If we asked Charles Grantham what his Everest was on June 29, 2021, he likely would have said “to see the NCAA change their policy on the rights of college athletes to own their name and likeness.” Then, BREAKING NEWS! On June 30, the NCAA approved regulations that will usher in a new era of college athletics. Prompted by laws in 14 states that went into effect on July 1, the NCAA moved to officially allow athletes in all sports to profit off their own name, image and likeness (NIL). “I’ve been working toward that for over 20 years,” said Grantham.
While heralding the win for student athletes, Grantham and Dr. Karla Steingraber talk about the new pressure that may trickle all the way down to Little League, as well as the mental health side of competitive sports overall. As Charles pointed out, the average active playing career for an athlete is 3 years–how do you prepare for that, especially when you know that going in?
Some Takeaways
- Charles Grantham has climbed Everest many times and still is looking for more peaks.
- Charles is someone who is authentically protective of young people, people who could be so easily taken advantage of because of their sudden stardom or windfall income. Often young people are thrown into the spotlight and don’t know how to manage or handle all the attention, pressure, fishbowl life and extreme public commentary.
- Not only has he developed an orientation program for new professional athletes and their families, he has organized pension/retirement plans, and career counseling for phase two of their professional lives….much like a parent. Except he’s an expert parent that most of us don’t get.
- This kind of forward thinking and retirement planning can be life changing/wealth preserving for these young athletes whose frontal lobes are not yet as restrained, especially in the financial arena, as that of a Wharton professor.
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More about Charles Grantham
Charles Grantham has a track record and reputation of compassion and passion for college and professional sports, negotiating million dollar, win-win contracts between athletes and business organizations. Throughout his career he’s had front row seat to what makes athletes thrive and the challenges they face–everything that contributes to the mental side of the game, beyond just physical sports prowess. Charles Grantham is deeply involved in professional sports. Mr. Grantham has represented or advised NBA players, including Charles Oakley, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tobias Harris. Currently, he is the Director of the Center for Sport Management at Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. As Executive Director of the NBA Players Association (aka the players union) he negotiated the collective bargaining agreement that caused owners to share significant revenues with players in the billion dollar industry. His thorough knowledge of the business of sports and his vision in promoting the personal development of professional athletes has placed Mr. Grantham in demand. He has been a keynote speaker and lecturer for numerous organizations and universities and has appeared frequently in the media.