https://pge.post-gazette.com/.pf/showstory/202310210005/3

Interesting take.

My nephew worked many years ago in one of the investment divisions at Nationwide. He has since gone on to work elsewhere, but when our oldest was competing in college he told me that they recruited/hired a lot of former college athletes -- mostly ones who competed at the lower levels of competition, and, in a wide range of sports. He told me that athletes who earn degrees were often hired because they could demonstrate skills in time management, focus on improvement, decision making, taking direction/coaching, teamwork, accountability and work ethic. As noted in the article, leadership was another factor.

These skills can be demonstrated in ways other than being an athlete-- the arts, community & campus service/volunteering, internships, academic performance/honors and previous work experience.

I agree with your post and thank you for sharing. I think time management, being able to be coached and a desire to get better helps in business. I started singing jazz when I turned 50 and remembered that no one was a born athlete or a singer and I had to work to be successful, so I worked and practiced and now am having a blast doing gigs on a regular basis.

That's pretty awesome that you learned that skill and are having fun with it.

Love this, too. Much respect to you for exploring, developing and applying talents throughout life.

I just finished Alan Paul's Brothers & Sisters -- a great book about The Allman Brothers Band with a focus on the period just before, during and after the motorcycle crashes that took the lives of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. It includes lots of contemporary interviews with many band members. These taped interviews satin a box in an office for decades. It helps that Paul has written another book about the band. The segments around recording, live performances and band interactions outside performing reminded me so much of athletic teams that excel.Figuring out roles. Understanding roles. Testing limits. Managing conflict. Overcoming mistakes and adversity. The opportunities and dangers in success. It was interesting to learn of the disparate influences that each member brought to the band and how they integrated those. The parts were amazingly great and, at times, the sum was transcendent. I didn't see these lineups, but I saw a different lineup on 8/4/79 out at Red Rocks in Colorado and it was a 3+ hour religious experience. Amazing,.

This morning, the music shuffle on my walk gave me a tune by the late Wayman Tisdale -- someone like you who excelled at basketball and music. He was gone way too soon due to cancer.

Looking at just Ivy League graduates, former athletes do better in the labor market

Not sure one can extrapolate this to the larger population.

I think what athletics taught me is you have to put the time in to be successful. When I was in my teens I would dribble to the local court about a half mile away from my house. I would be the only one there on a Friday and Saturday night. I would work on my game for hours, thinking that while my opponents were out having fun I would be getting better. That translated to other areas of my life.