Strange Careers that Famous Athletes Have Held
Here at Matt Castrucci Nissan we like to share interesting stories with you that we hear, especially when they deal with our home state of Ohio like this story does. Josh Gordon, who is one of the best receivers in the National Football League and was a 2013 NFL All-pro, will be forced to sit out the 2014 season. He was suspended by his team, the Cleveland Browns, after he reportedly tested positive for Marijuana following a drug test. However, what makes this story interesting is what he will be doing this year for a job instead of playing football. Gordon will spend the 2014 season selling cars instead of playing football. Supposedly, he wanted to go play in the Canadian Football League this season, but the Browns would not allow him out of his contract to do that. So he will be spending this season selling cars and acting as the good will ambassador for a car dealership located in Ohio (Not Matt Castrucci Nissan unfortunately). We found this story to be interesting and funny. So we decided to dedicate an entire blog to strange careers that famous athletes have held outside of their sports.
Magic Johnson:
Everybody loves Earvin “Magic” Johnson. He was an unstoppable force on the basketball court and has a love for life that shines through in everything he does. Chris Rock said it best when he said, “You could like the game of basketball, but love Magic Johnson”. Johnson won championships in high school, college and five NBA championships before he had to suddenly retire in 1991 after contracting the aids virus. Magic has become one of the most influential and successful entrepreneurs in the world since his retirement from the NBA. However, one of his post-basketball ideas didn’t pan out very well, the Magic Hour. This was an hour long talk show that had a format that is somewhat similar to the Tonight Show. However, people began to criticize it almost right after the show hit the air. People felt that Johnson seemed to nervous as a host and lacked chemistry with his celebrity guests. After just eight-weeks the show was cancelled.
Curt Schilling:
This man was legendary on the mound during his time as a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Some of his notable achievements include: Taking the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series in 1993, winning a World Series championship in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in 2004 and 2007 with the Boston Red Socks. He was also the person attributed with ending the infamous “Curse of the Bambino”. However, when he left the game of baseball he made a very strange career change. He founded a video game company called Green Monster Games which was eventually renamed 38 studios. Schilling put every cent that he had made in baseball into this business venture, and lost everything. The business lost 50 million dollars of Schillings and 75 million in taxpayer money before it finally went under. When the company went out of business 379 employees lost their jobs.
George Foreman:
At one time George Foreman was one of the biggest athletes on the planet in the sport of boxing. In his career he won an olympic gold medal. Then in 1973 he knocked out the undefeated Joe Frazier in just two rounds to win the heavyweight championship of the world. Then in 1974 he faced off against Muhammad Ali in Africa in a historic fight that was given the name “The Rumble in the Jungle”. However, when George Foreman’s career in the ring ended he had some strange and unique careers. After he got tired of knocking people out for a living he found god and became an ordained minister and author. However, it was his work as an entrepreneur that he is most well-known for. Almost everyone has had or has heard of the George Foreman grill, he has sold over 100-million of them worldwide. Then in 1999 he sold the naming rights to his grill for 138 million dollars.
We hope that this article was as fun and interesting for you to read as it was for us to write. Remember to stop down to Matt Castrucci Nissan Dayton OH the next time that you are in need of a different new or pre-owned vehicle. Our expert staff is always available to help.
