How Sports Influence Career Success

I have always been interested in sport and while I believe there is something to learn from all experiences, I feel there is a lot that sports teaches that is applicable to management. I always look at CVs to see whether there is any sports in the candidate’s history. Plato figured this out long ago when he said, “ You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” Sport has a way of distilling truths that no management course can teach. It compresses ambition, teamwork, ego, pressure and resilience into the duration of play. It reveals character in real time, showing how people respond when they win, when they lose and when they have to keep going despite both. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that sport is leadership in motion and that its lessons for management are significant. In individual sports — tennis, golf, running — there’s nowhere to hide. You are simultaneously the strategist, executor and critic. Every decision has an immediate consequence. The scoreboard doesn’t care about intent; it measures only outcome. For leaders, that mirrors the journey of self-management. You learn accountability. You learn that excuses don’t help and that success comes from consistent preparation, not occasional brilliance or intent. You discover the art of emotional regulation: how to stay calm after an error, how to start again after losing. It’s a life skill. Team sports, in contrast, are a masterclass in interdependence. You realize quickly that talent without chemistry is noise. The best teams aren’t the ones with the brightest stars, but the ones where everyone knows their role and trusts each other and the system. In management, this translates into two ideas: clarity and culture. Clarity, because people perform best when they understand what’s expected of them. Culture, because shared purpose is what turns cooperation into cohesion. Whether individual or team-based, every athlete understands the value of practice. The repetitions nobody sees. The corrections nobody applauds. It’s a powerful metaphor for organizational excellence. The best managers— like the best athletes — separate themselves in the invisible hours. They iterate, reflect and improve, often when the world isn’t watching. Sport also normalizes failure. You win some, you lose some but you always review to learn. In management, that habit of learning from losses without personalizing them is pure gold. At its best, sport is not just about performance but about flow. The moment when effort becomes effortless and the team moves as one. That’s what great organizations strive for too — a state where purpose, people and performance align. In the end, sport reminds us that leadership isn’t a title — it’s a practice. You train for it every day. You fail, recover and play again. And, just like in sport, the real victory is not in winning every game, but in building a team, and a self, that keeps getting better.

People underestimate how powerful the student athlete experience really is. They see the games, the practices, the highlight clips. But they rarely understand the habits and mindset you build when you spend four years balancing academics, performance, pressure, and expectations. When I look at the student athletes I know, and at my own experience playing college soccer, the pattern is always the same: they succeed after school because they spent years training qualities most people never develop. The first is discipline. You learn quickly that showing up is not optional. Early practices, late study sessions, travel, recovery, deadlines... you do all of it whether you feel ready or not. That level of consistency translates directly to professional life. The second is time management. Student athletes do not have the luxury of “free time.” You learn to work in blocks, prioritize aggressively, cut distractions, and execute even when tired. Most careers reward exactly that. → The third is resilience. You lose. You fail. You get benched, injured, overlooked. And you keep going. That emotional durability becomes one of your biggest advantages in the real world, especially in fields where pressure is constant. Student athletes also understand feedback better than most people. You spend years being coached, corrected, pushed, and challenged publicly. By the time you enter the workforce, feedback does not feel threatening, it feels normal. And finally, you learn how to compete without becoming someone who steps over others. You build teamwork, accountability, leadership, and the ability to elevate the people around you. Those are the exact traits companies look for when they promote people into bigger roles. Honestly, after living the experience myself; college athletics are an accelerated training ground for adulthood. When employers say they love hiring former athletes, it is not because of the sport. It is because of the habits the sport built. If you are a student athlete reading this, do not underestimate your experience. You are graduating with a skill set that most people spend years trying to develop. #StudentAthletes #CollegeSports #CareerDevelopment #Discipline #Performance #EarlyCareers

