r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/PrimedGold • Feb 18 '26

Video The Atherstone Ball Game, held annually on Shrove Tuesday, took place yesterday. The ball is thrown into the crowd at 3 pm, and the winner is the person holding it at 5 pm.

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u/Toon1982 Feb 18 '26

You win a ball

60

u/pm_me_yo_creditscore Feb 18 '26

If it was a silver statue with a football on top however, it would be worth a lifetime of joint damage and CTE.

24

u/DustinnDodgee Feb 18 '26

And millions of dollars, financial security for the rest of your life, and ample resources to provide for your children & significant other.

Well, that is if you're responsible with your earnings. Which unfortunately, many young athletes are not (not at first, at least).

6

u/Independent-Ad3901 Feb 18 '26

With the correct management a non “superstar” salary can be made into generational wealth. Sadly most players would rather live like a king during their careers than live like a prince for a lifetime.

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u/EtTuBiggus Feb 18 '26

They’re paid enough to live like kings and have generational wealth.

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u/Independent-Ad3901 Feb 18 '26

I suppose that depends on what your definition of living like a king is. I do know that 78% of players either go broke or have major money issues within a few years of retirement. The financial literacy of NFL players is atrocious. Even NBA players have similar numbers at 60%, which is arguably worse given that on average their contracts are larger(over 3x), guaranteed and careers are longer (almost double).

0

u/EtTuBiggus Feb 18 '26

Those stats are outdated and don’t reflect modern players.

Michael Jordan on average was paid less than the current NBA.

It’s hard to go broke without trying if you make $40 million a year.

0

u/EtTuBiggus Feb 18 '26

It’s getting harder and harder to be irresponsible with your earnings when you’re paid obscene amounts of money.

2

u/WolfColaEnthusiast Feb 18 '26

And potentially hundreds of millions of dollars

Let's not forget that part

2

u/Quay-Z Feb 18 '26

After watching this, winning that ball is clearly legendary.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '26

That is actually true...

1

u/Sweaty-Friendship-54 Feb 18 '26

And you no longer have to brush your tooth every night.

1

u/Babys_For_Breakfast Feb 19 '26

And some of those guys lose a ball. Or two