The persistent racial wealth gap is pushing pro athletes to champion financial literacy for Black kids and teens. They are doing everything from going into schools and colleges to investing in and sponsoring financial literacy programs and apps.
NFL players such as New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Copeland and Houston Texans safety Michael Thomas and NBA players, including Harrison Barnes, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul, are among the leaders in this effort.
Copeland, or Professor Cope, as he is called by his students, teaches personal finance to students at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and has a financial literacy website, Life101.io. He also brings high school students to locations where he’s speaking to learn about personal finance.
“I literally have videos on my phone of three African American kids from Philly who had never heard about stocks before passionately debating about which stock was going to be better, Apple, Nike or Uber,” Copeland said. “Now, they’re on the bus, still having this conversation. Now they go home, and they’re still thinking about buying Nike stock, as opposed to buying Nike shoes. And so that is how we create a ripple effect.”
Find the full article here: https://theundefeated.com/features/pro-athletes-supporting-financial-literacy-for-kids-and-young-adults/