High-Performance Culture: From the Locker Room to the Boardroom There’s a reason so many former athletes land in leadership roles. It’s not just the work ethic or the competitive edge. It’s something deeper—built through pressure, repetition, and the grind of team sports. The same dynamics that create elite locker rooms also shape high-performing executive teams. After years in athletics—and now as an investor—I’ve seen firsthand how sports and business overlap. At Solyco Capital, we don’t just evaluate balance sheets. We evaluate teams: how they communicate, handle pressure, and lead under stress. And time and time again, the best companies resemble the best teams I played on. Here are 4 traits elite athletes bring to business leadership: 1. Mindset: Pressure Is a Privilege Top performers don’t fear pressure—they run toward it. In business, high-stakes decisions are your playoffs. Great teams don’t flinch—they lean in. Growth lives in the stretch zone. 2. Role Clarity: Know Your Job In baseball, every player has a role. Confusion loses games. In business, the same principle applies. Clear roles create speed and trust. At Solyco, we ask: Do the leaders complement each other? Do they stay in their lane and still run the same race? 3. Feedback: Fast, Direct, Unemotional In sports, feedback is constant—and it’s not personal. In business, it’s often delayed or sugar-coated. Great exec teams normalize real-time feedback. One CEO I know runs debriefs like post-game film: no ego, just improvement. 4. Leadership Under Pressure Every team faces adversity. The best leaders stay calm, not loud. They lower the temperature and lead with clarity. In business, that’s often the difference between survival and collapse. Final Whistle Boardrooms aren’t stadiums—but they’re arenas just the same. The leaders who win aren’t always the flashiest. They’re the ones who’ve been coached hard, failed publicly, and bounced back—with more grit than ego. Athletics taught me how to lead, follow, and stay ready. Those lessons shape how I invest, build teams, and lead at Solyco. Because business is a team sport—and the scoreboard never lies. This post reflects personal experience and opinion, not investment advice or the official position of Solyco Capital.

There’s just something special about women who played collegiate sports — or really, women who played sports at any level. 💪 You notice it the moment they walk into a room. The composure. The work ethic. The way they treat a setback like halftime instead of the final whistle. It turns out this isn’t just a feeling. It’s backed by data. A landmark study from EY and espnW found that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports — and 52% competed at the collegiate level. Even more striking: 80% of Fortune 500 female executives identified as former athletes. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern. Why? Because sports teach what no classroom can. How to lose on Saturday and show up Monday. How to trust a teammate with the ball when the game is on the line. How to perform under pressure when everyone is watching. Executives in the EY research pointed to exactly these skills — seeing projects through to completion, motivating others, and building teams — as the areas where sports shaped them most. The Women’s Sports Foundation found something similar: among women who played sports, 69% hold at least one formal leadership role, and the longer a woman played, the more likely she is to lead. Sports don’t just build athletes. They build directors, presidents, and CEOs. As Beth Brooke-Marciniak, former Global Vice Chair at EY, put it: “you can’t underestimate the role of sport in closing the gender gap.” So the next time you’re reviewing resumes and see “NCAA athlete” or “college volleyball captain” — pay attention. You’re not just looking at someone who played a game. You’re looking at someone who already knows how to compete, commit, and win as part of a team. If you played, tag a former teammate who’s crushing it in her career. Let’s celebrate the women who bring the athlete’s mindset to work every single day. 🏆 #WomenInSports #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #TitleIX #FormerAthlete

Most parents dramatically overestimate the importance of their child becoming a professional athlete… and underestimate the value of simply staying in sport. The odds of going pro are microscopic. The odds of sport shaping the kind of adult you become are not. Some of the viral stats floating around social media - such as the one in the image below - are definitely compressed for effect, but the overall thrust holds up. An EY/espnW study found that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sport at some level, and over 50% played at university level. Another long-term study found that girls who played high school sport earned around 7% higher wages as adults. I see this first-hand growing up around tennis. The players who “made it” were rare. But the ones who benefitted from the sport? Almost everyone. Some became executives, entrepreneurs, doctors, coaches, operators, or simply more disciplined and resilient human beings. And honestly, tennis in particular can be brutal in ways few youth sports are. It is intensely individual. There is nowhere to hide. You lose alone, problem-solve alone and spend years learning how to manage frustration, pressure and self-doubt in public. Junior tennis teaches emotional control faster than almost anything else I’ve seen. Sports in general gave people things the classroom often couldn’t: - how to lose publicly, - how to handle pressure, - how to work with difficult people, - how to recover from failure without collapsing emotionally. That matters later in life far more than a junior ranking ever will. It doesn’t mean sport magically creates successful people. Correlation is not causation. But it would also be naive to pretend that years of competition, structure, discipline and repeated exposure to adversity do not shape people. I sometimes think modern youth sport, especially tennis, has drifted into an unhealthy place. Too many parents now view it almost entirely through the lens of scholarships, rankings, UTRs, contracts and “return on investment”. If a child doesn’t go pro, the journey is framed as somehow unsuccessful. That’s the wrong metric. The vast majority of children were never supposed to become professional athletes. The real purpose of youth sport was always much broader than that. It was about building confidence, social skills, resilience, health, leadership and identity. It was about teaching young people to function under stress and uncertainty. In a world increasingly designed around comfort and instant gratification, thats becoming more valuable, not less. The real legacy of youth sport was never supposed to be a tiny number of professionals at the top. It was supposed to be millions of more capable, resilient and confident adults walking into the world better prepared for life because at some point, they learned how to compete, fail, adapt and keep going. #YouthSports #Leadership #Tennis #GirlsInSport #Parenting #RacketSports #SportsBusiness

