In my Athlete of the Week interviews, I’ve had a habit of asking the recipients if they’d prefer to be rich or famous. The context behind each answer usually stayed the same for both choices: those who wanted to be rich wanted to take care of their families and buy cool stuff, while those who wanted to be famous just wanted to be a positive influence for others.
Consider me a part of the latter group, as most journalists won’t have a rock star salary at any point in their careers. If my work directly inspires people to one day become journalists, then I can consider myself successful.
But it’s way more fun to know exactly what people would do if given a boatload of money on command.
I think the kids have had more fun with this, too, as I’ve heard everything from buying fancy cars to personal islands. (After taking care of their families, of course.) It really makes them think. It’s also made me think now that it’s sticking around in my arsenal of questions for the foreseeable future. What could a guy like me do with a billion in the bank?
At one point, I might have said something like “Y’all would never, ever see me again,” because I would have wanted to buy a party island and never work again. But now, I realize that I would probably go back to writing within a few years because I enjoy it too much. So I’ve begun to think about it like a mature, responsible adult.
First and foremost, I’d pay off all of my student loans and my mortgage. I’d then buy a brand new Dodge Challenger because I’m not too far off from needing a new car, and I’d love to have my dream car sooner than later. After that, I’d put some money toward fixing one of my shoulders, which I messed up in high school but never had surgery.
The rest of that money would go toward one day bringing the NBA back to Buffalo, my hometown. Before I was even thought of, the Braves were thriving in the league with star player Bob McAdoo. But because Buffalo can never have nice things in sports, the team was sold and became one of the worst franchises in league history, the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any Buffalonians root for the Clippers, even though they were once there, and I can’t blame them.
As tempting as it would be to become a beat writer for the team I own, my journalistic integrity would keep me in the front office.
I don’t know how much money I’d have left after that, since the market value for NBA teams has risen dramatically this decade, but I at least know I’d be able to profit in such a dedicated sports town.
If this got any potential AOTW candidates to think, then I can’t wait to hear some of the answers come interview time. What would you do with your first free billion?
