As a fan of both sports and Pokémon, I find this awesome.
Former New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez retired from the NFL at 28. Now, he’s already made strides with the next stage of his life after calling time on his football career.
In seven months since launching the company Blake’s Breaks, Martinez has made over $5 million by selling Pokémon cards, according to CNBC Make It. The company sells the cards on the Whatnot platform. Martinez reportedly started up Blake’s Breaks as a side venture during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the former NFL‘er being an avid collector of Pokémon cards since he was a child.
“Every single day when I wake up, my shoulder doesn’t hurt and my back doesn’t hurt anymore,” said Martinez. “When all that hurts are my fingers from opening, like, 1,000 packs of cards per day, I think, ‘I’m going to keep doing this.’”
29-year-old quit the NFL to sell Pokémon cards—his business brought in $5 million in just 7 months https://t.co/Sigm7NJRbQ
— CNBC Make It (@CNBCMakeIt) February 27, 2023
I’ve been a huge sports fan since a kid, and though it’s diminished since my childhood, I still have a close connection to Pokémon through my kids. And plus, even though I’m 32 years old, I have to admit that I still have interest in it.
There’s just a certain swagger that Pokémon has:
So it’s pretty cool to see two of my favorite childhood passions collide in this story. (RELATED: Cavinder Twins Drop Video In NCAA’s Face After Miami Hurricanes Women’s Basketball Gets Hit With Ridiculous Sanctions)
Makes me want to pull out my Gameboy, blow off the dust and begin another journey to Pokémon mastery.