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Ragnarotico t1_iwycbsk wrote

The reason he retired isn't because of a $672K card. That's not going to last you a lifetime when you're 28 years old.

He retired because he graduated from Stanford (smart) and realized that there's not much point in playing football anymore when he's already made $28M in his career.

He would rather retire, save his brain and body and pursue some other passions like collecting and trading Pokemon cards.

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wwJones t1_iwz9cl0 wrote

Pretty sure he didn't "retire." He "retired from football."

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sunsetrhythm t1_iwyt2pv wrote

More power to him, if that's the case. Dude football is scary to watch.

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passwordsarehard_3 t1_ix0oue6 wrote

It’s going to be viewed the same way we look at gladiators fighting to the death. The owners sit back and make billions while these kids smash their heads together until they get brain damage.

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classyboner t1_ix0sbd4 wrote

Playing football is the same thing as stabbing someone with a sword

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typewriter6986 t1_ix24wlc wrote

They should allow wild and exotic animals out of the field during play. Now that would really spice things up.

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Steezywild12 t1_ix2va6y wrote

Or just give the wild and exotic animals the ball. Who could bring down an elephant? A pack of wolves, maybe…

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DrunkStepmother t1_iwz45o7 wrote

Graduate and accepted as a football player to be fair

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ThaBomb t1_iwz7g11 wrote

Stanford still has very high academic standards for their athletes…

Not to mention Blake’s major was management science and engineering, and he still was receiving awards for his academics. It’s not like he chose communications or something to say he graduated with a Stanford degree. Seems like a pretty smart dude

https://gostanford.com/sports/football/roster/blake-martinez/7588

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whatproblems t1_iwzc02o wrote

smart enough to recognize he didn’t need football probably loved playing but didn’t need it

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KingfisherDays t1_iwzt58k wrote

What is management science and engineering? Sounds more like a business degree with a fancy name

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Ruma-park t1_ix19lci wrote

It's very likely a business degree with a couple of techincal classes so that you are better able to understand technical details later in your job.

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Wunder_boi t1_ix0l7ud wrote

Communications isn’t technically difficult but fuuuuck is it a big workload

0

chromeVidrio t1_ix05vlw wrote

I’m tired of that trope. I was an NCAA athlete. You ever try to get good grades in college and play a sport full time at that level? We do more than you. If we graduate with the same GPA as you while playing a sport, we are smarter than you. We are also more athletic than you. Are some of us dumb? Yeah, but so are some people who aren’t on the team.

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Naughtai t1_iwzotr9 wrote

Yeah, I've heard a lot of NFL players get used to making a few mill a year and then when they retire, they don't change those spending habits and blow their savings in 5-10 years. It sounds like he has a better head on his shoulders, pun intended.

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Gogh619 t1_ix0ky0a wrote

I bet a woman pushed him to do that. You know what they say, men are only as smart as their woman. No clue why gay men are so successful though. Mystery.

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Mactan t1_iwzeuw2 wrote

That's not fair. He should finish out his contract.

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drethnudrib t1_iwzhpf6 wrote

NFL contracts aren't guaranteed. If he'd gotten hurt, his team could (and probably would) have cut him and not paid another dime. Seems to me that turnabout is fair play.

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morenewsat11 t1_iwxoy3x wrote

> So, the former Stanford-educated linebacker made the smart decision and chose full-time Pokémon trading rather than taking on 400-pound lineman every Sunday.

Smart man. Time better spent with his young family and taking care of his mental/physical wellbeing.

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CoralPilkington t1_iwxpdbe wrote

Don't want to end up like Herschel...

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throwawayyourfun t1_iwxv8fk wrote

CTE is real.

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Cynykl t1_iwyc8ls wrote

Oh sure CTE might be real but what is your opinion on werewolves and vampires. That is what the public really wants to know.

Edit: I am gonna leave this here even though after posting it I noticed a bunch of people saying the same thing. This post will remind me to scroll before I type.

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whatproblems t1_iwzc7iw wrote

pokémon card trading lots of money in that tcg for some reason

1

Grimm2020 t1_iwxpzhc wrote

I can honestly say I'm one Pokemon card, or comic book, away from retiring, as well

(I'm also 66, and 67 next month, so nothing as dramatic as this guy)

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Divallo t1_iwymkq1 wrote

Hey professor Oak you're retiring? Any chance you want to give me a bulbasaur?

If you do I'll tell you your grandsons name.

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ErichOdin t1_iwycy3u wrote 

Martinez recently sold a Pokémon Illustrator card with a Gem Mint 9.5 rating for $672,000. Don’t ask what all that means, because I don’t know.

What a terrible article.

