Free agent Odell Beckham Jr. has caused a bit of a stir after appearing on “The Pivot,” a sports podcast hosted by former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder. During the conversation, Beckham Jr., who previously played for the Miami Dolphins, insisted that he has issues with the millions he made over his decades-long NFL career.
However, once the interview aired, many people took issue with Beckham Jr.’s tone-deaf complaints about his million-dollar salary, especially given that a majority of Americans are experiencing financial insecurity due to the cost of living.
Back in October, Beckham Jr. appeared on “The Pivot” and admitted that when he started out in the NFL, he lacked the financial literacy to know that certain expenses would come from extreme wealth. He explained that not many people realize how quickly $100 million can disappear if you’re not careful with how you spend.
“I’ve always explained this to people, bro, you give somebody a five-year, $100 million contract — what is it really?” he said. “It’s five years for $60 [million]. You’re getting taxed. Do the math, that’s 12 a year that you have to spend, use, save, invest, flaunt, whatever. I’mma buy a car, I’mma give my momma a house. Everything costs money. So, if you’re spending $4 million a year – that’s really $40 million over five years – eight a year.”
Beckham Jr. continued, “Now, you start breaking down the numbers, and it’s like that’s a five-year span of where you’re getting $8 million. Can you make that last forever? And you always hear the people who ain’t us and ain’t be in the position, like, ‘Oh that would last a lifetime.’ Yeah, this job I sacrificed my whole life for, they are giving me that. I didn’t ask for the certain dollar amount or whatever. But we weren’t taught about no financial literacy … We weren’t taught this skill.”
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In total, Beckham Jr. has earned at least $100 million from playing football, and that doesn’t even include the money he most likely continues to earn from endorsement deals, ads, and paid promotions. Many people were not that sympathetic to Beckham Jr.’s complaint about how easily millions of dollars can go down the drain if you’re not careful.
The main issue that people have with Beckham Jr.’s take is that he’s speaking to the wrong audience. Most people who are fans are not earning anywhere near millions of dollars from playing a sport. So, to them, Beckham Jr.’s complaint misses the mark, and, of course, he comes off as a bit entitled, given the state of most people’s finances.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, roughly three-in-ten adults (28%) say they expect their financial situation and that of their family to be worse a year from now. On top of that, 48% of Americans say they have emergency or rainy day funds that would only cover their expenses for three months in case of sickness, job loss, economic downturn, or other emergencies. That’s not much time to come up with an alternate revenue stream.
In the grand scheme of things, sure, if rich people aren’t careful with their money, they could lose it all, but compared to regular Americans who can’t even afford groceries and other basic necessities, it doesn’t really mean much. Americans are too worried about how they’re going to pay bills and buy Christmas presents. Hearing a millionaire who never has to worry about money complain that it was too easy to squander his fortune feels, honestly, a bit annoying.
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