The Double-Edged Sword of Pro Sports We all know the story. The top 1%—guys like Tom Brady, LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Donald—represent what’s possible. Longevity. Wealth. Legacy. But they’re the exception. For most athletes—the grinders, role players, and “grunts” (I was one for 10 years)—a pro career is something else entirely: A short window. A unique opportunity. And a hidden tradeoff. ⸻ The Part No One Talks About While athletes are going all-in on their sport, they’re often falling behind off the field. Not in effort. Not in discipline. In real-world reps. * Skills outside the game erode * Work experience is delayed * Networks stall And the longer the career, the wider that gap can become. ⸻ The Reality The average NFL career is about 3 years. Most players earn the majority of their lifetime income before 30. Then… real life starts. And now you’re competing against peers who have been building skills and experience the entire time you were playing. That transition isn’t just difficult— It’s compressed. ⸻ Why It Matters Even More Today Today’s athletes have more access than ever: * NIL money earlier * More off-season time * Better education and career resources * Platforms to build their brand But access doesn’t equal action. If anything, early money can create false security. ⸻ The Double-Edged Sword The same focus that makes you elite on the field can leave you exposed off of it—if you’re not intentional. Because when the career ends (and it always does), you don’t get time back. You don’t get a redo on experience. You don’t get a head start. ⸻ What Actually Works The players who win long-term do this differently: * They keep learning * They build transferable skills * They use the off-season with purpose * They connect with people outside the game * They stay curious At the NFL Players Association, we’ve built more access than ever to support this. But here’s the truth: Resources don’t create outcomes. Behavior does. ⸻ Bottom Line Professional sports can give you a platform few will ever experience. But it does not prepare you for what comes next—unless you prepare yourself. Because at the end of the day: Money can’t buy time. And it can’t buy a head start. #Transition #Careers #NFL #NFLPA

Want to set your career up for ultimate success? Make it your #2 priority. Your health needs to be your #1 priority. Harsh reality (my take): You will regret pursuing success at the expense of your health. And I don’t mean a few treadmill sessions each week. I mean flip the script entirely. Optimize your health and fitness and wrap your career around that lifestyle. I learned this lesson the hard way. I made my career my sole priority for a decade and, ironically, it almost cost me my career. My story: At age 32 I was on track to be promoted to Managing Director at a Wall Street firm. I would have been one of the youngest ‘MDs’ at my firm. I was making more money than I ever dreamed of. It sounds good, but it came at a serious cost: → I never exercised → I ate poorly and slept even worse → I relied on alcohol for stress management → I suffered bouts of depression → Oh, and I had no social life So, a week before the promotion of a lifetime, I quit. Just like that. I left New York City, moved to Miami and found the sport of triathlon. I hired a coach and asked him what the toughest race was. “Ironman,” he said. I signed up. I trained for 7 months. I showed up at 5:30 a.m. the day of the race, and finished in 12 hours 11 minutes. After that day I was an Ironman finisher. I was in the best shape of my life. Then the upward spiral took effect: → I made my scene the community of endurance athletes → I quit alcohol → I went to bed early and got up even earlier (to train) → I focused on good nutrition And then… I went back to work on Wall Street. But → and here it is → I joined a firm that gave me free reign to do a business my way. Which I did: → I invited prospective clients to join me for a run → I sought out C-level executives who were into fitness → My small talk at conferences was about training Because of my health, my energy level took off, and... my career followed, sustainably, for the next 25 years. What’s the real payoff with this approach? Career longevity. Most careers see people reach peak earnings in their 40s and 50s. That was the case for me too. An extended career simply can’t happen if you don’t have your health. Make health #1, and work #2, and you’ll be amazed at how your career will take off. Pic: 1st Ironman finish. Yes, it’s actually dark out when you finish. ______________________ I'm Marc Cabrera, a former Wall Street deal maker. Follow me for hard-won insights on health, wealth and well-being.

