Former NFL linebacker Blake Martinez is spending his retirement making millions by dealing inPokemonTCGcards. Martinez has already had a phenomenal and lucrative career as a professional football player, playing for three different teams and earning millions of dollars before an ACL tear prematurely ended his career.
The injury, which Martinez suffered in 2021, ended his season, and while he briefly joined the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, he ultimately decided to step away from the sport, announcing his retirement in November of that year. One might expect Martinez to relax and enjoy his retirement after that. Instead, he decided to turn his other passion,PokemonTCG, into a second career that could prove even more successful than his first.
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Since retiring, Martinez has begun trading inPokemon TCGcards, starting his own business, dealing special items likerare Charizard cards, and even streaming pack openings. While his company, Blake’s Breaks, is still relatively new, celebrating its one-year anniversary this month, it has already brought in millions. Blake reportedly raked in $6.5 million in just the first eight months of business.
Blake has attributed his success, in part, to the leadership skills he developed on the football field. The Covid-19 pandemic, which prompted him to take up trading inPokemoncards part-time, and the injury, which ultimately ended his football career, also contributed to the growth of his business. Calling it his “pivot point,” the injury and subsequent recovery gave him time to further develop his card business and led to his decision to pursue it full-time. He finallyretired after selling a rarePokemoncardand stepped into his new role as a rare-card dealer.
Blake’s ability to turn a tragic injury into a new, possibly bigger and better career will surely inspire many. It also speaks to the potential for profit in trading cards. As the recent hunt for the now-foundOne Ring in the newMagic the Gatheringexpansion shows, some people are willing to invest a great deal of time and money into getting the rarest and coolest cards.
Of course, not everyone should retire early and count on dealing trading cards to make a living. It can be a tough business, requiring a great deal of start-up money, lots of knowledge of the cards, and plenty of luck. As a recent auction in whichan extremely rarePokemoncard received zero bidsshows a dealer can sometimes simply be unlucky. Still,Pokemon TCGfans and aspiring collectors can certainly be happy for Martinez’s success and admire his work ethic.
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