A Former NFL Star Is Making Millions Off Pokemon Cards After Retirement

There is no denying that professional athletes can make bank on the field, but once the game is over, they are forced to find new income outlets. Some transition better than others as you can imagine. There are athletes who leave the NFL for instance and never regain their footing, but then there are guys like Blake Martinez who manage to make millions with the help of Pokemon cards.

Yes, you read that right. The former NFL linebacker is done with sports and has turned their entire focus to Pokemon. After retiring from his seven-year career in NFL, Martinez kickstarted his own hobby company, and he has earned over $11 million USD since getting into Pokemon.

The whole thing came to light this week after The Athletic did an in-depth profile on Martinez and his new business venture. The former footballer said he's been busy seeding his trading card company, and the outlet is what first prompted his retirement. After all, Martinez saw he could make a profit selling Pokemon cards to collectors without any risk of injury as he faced in pro sports.

"I just asked myself, do I want to keep starting over from ground zero with football, and keep destroying my body, or do I want to start over from ground zero here, and do something I can actually sustain for a long time? I loved football. But what I found out was I loved building and running my own team even more," Martinez explained.

For those unfamiliar with Martinez's venture, his collectible company is Blake's Breaks, and it has done well for itself. The brand has earned $11.5 million in revenue to date. Given the red-hot collectibles market for cards, Blake's Breaks works with Pokemon all the time, but there are other IPs on the horizon. From Magic: The Gathering to sports cards and even Yu-Gi-Oh, trading cards are on the rise with diehard collectors, and companies like Blake's Breaks help broker deals for paying customers. So if Martinez plays his cards right, well – he might make more in the long run with Pokemon than he ever would have in the NFL.

What do you think about this athlete's turn to Pokemon? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!