This story is a partnership with The Street, part of Sports Illustrated’s exploration of the ways sports and finance intertwine—from the NIL revolution to online betting, business-minded athletes and more. For more on sports and money, see SI’s October 2023 Money Issue or go to TheStreet.com.
Alex Rodriguez always assumed he would be a businessman, not a professional athlete. That wasn’t him doubting his talents on the field, but even from a young age, the future Yankees World Series champion and three-time league MVP was simply being pragmatic.
“I always remember that I wanted to be in business, and I wanted to be a major league baseball player. I thought the business route was more realistic,” he says. “Because really, don’t we all want to be baseball players, but usually, we don’t make it, right? So that was kind of where it started.”
