I’ve made sure that I’m in charge of all my money, especially after watching Broke on ESPN. It should be the signature broadcast for all athletes paying professional sports and getting paid to do it. And one of the stars is Andre Rison.

I still own his No. 80 jersey in black during his time with the Atlanta Falcons. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the music of TLC, but after Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes burned down ‘Bad Moon’ Rison’s home and they appeared on the cover of Vibe wearing firefighter’s gear, I just couldn’t…

He was a great wide out on the right team at the right time. He got paid accordingly and from the safety of my bedroom, I wasn’t there to see the trips to Magic City and the car dealership. I wasn’t there to see how someone from the hard streets could get ‘it’ and find a way to lose it not once but twice.

As an entire entity, Broke was scarier than my brain frying in a cast-iron skillet.

It made me find time for financial literacy, find time to better understand how to keep what I have while still enjoying what I want. It’s not as easy a balance as one would expect, but you can do it if you put your mind to it.

That, as a culture, we’ve found a way to eliminate and desecrate the importance of common and critical household duties like creating a budget, shopping for groceries and the ability to cook a meal from scratch.

But you can be easily led to believe that what’s more important is showing up in the newest car wearing a mortgage payment around your neck and on your fingers.

I’ll get down from my soap box now.