Child Support Factors Into Financial Woes

American sports enthusiasts love a good rags-to-riches story.  Reading about an athlete rising up against the odds, through dedication and hard work, to compete and earn vast sums of money along the way is the quintessential American sports story. Equally as compelling, but not nearly as uplifting, is what happens to a majority of these sporting heroes after the stadium lights go out and the last paycheck becomes a distant memory.  Sports Illustrated reported in a 2009 article that 78 percent of NFL players file for bankruptcy or are under financial distress within two years of retirement.  Basketball players do not fare more better; within five years, 60 percent of NBA players find themselves in financial trouble.

There are many reasons that an athlete’s financial fortunes do not last: from lack of business acumen and unscrupulous money managers to lavish spending and the naïve belief that they will make it all back with their next contract.  Any number of financial planners can attest to the financial pitfalls that many athletes face.  However, even when the athlete surrounds himself with upstanding financial managers, there is one variable that often goes undiscussed: child support obligations.

Unlike other financial missteps, becoming a new father means at least 18 years of financial responsibility, including child support, extracurricular activity expenses and, most likely, a substantial contribution to college.  Young professional athletes hold many misconceptions about the severity and gravity to which a child support obligation will affect their current and future financial situations.  Managers and agents would do well to include a family law expert in their team when consulting with clients to demonstrate how a child support obligation will affect an athlete’s short and long term financial plan.