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).
Fortnite's Winter Royale is an Epic failure, Astralis secures yet another CS:GO championship, and the best Cyber Monday deals around. Featuring esports journalist Rod 'Slasher' Breslau and Team Liquid and HTC Esports designer Jason Pun.
Since a Supreme Court ruling in May, seven states have legalized sports betting ー and Adam Small, the CEO of gambling magazine USBets thinks Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana may be next.
George Steinbrenner IV, the son of the New York Yankees co-chairman and grandson of the famous Yankee owner, told Cheddar how he wants to take the family business of winning to the race track.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
MLG co-founder Mike Sepso takes a seat at the podcast table for a discussion on the lazy summer that inspired MLG.
On today's show: the collapse of the H1Z1 Pro League, the announcement of the "League of Legends" European Championship, and "Fortnite"'s first open cash-prize tournament in the Winter Royale ー plus, PlayVS announces $30 million in funding. Featuring CEO of PlayVS Delane Parnell and DreamHack Global FGC Director Alex Jebailey.
Discussion of Smash Summit 7, Dreamhack Atlanta 2018, Red Bull Conquest, and Chris Pratt's Fortnite ads in Korea.
Featuring former NFL running back Ahman Green, Kelsey Moser, Amanda Stevens, and NYXL Product Dev Manager Samira Behrouzan
PUBG announces their global league for 2019, Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, and Riot faces down a lawsuit for workplace discrimination. Featuring Guy Blaze, ESL brand partnerships SVP Paul Brewer, and CEO of Electronic Gaming Federation Tyler Schrodt.
Alex Garfield re-enters esports, Cloud9 pulls off a miracle, Rocket League executes a win, and Z-Event raises 1 million euros. Featuring ESL SVP Brand Partnerships Paul Brewer, VP Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz, and Former MLB Professional Pitcher Jim Hoey V of Logitech G
SonixFox wins IPS 2 and donates 10k, the Game Award Nominees, Pokemon Let's Go, and big changes to Overwatch and Fortnite. Featuring NYXL Head of Business Development and Events Ben "MrBitter" Nichol, ReKTGlobal Esports VP Kevin Knocke, Cameron Davis, and Astro Gaming's Thadeous Cooper.
