Alex Rodriguez Takes First Step in Post-Playing Career

Although he has yet to officially announce his retirement from baseball, former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has begun exploring new career options.

While there is still a possibility that Alex Rodriguez will suit up for a major league team in 2017, the CEO of A-Rod Corp. has started the search to see what is out there for him when his playing days are done.

The 41-year-old’s first post-playing career move is signing as a speaker with Greater Talent Network, Inc. According to their website, GTN is known for “bringing audiences the world’s most dynamic speakers from business, politics, technology, entertainment, literature and sports.”

Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta are among the other notable baseball figures to sign with this speaker’s bureau. They also represent celebrities like Paula Abdul, Henry “The Fonz” Winkler, and George Takei.

The title of A-Rod’s speech is “Mindset of a Champion: A Moderated Discussion and Q&A with Alex Rodriguez.” Here is how GTN describes the content:

"Alex Rodriguez has had one of the most impressive sports careers of all time—but his hard-earned success did not come without challenges. In a moderated discussion that pulls no punches, Mr. Rodriguez takes audiences through his journey—the rise, fall, and continuous path of resilience and hard work which has helped him to rebuild his role as a team leader and asset to his sport and community. Beyond his retirement from playing as a Yankee, he will continue to be a crucial part of the organization as a senior adviser to Hal Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees. Mr. Rodriguez shares anecdotes about the triumphs and troubles that come with balancing sports and celebrity, and he discusses how nothing is more instrumental to success than being a true student of your craft. He also shares his “mindset of a champion” philosophy, and how it applies to success both on and off the field."

It will be interesting to see just how candid Alex Rodriguez is about the more controversial aspects of his career. He reportedly is still hoping to join an MLB ownership group and seems to value his relationship with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, so don’t expect him to dish any clubhouse dirt.

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This may be completely off-target, but it feels like this could be Rodriguez’s first step towards a career in broadcasting. His biography on the site prominently mentions that “Mr. Rodriguez has also begun to use his extensive knowledge of baseball off the field as a color commentator for FOX Sports.  He received critical praise for his commentating throughout the 2015 playoffs and World Series.”

While it would be interesting to see A-Rod as coach or owner, he may be best suited for a career behind the mike, where his he can share his unmatched knowledge of the game with a wider audience and work on showing the country his more human side.