Locked-out NFL players seeking short-term loans

An NFL lockout announced in March closed down league activities, halted dealings such as trade negotiations and resulted in athletes who aren't receiving regular paychecks. Players from at least 16 NFL teams, strapped for cash after a nearly two-month lockout, have sought short-term loans, ThePostGame.com reports. One financial adviser told the website that he thinks up to 10 percent of the league's approximately 1,800 players have already secured some form of a loan, and another 20 percent are applying for loans now. While some have criticized the use of short-term loans, another financial adviser, Sherard Rogers, told the website that the financing option is legitimate and supplying a demand. "There's a market, there's a demand," Rogers said. All the NFL teams are valued at more than $1 billion and can survive a lockout," he said, "but could players if there weren't resources to cover this short-term labor dispute?" Professional athletes are not the only ones turning to short-term loans for a quick solution to a cash shortage. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, approximately 21 million people in the United States are either underbanked or have a bank account but rely on alternative sources for financing, such as short term loans or auto-title loans.