value for money information and services. Sign or post on SNS.
“The scary thing about (NIL) is that if you don’t understand your money, you can fall prey to the bad guys,” Copeland said.
Finding reliable guidance on how to manage your money isn’t always easy.
Elena Zee of the Arizona Council for Economic Education wants to change that with events like this. “Parents say they are more comfortable talking to their kids about sex and drugs than about money,” she said.
Outside of this financial fitness exercise, Dylan has learned that life comes quickly.
He’s already talking about NIL trading. “It definitely opened a lot of doors. I’ve already had people talk about stuff like that,” Dylan said.
For those who can’t afford to listen to Copeland in a high school auditorium, the NFL journeyman offers his financial expertise via the podcast Money, Music and Culture.
