In some ways, they’re perfect MBA candidates: They know all about dedication, they’ve had plenty of experience in leadership, and when it comes to teamwork, they’re literally pros.

Yet few professional athletes, some of whom make millions of dollars before hitting 25, actually get MBAs. In fact, financial education appears to be far from most players’ minds. Three years into retirement, many ex-football and basketball pros are not only unschooled in ROI ratios—they’re flat broke. And Olympians don’t do much better. Anecdotal evidence abounds about athletes turning to high-school coaching or struggling with unemployment.

For most people who get an MBA, knowing the rules of business represents the difference between a fat paycheck and a fatter paycheck. For the handful of athletes who make it to campus, even those with millions to their name, business education could mean the difference between remaining a millionaire and going broke. That’s not to say all pros need an MBA to fend off a highly publicized bankruptcy, just that for them the stakes are higher.

With that in mind, the NFL has beefed up its education effort, sending players to business classes through multiday programs at top business schools. Full-time MBA programs are doing their part, too. There is an Olympic water polo player at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, an NBA retiree at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and even a pro skateboarder at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Admissions officers thrill when they see pro athletes who desire entry, as more and more programs look for nontraditional applicants. After all, what MBA program wouldn’t want to enroll a sports superstar? Long hours and intense competition are their bread and butter. Faculty and admissions directors say most former pros are uniquely equipped for the rigors of earning an MBA. Greg Comella, a 7-year NFL veteran and legendary trainer, says his classes at Harvard Business School were a lot like “implementing a playbook in training camp.” After a pause, he adds: “But without the puking, I guess.”

Read the entire article HERE.