Athletes With the Coolest Post-Sports Careers

Athletes with the coolest post-sports careers are those former professional athletes who after their playing days ended, went on to do some pretty amazing things. From those who went into politics to others who built business empires and even others who chose wacky careers, all of these athletes found fun new paths off the field.

Nearly any former athlete can find work after their playing career ends as a broadcaster or coach of their respective sports but how many can go on to be President of the United States of America? One did it, former University of Michigan football player Gerald Ford. While few will live up to that precedent, other athletes have seen success in politics such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served as Governor of California, and Jesse Ventura, who was the Governor of Minnesota.

Show business is another common landing place for retired athletes with the likes of Carl Weathers, Vinnie Jones and Jim Brown all seeing success on the field and on the big and small screens. Becoming a business executive would be another with former atletes making a name for themselves as the face of product lines, like George Foreman and John Madden, or even going on to own the teams in the sports they once played, like Mario Lemieux, Nolan Ryan and Michael Jordan.

While not all of the best athletes of all time will go on to find success off the field, these special athletes with awesome post-sports careers prove that with the right determination, retired athletes can go on to long and successful careers in many other fields.