Dream Jobs Beyond the Game: Athletes Answer Playing Favorites

The ball stops bouncing for everyone eventually. That's the premise behind this Playing Favorites segment, where host Rachel DeMita posed a simple but revealing question to a group of elite young athletes: other than a pro athlete, what's your dream job?

The answers ranged from the expected to the surprising. Several athletes pointed toward careers that keep them close to the game—coaching at the college or high school level and sports broadcasting came up multiple times, suggesting a deep connection to competition that extends beyond playing. Others looked well outside the lines, with one athlete eyeing a future in the Army or Marines, another setting sights on becoming an astronaut, and one with culinary ambitions as a chef.

Not every answer was serious. One athlete floated YouTuber, another offered the memorable response of rap wrangler, and one had a clear eye for aesthetics with modeling as a backup plan. Rounding out the group was a future orthodontist in the making.

The segment offers a glimpse at the personalities behind the highlight reels—driven competitors with ambitions that stretch far beyond the field or court.