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MowMyLawn69 t1_iwygck5 wrote

The article writer is far too cool to know what all that geek stuff means 😎

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Ditto_D t1_iwyj0h7 wrote

Fucking idiots couldn't even bother googling what the card looks like and put a picture up. At this point; decent AI articles can't come fast enough to put idiots like this out of work.

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WIN011 t1_iwyj5ug wrote

Even worse cause Martinez has made over 20 million in his career. This wasn’t what put him over the top.

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bernard_wrangle t1_ix11s77 wrote

“What I do know is that money is more than double what Martinez could have made if he stayed with Las Vegas the rest of season.”

1

khyth t1_iwyqqli wrote

Can you imagine that the author considers himself a journalist? "I can't be bothered to do the research but i get paid per click so let me write down something I saw somewhere else!"

Imagine if your doctor were the same. "Don't ask me what will make your rash go away but i read somewhere you should try a cream!"

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throwavvay23 t1_iwz0dou wrote

This site was started by a far right leaning asshat named Clay Travis so I'm not surprised they fail to do the minimum amount of research.

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Flambam35 t1_ix0oqbr wrote

Seriously tired of lazy journalists who can't be bothered to do more than 2 minutes of background research. This is of the same quality as the schoolwork you do at the last minute on the bus on the way to school.

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ScootyPuffJr1 t1_ix0atay wrote

Also the part about 400 pound lineman. That’s pushing 100 pounds more than the average offensive lineman and the heaviest players play defense.

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billfitz24 t1_iwxnab9 wrote

Poor bastard plays for the Raiders. I don’t blame him one bit.

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dead_gerbil t1_ix10d6t wrote

He was pretty good for the Giants before this year. Not outstanding, but pretty good.

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Mike_Honchos_Fluffer t1_iwyr2v6 wrote

When I was young I had a holographic Charizard. I lost it moving in the 4th grade.

Apparently it can sell for as much as $270k today.

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fateless115 t1_iwyy284 wrote

Yea a psa 10 first edition charizard. There are still a bunch of regular ungraded holo charizarda going for about $200

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Redditquaza t1_iwzuf68 wrote

Only if it's in perfect condition, graded by a reputable company and shadowless, so in 99.99% of cases not.

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BlarghALarghALargh t1_iwz24o2 wrote

I feel you man, I distinctly remember having a holo charizard EX back when I was a kid, really wish I had held onto those cards lol.

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AgentUpright t1_ix0urye wrote

The reason those cards are worth $270k now is precisely because so many kids lost theirs. Rarity is an important part why those cards are worth so much now.

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SirCastically t1_iwzqxzf wrote

No kidding? I still have my old collection. Where would I find prices for old cards?

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Redditquaza t1_iwzu9ri wrote

Only if it's:

  • English
  • Shadowless (First Edition)
  • In absolute flawless condition
  • Graded by PSA/BGS or CGC

So in like 99.99% of cases not. Generally you can find prices by entering the card on ebay and select sold listings as a filter.

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nikicampos t1_ix01lib wrote

Even if you never lost it, you probably would’ve sold it long time ago when it was worth way less

1

isekai-cheeese t1_iwy5iua wrote

saved himself from CTE

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Daratirek t1_iwyak9r wrote

He's got that already. Just playing in HS/college did it. He's saving himself from likely having to have multiple surgeries.

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shadowrun456 t1_iwzqzx3 wrote

>Martinez recently sold a Pokémon Illustrator card with a Gem Mint 9.5 rating for $672,000. Don’t ask what all that means, because I don’t know.

The pinnacle of journalism.

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Duderpher t1_iwyxbar wrote

There is no way he just “found” it. Shit title.

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Redditquaza t1_iwzumcp wrote

So "found" apparently means bought and then sold later, what a great article...

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cfdeveloper t1_ix0wxfk wrote

"My only regret is that I sold it for 672k worth of FTX"

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Dark_Vengence t1_ix5478g wrote

Damn how can a pokemon card be that insanely valuable? I still have a pretty big collection from the good old days. I stopped caring after johto. It went to crap.

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6Carvell9 t1_iwyw8wn wrote

I thought this happened a few weeks ago

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reward72 t1_ix0nwl2 wrote

But seriously, is there someone that will actually pay $672K for the card? How easy is it to sell it?

1

Redditquaza t1_ix328lr wrote

Very easy, it's like the holy grail of Pokémon cards.

1

Aengeil t1_iwz0oxi wrote

see, this is a normal person looks like

−2

LeadershipTall2437 t1_iwyarh4 wrote

Why not the honest thing and look for the owner of the card? Oh he "found the card in his wallet" It was his all along, right.

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