Lots of kids dream of one day making it in pro sports. Seth Stammler did. And now he's leaving it all behind, "retiring" before he even turns 30, to do something he figures offers a better future:
Work on his MBA in analytical finance at the University of Chicago.
For one thing, the money's better in business, says Stammler, a 28-year-old Ohio native who's making $123,900 this year playing midfield for the New York Red Bulls, according to the Major League Soccer Players Union.
"I mean, obviously, we're not European soccer players," Stammler says, referring to the huge sums top players are paid in Europe. "It's always a good idea to have something in the back of your mind that you'd like to get into."
Stammler has played for the Red Bulls since 2004, after being drafted out of the University of Maryland. In the next several weeks, he'll juggle classes at U. of C.'s Booth School of Business with the final games of his pro soccer career.
And the exhilaration of playing in front of 25,000 fans -- won't he miss that?
"That's part of why you play the game, to do so in front of home fans," Stammler says. "I've always been realistic about this and knew it wouldn't last forever. I'm sure there will be days when I miss playing."
I had a chance to coach against Stammler while he was a collegian at the University of Maryland and I was at Duke University - he was a leader and competitor at the heart of the Terps' defense, and I am really happy and proud of him for being able to take that degree he earned at Maryland and putting it to use in his 'second career'.
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