Broke

ESPN 30 for 30

A stunning exploration of the harsh financial realities faced by professional athletes after their careers end.

Corben once again displays his astounding narrative skills, weaving a complex tapestry of facts, numbers and anecdotes from dozens of interviews and a mountain of archival footage.
The Miami Herald
Corben has revealed an attraction to the outlaw lifestyle and its crash-and-burn consequences...fast-paced, compulsive viewing
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Year — 2012▶ Watch trailer

§ Synopsis

According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. For 78 percent of NFL players, it takes only three years. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical problems, and naturally prone to showing off, most pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life. Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Jamal Mashburn, Bernie Kosar, and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carries them to victory on the field and ruin off it.

§ TrailerBroke

§ Critics Say1 clip

Billy Corben really is our kind of documentary filmmaker. Corben centers his attention on the wide world of sports, specifically on the post-career lives of superstar athletes who can't hold onto their riches. Financially taxed, one-time players provide the filters-off, firsthand accounts of how greatness on the playing field doesn't necessarily translate to monetary intelligence off of the gridirons, courts, and diamonds.
Complex
§ Press Clippings1 story
← Back to the archive