Beyond the Shakeout: By Julia Halprin Jackson

On a warm afternoon last September in San José State University’s South Campus athletics facility, Classye James, ’14 BBA, asked a crowd of student-athletes, “What words would you use to describe life after sports?”

As the students murmured their responses, she presented a slide with a list of adjectives: confused, lost, scared, worried. Basketball players, swimmers, gymnasts and more shared their anxieties about life after college sports. James, a former Spartan basketball player turned senior leader in diversity and inclusion at Cisco, explained that even professional athletes experience “the shakeout” — the realization that they must transition to a life beyond sport.

The phenomenon inspired her to create Shakeout Inc., a nonprofit that supports athletes as they transition into their careers, as well as Athletes Unite, a two-day conference in July 2022 that attracted more than 50 speakers and panelists to offer insight on business, entrepreneurship, mental health and self-care. Among the panelists was Tobruk Blaine, assistant athletic director of student-athlete development and creator of San José State’s Beyond Sparta program.

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