Becoming the first American man to win an Olympic medal in luge has opened up a world of possibilities for Chris Mazdzer.
“There are some endorsement deals coming my way,” the silver medalist told Cheddar. “This has completely changed my life. It hasn’t changed who I am, but it changes what I can do.”
Mazdzer points out that Olympic athletes can work long and hard without ever seeing much financial rewards. He, for example, had been training for 21 years, juggling practice with bartending and working weddings just to make ends meet.
He says, “Some athletes work two, three jobs, just to keep doing what they love doing.”
To raise awareness, Mazdzer donated $5,000 -- about a third of his winnings -- to athlete-mentoring organization Classroom Champions. He’s also raised over $35,000 more in matched contributions.
He’s also planning for a future after sports.
“I want to go into financial planning, but I also want to go into...life fulfillment planning,” he said. “If you can manage how you view money and if you can manage how you feel about what you’re trying to do with your life…then you have the chance to be completely at one with yourself.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/olympic-luger-chris-mazdzer-makes-history).
This Changes Things: Advice for the business leaders and executives of tomorrow, powered by American Express OPEN. On Between Bells, New York Magazine's top movies, albums, and TV shows of 2017.
Chat Sports is a rapidly-growing live sports network for digital platforms. CEO and founder James Yoder reveals what goes into building a network from scratch, and weighs in on today's big sports headlines.
The University of Oregon's deal with Nike could become even sweeter. The program could reportedly get more than $88 Million in cash, apparel, and shoes over an 11-year contract. StockX CEO Josh Luber explains what this means for the athletic retailer, and college athletics.
Bobby Rahal, who became one of an elite group of race car drivers by winning the Indy500 in 1986, has remained a huge part of the racing world. He caught up with Alyssa Julya Smith at the Los Angeles Auto Show preview to talk about his partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, and Jaguar's I-PACE eTrophy Series.
It's a big weekend for college football. The top teams in the country will battle it out for a conference championship title. Nick Dimengo, Senior Editor at FHM Magazine joins Cheddar to give his opinion on who will end up with the trophy on January 8th.
Danny Boockvar, NFL Experience President, tells Cheddar all about the pro football league's new interactive exhibit.
The Astros won the World Series just weeks after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston. George Springer, who was named MVP of the series, says winning provided an outlet and a chance for the city to rebound.
Jaymee Messler, co-founder and president of Players' Tribune, told Cheddar how the company is creating a platform for athletes to expand their interactions with fans on Twitter.
Sarah Robb O'Hagan, CEO at Flywheel, tells us how her company is expanding beyond buying real estate with its indoor cycling classes. She's now bringing her spinning into fans homes with a new bike.
Professional Wrestling start Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, who got his start on "The Real World," joined Cheddar to talk about hosting the new MTV show "The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars." He also discusses the network's revival of longtime fan favorite "TRL" and other professional wrestling favorites.
