How an Olympic Silver Medal Changed Chris Mazdzer's Life
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).
Wyndham Clark is the U.S. Open champion and certainly played the part. All he did was hold his nerve against a world-class collection of contenders. Clark held off Rory McIlroy to win by one shot at Los Angeles Country Club.
Diver Diego Balleza, desperate because of a lack of financial resources ahead of next year's Paris Olympics, is making a leap to a different platform in which he also wears few clothes: OnlyFans.
The Vegas Golden Knights captured the young organization’s first Stanley Cup with a 9-3 romp Tuesday over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers.
Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets sharing hugs while passing around the NBA championship trophy. Those scenes that, for almost a half-century, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night.
