NFL quarterback Fernando Mendoza now calls Sin City – the sleazy, neon-lit amusement park of gambling, hookers, and debauchery – his home. But despite the unholy surroundings, he has turned out to be one of the most wholesome players in the entire league.
The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Mendoza, a Heisman winner and former Indiana Hoosier, as the number one overall pick in March. Mendoza signed on with an eye-watering, four-year, $57.27 million contract. Although he’s a backup to the seasoned veteran Kirk Cousins, who has had an exceptional start to the season so far — hell frozen over, and the Raiders are 2-0! – Mendoza is winning over fans for his attitude off the field.
One of the first things he did after his preseason debut in August was to thank God and express gratitude to his coaches and teammates for the opportunity, which he capitalized on by going 10/16, throwing for nearly 100 yards, and notching a touchdown.
Mendoza is back making headlines this week. While online sports gambling is all the rage these days, devouring the paychecks of countless Gen Z bros and turning other pro athletes into pro-gambling mouthpieces, the Raiders quarterback has bucked the trend and launched a new media campaign to encourage fiscal responsibility.
Mendoza will partner with U.S. Bank to release educational videos on several social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, in a series called “Finance with Fernando.” The goal is to teach Gen Z the basics of finance, compound interest, 401k contributions, etc.
“I’m excited to keep building with U.S. Bank because this work brings together two things I care deeply about: football and finance,” he said. “Money can feel complicated, especially when you’re making big decisions for the first time. If I can help people start earlier, ask better questions and feel more confident, that’s a role I’m proud to play”
As more and more teams, leagues, and pros endorse and invest in sports betting and prediction market platforms, Mendoza’s decision was not only smart, if a bit dorky, but also admirable.
The last thing America needs right now is another influencer hawking online gambling apps to young men who cannot recognize their addictiveness and financially toxic nature. Gambling addicts are going into debt, throwing their kids’ college funds into three-way parlays, bringing themselves to financial ruin, getting divorces — all while retired sports legends and other influencers profit off their misery.
So it’s good there’s at least one young player in the league who’s clean-cut and religious, and who might be able to save a couple hundred college kids from downloading DraftKings and getting hooked for life. Rather than parlays, Mendoza will teach them the far more responsible and destigmatized form of gambling: retail investing.
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