Getting cut in the NFL taught me more about business success than school ever could. It’s been said hundreds of times: the principles that make championship teams also build successful careers and businesses. These four lessons have served me off the field as much as they did on it: 1 - Championship teams find success by paying extraordinary attention to the details, even when no one’s watching. The offensive line never gets the glory, but they are the backbone of almost every successful play. When one player misses their assignment, the entire play can fall (painfully) apart. The Lesson: Business excellence is built on the countless details only you control. Everything matters. The way you do SMALL things is the way you do ALL things. 2 - “See a little, see a lot. See a lot, see nothing.” When a quarterback has 2.5 seconds to make a decision under pressure, clarity of vision becomes everything. Elite performers eliminate clutter and distractions, staying laser-focused on execution and fundamentals. (Or they get sacked.) The Lesson: Systems and structure are a necessity. In a world full of noise, your ability to focus determines your results. 3 - The difference between the bottom 60-70% of NFL players is incredibly slim. Separation comes down to situation, opportunity, and sometimes luck. The Lesson: When talent is equal, preparation and discipline become your competitive advantage. Never miss an opportunity because you weren’t ready or didn’t expect it. 4 - Experience (even with failure) always outweighs no experience at all. It’s part of the reason you see the same dozen or so backup quarterbacks in the league for years at a time. The factors in Lesson 3 might not have gone their way but they kept showing up. The Lesson: Do NOT wait for perfect conditions, leverage the experience and resources you have and build from there. The fundamentals that win championships also win in business. What principles from your background have shaped how you approach your career?

Last night at the The Economic Club of Chicago, the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) commissioner Cathy Engelbert shared advice that stuck with me as a parent, a coach, and a CEO: Keep girls in sports as long as humanly possible. And remind them that no one will ever care about their career more than they do. She talked about learning early to advocate for herself and how that mindset carried her all the way to becoming CEO of Deloitte. That didn’t happen by accident. It came from competition, pressure, failure, and persistence. That message hit home. At BIG Construction, we have a clear goal of 50 percent female representation. Not because it sounds good, but because our industry needs more of the leadership traits women consistently bring to the table. At home, 60 percent of my household is female. On the court and the field, I coach girls youth sports. What I see every week is confidence being built through repetition and accountability, and lost when girls quit out too early. Sports teach girls how to compete, speak up, handle pressure, and recover from setbacks. Those are executive skills, whether the path leads to construction, finance, or anywhere else. If you are a parent of daughters, keep them playing. If you are a leader, create real pathways. If you are a woman in your career, advocate relentlessly. This is bigger than sports. This is how future leaders get built

As a student-athlete transitioning out of college, I wrestled with the anxiety about having 'limited' work experience on my resume. However, I quickly learned this 'lack' is a significant misconception. The reality? Being a student-athlete isn't just about competing; it's a lifestyle that cultivates the most essential practical skills for today's professional world, especially when it comes to thriving in team environments. Here are some of the skills I learned as a student-athlete: * Time Management & Prioritization: Managing complex schedules, deadlines, and commitments under pressure. * Resilience & Adaptability: Overcoming adversity, learning from failure, and quickly adjusting to new strategies and challenges. * Teamwork & Collaboration: Understanding the power of collective effort, effective communication, conflict resolution, and shared accountability to achieve common goals. * Self-Discipline & Work Ethic: The consistent dedication to improvement, often outside the spotlight, and the commitment to showing up prepared every single day. * Leadership & Influence: Inspiring peers, taking initiative, and leading by example both on and off the field/court. I've lived through these experiences, forged through countless hours of training, competition, and staying on top of academics. To hiring managers and recruiters: when you encounter a student-athlete on a resume, look beyond the traditional checkboxes. You're seeing an individual who is driven, disciplined, and understands what it truly means to be a valuable, contributing member of a team. They've already proven their ability to perform under pressure, learn quickly, and commit to excellence. Let's empower these incredibly skilled individuals to translate their unique experiences into impactful careers. #StudentAthlete #CareerDevelopment