Broke(2012)

Broke is a documentary that explores why so many professional athletes end up financially ruined after their playing careers end. Drawing on a 2009 Sports Illustrated study showing that 60 percent of former NBA players go broke within five years of retirement, and 78 percent of former NFL players face bankruptcy or severe financial stress within two years, the film investigates the psychological and practical factors behind these startling statistics. Through candid interviews with retired stars including Keith McCants, Bernie Kosar, and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, former executive director of the MLB Players Association, the documentary examines how bad investments, hangers-on, medical bills, and the athletes' own competitive impulses to display wealth can lead to financial disaster. The film reveals how the same drive that made these men champions on the field often becomes their downfall in managing money off it.