There’s life after sports for pro athletes. Some were in Bradenton to learn how to best live it
Elijah Wilkinson stood, waiting his turn on one of IMG Academy’s baseball fields as MLB players took swing after swing.
He wasn’t the only NFL player there at the private Bradenton sports academy’s baseball complex. Several NFL and MLB players gathered at IMG this week for the Rep 1 Athlete Summit.
Rep 1 is a California-based sports agency that represents the athletes in attendance.
Over the course of three days, NFL and MLB players were treated to workshops focused on business, leadership and creativity. But, there was also time devoted to leisure activities, including yoga with puppies and the aforementioned batting practice for the NFL players.
Oh, there also was a softball game pitting the NFL players against the MLB players.
“It was pretty cool getting to see them just playing around,” said Wilkinson, an offensive lineman with the Denver Broncos. “They aren’t even being serious and they’re whacking the ball all the way to the outfield, so just to see them play around and get to hang out with other guys that are professionals as well has been a cool experience.”
On Monday, former NBA star Baron Davis was a keynote speaker during the business portion of the summit, which detailed the transition pro athletes make when their playing careers end and the next chapter begins.
“It’s hard,” Wilkinson said. “You go through depression and you’re just sick because you miss the game. That’s what you’ve done your whole life. So it’s definitely preparing you for life after football, life after baseball and just making sure you’re being smart with your money, you’re investing it in the right things and you have the best advice around you. Because there’s all these tools. ... There’s people that have done it and have done it the right way.”
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke just wrapped up his rookie season following a standout college career at Stanford, and said it’s been an incredible experience. Okereke, who played baseball growing up, was also waiting his turn to swing the bat Wednesday, but had taken some cuts on Monday.
“That was dope,” Okereke said. “And then we had the entrepreneurial, kind of thought leadership seminar ... Baron Davis led that. And then we had the four panels with five different companies. Kind of like Shark Tank-type of thing. (Tuesday) went to the air base in Tampa and that was legit.”
The second day featured a trip to Macdill Air Force Base in Tampa.
“The Navy Seal kind of told them, ‘You make a mistake, you might give up a home run, you had a bad day. We make a mistake, somebody’s losing their life,’” said Paul Kinzer, president of baseball for Rep 1.
While that brought a sense of perspective to the three-day event, the time spent at IMG Academy gave the athletes a more relaxed atmosphere. Seattle Mariners infielder Dee Gordon, who previously played for the Marlins and Dodgers, has seen first-hand the growth of IMG’s sprawling campus.
He said he played basketball against IMG when it was known as the Pendleton School during his high school playing days at Avon Park. Gordon, who lives in the Orlando area, has trained in the past at IMG to prepare for an upcoming MLB season, and he was commuting each day of the retreat.
The sports world awaits Super Bowl 54 in Miami on Sunday, and Wilkinson offered his pick for who will come out on top. Being a Broncos player, he said he can’t have division rival Kansas City winning the championship, but being a Philly guy, he said he’d like Andy Reid to get the ring.
Wilkinson also touched on the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, who died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash that claimed nine lives in California on Jan. 26.
“His mentality, his work ethic, the way he approached the game kind of just rubbed off on everybody and I think that’s a lasting effect,” Wilkinson said. “And that’s not ever going to go away. So he definitely left his mark there. I think it’s a tragic accident that happened, which is totally unfortunate.”
Gordon played for the Marlins when teammate Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in 2016. Gordon hit a home run to lead off the Marlins first game after Fernandez’s death.
“You realize that that’s really real life,” Gordon said. “And for us, and probably for everybody else in the world, we all feel like that (stuff) can be real life. Certain people shouldn’t die young. Death don’t care, so that’s what Jose taught me.”
