by Jason Howarth
For many professional players, once they exit their sport they can have a difficult time coming up with a retirement venture. However, thanks to NFL and Green Bay Packers’ Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, Will Blackmon was able to build an award-winning wine enterprise. Blackmon was a fourth-round draft of the Packers in 2006, playing with the team until 2009 and eventually winning a Super Bowl with the 2010-11 New York Giants. Blackmon spoke to the Sports’ Illustrated podcast “The Bag” with Rashad Jennings and Lindsay McCormick about his relationship with Woodson and how it led to Blackmon getting into the wine industry, saying “The year I was drafted to Green Bay, we also signed Charles Woodson that same year. And I remember, like he would always have wine wherever we were.” Blackmon continued “I got to find out that he actually has his own wine, his own winery and all that stuff. And I thought that was super cool because at the time I thought wine was so untouchable… What that did for me: it made it attainable…He was obviously a star player; he was African American and he was in the wine business and I thought that was dope…And so I started getting a little more curious.”
After spending several years in the wine concierge business, Blackmon who retired from football in 2018, relaunching his own brand “The Wine MVP” in the near future. The adjustment has definitely been a shock to Blackmon who said “it’s crazy now to make my schedule now,” before elaborating “I have been playing football since I was six up to age 35, so it’s been a good challenge for me both personally and with my business to figure out what I’m going to do next.” One thing that has not been as difficult for Blackmon has been networking for his product, something he attributes to constantly moving homes as a kid, a process that continued through his football career, adapting to meeting and working with new people regularly. Blackmon also acknowledged the importance of knowing one’s product as a business owner, especially for former athletes, which is a different process than simply being a partner or investor.
Blackmon has definitely said that the wine industry, which as a whole made $417 billion in 2021 alone, has been a learning experience over time. Blackmon’s hustle and commitment to learning the wine game has gained him a lot of respect amongst his peers and working to change the perception of celebrity/athlete involvement with the wine industry. At the end of the podcast, when asked by Lindsay McCormick “What’s more challenging: learning all the playbooks or learning all the wines?” Blackmon without hesitation said “The wines! Are you kidding me? I know football, I was born in football. I wasn’t born in wine.” Keep glued to https://thewinemvp.com for further information about Will Blackmon’s ongoing ventures in the wine industry with his own brand.
You can listen to the podcast at https://www.si.com/tag/the-bag-podcast
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