[Vince Ferrer]

This can happen to people more easily than they realize because lifestyle tends to expand to fit income — and sometimes a little beyond. Next thing you know, they catch a bad break or have a drop and they find that they can’t roll their fixed expenses back enough to get in the black.

This makes it out like its is a surprise their income will go down. It is entirely predictable that an athlete's income will go down, because all of their high earning years are when they are young and healthy. In only a few years their career is over, their after sports career dowsn't pay them nearly what they are used to.

[discostu]

Athletes know their income is going to go down eventually. What they usually fail on is realizing that eventually is a lot sooner than they think. Most athletes in pro-sports get 1 contract, their rookie contract, over half the players are out of the league by the time that one is done, and the highest earning years are in the second contract. And pro athletes don’t usually get to that level by assuming they’ll fail.