She tore her ACL from tennis and constructed a $25,000 a month enterprise

Sammi Ekmark, 29, co-founded customized greeting and reward card firm Ink’d Greetings in 2023 alongside her husband Andrew — a serious pivot from her earlier profession as a star tennis participant.

Ekmark picked up the game when she was 10 years outdated, and by the point she was in faculty, she was enjoying on a Division I crew the place she was individually ranked among the many prime 50 tennis gamers in singles in america.

“I actually targeted on tennis. I used to be 92-0 in highschool, so I by no means misplaced a match,” stated Ekmark. “I performed each single day for 2 and a half hours after college,” she stated, including that this was on prime of her matches and tournaments on weekends.

Her aim was to change into knowledgeable tennis participant, so she stated she would usually prioritize the game over her lecturers and social life.

It did not take lengthy for college recruiters to note. As highschool commencement approached, she obtained many gives from faculties across the nation. In the end, she determined to go along with Arizona State College (ASU), which gave her a full-ride scholarship to attend the varsity and play for his or her Division I crew.

Sadly, one night time whereas enjoying a late tennis match in faculty, Ekmark planted her toes incorrect and tore her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), one of many major ligaments within the knee. That is identified to be a serious harm in sports activities.

“Lots of the instances folks do contemplate ACL [tears] an enormous profession ender,” she stated. “After I obtained my harm … It made me take a 12 months off, and it was very powerful. Tennis was nonetheless my life, but it surely was onerous to get again into it pretty much as good as earlier than.”

Ekmark recovered from the tear and obtained again to enjoying tennis, however alongside the way in which, she additionally developed an curiosity for enterprise after taking an entrepreneurship class at her college. Though she had devoted a lot of her life to the game, she finally determined to pivot and give attention to constructing Ink’d Greetings.

In the present day, her enterprise brings in over $25,000 in income a month, based on paperwork reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Within the U.S., mother and father spend on common $3,000 yearly on their youngsters’s sports activities, with 64% reporting rising prices in recent times, based on a 2025 report by insurance coverage firm New York Life.

Nevertheless, lower than 2% of greater than 500,000 athletes in Nationwide Collegiate Athletic Affiliation colleges are drafted into knowledgeable sport, based on NCAA information.

“I sadly wasn’t as severe about lecturers as I might have favored to [have been] … I used to be there for tennis, and I do know most likely plenty of athletes are like that,” stated Ekmark. “So sports activities, if you wish to [play on] a excessive stage, are an excessive sacrifice …. The room for error is so small.”

Those that need to play professionally usually should prioritize their sport over all the things else. So, what occurs to the 98% of NCAA student-athletes who do not go professional? Effectively for some, life after sports activities could be very difficult.

“After they graduate, there’s plenty of psychological well being [issues] and [some face an] id disaster,” Kate Fitzgerald, former scholar athlete and co-founder of SPORTx, a scholar athlete enterprise studio at Arizona State College, instructed CNBC Make It.

“Lots of athletes graduate with these unbelievable ability units, however they haven’t any true, quote, unquote, company resume expertise to get them a job … they’re in a way, behind,” stated Fitzgerald.

Whereas many scholar athletes are compelled to play catch-up after college, Ekmark says that the qualities that make an ideal athlete are the identical qualities that make an ideal entrepreneur.

“I believe the most effective entrepreneurs are going to be individuals who had been former athletes,” she stated.

In June 2024, the Home v. NCAA settlement was accredited which ushered in a brand new period for the faculty sports activities trade, particularly in compensating athletes.

Following this landmark ruling, Division I faculty athletes who performed from 2016 to 2025, are set to be given $2.75 billion in again pay. Beforehand, the athletes could not legally accumulate on their title, picture and likeness (NIL) from their colleges.

Schools can now additionally “spend as much as $20.5 million per 12 months, escalating most years by at the very least 4%, to instantly pay athletes. Whereas many star athletes have been paid on the aspect by NIL collectives for the previous 4 years, this formally ends the period of amateurism,” based on earlier reporting by CNBC.

The NCAA traditionally operated underneath this amateurism mannequin, which restricted student-athletes in what compensation they might obtain. In the present day, some agree that the brand new NIL panorama can be nice for student-athletes who need to change into entrepreneurs or capitalize on their very own manufacturers.

“The chance is greater than ever now, as a result of they will begin that [entrepreneurship journey] whereas they’re an athlete,” stated Ekmark.

“So the NIL [landscape] has created the chance for athletes to really set themselves up for fulfillment in life after sport,” stated Fitzgerald. In follow, scholar athletes at this time could be compensated for endorsements, commercials or different offers that make the most of their title, picture or likeness.

Schools have additionally stepped in to help their athletes with their entrepreneurial endeavors, equivalent to Arizona State College’s SPORTx program, which goals to mentor the varsity’s athletes, assist them navigate the brand new NIL panorama, and launch, construct, develop and develop their companies.

“I believe that we have to begin giving athletes one other route … and we have to begin instilling it of their minds sooner than after they fail and after they cannot go professional,” stated Ekmark. “I believe it does should be in faculty like what [some schools] are doing now. And I believe that entrepreneurship might be the most effective route.”

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