Online gambling helped Sam Mattis pay his bills. Now the N.J. Olympic hopeful is betting on himself – NJ.com

Many times over the past two years, Sam Mattis stared at a pair of blackjack cards on his phone, and two questions raced through his mind:

Hit or stick?

How did I get to this point?

When Mattis graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, many believed he was headed for a lucrative investment career. He had just completed his internship at JPMorgan Chase, and the company was so impressed it offered him an immediate job on Wall Street.

So what did he do? He politely turned down the offer, never thought about business again and decided to make a living throwing discus. Mattis, who grew up in Middlesex County, started competing in the event at East Brunswick High. He won an NCAA title at Penn.

Its the outright dream of most boys to be a professional athlete, Mattis said. I never really thought that would be my path, but after I won NCAAs for Penn in 2015, I thought, Maybe I can do this for real.

And the investment in himself has paid off: Mattis is ranked 16th in the world in the discus, the No. 2 ranked American. After an Olympic-qualifying throw last summer, if Mattis finishes among the top three in the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 25, hell be bound for the Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan.

When he turned down the Wall Street job, however, he turned down the money that comes with it. Discus athletes dont make what stockbrokers earn, so he had to get creative by working odd jobs and gambling while he trained.

At first, I wasnt making money from track, he said. To pay the bills, I worked in marketing for a pharmacist in my area. I worked for a company that tried to be an Uber for laundry in 2019. Then, this past year I started up a supplement company and did a lot of sports betting and blackjack just to try to get by.

Mattis also was hired as a volunteer assistant coach for the Rutgers track and field team. He was unpaid, but he did get to use their facilities and add Division I track coach to a resume that he hopes will include the Olympics.

The coaches at Rutgers were nice enough to let us get in on their training situation, and we volunteered a couple of hours a week to help coach there, he said. It was a decent relationship.

Mattis position at Rutgers lasted for about a year and a half before their facilities shut down due to COVID-19. After that, he moved back to Pennsylvania, where he and six other athletes created a training bubble at a local facility. This is where he started the final training steps towards his Olympic dreams.

Mattis longtime roommate and training partner, Noah Kennedy White, is a witness to his training. He has watched his friend mature as a world-class athlete in a sport where money trickles.

Sam is someone who had a lot of success in high school and college, and hasnt been immune to the difficulty of professional track, White said. But hes stayed super consistent in his work ethic and his self belief, and clearly its paid dividends. Hes really established himself as one of the best throwers in the country, and its fully deserved.

Mattis trainer Dane Miller also played a key role in the East Brunswick natives rise. Miller, who is active on Instagram and puts him through a number of high intensity workouts, says if Mattis reaches his potential, hell win on the highest international stage of the sport.

His ceiling is going to be working to the point of medaling at the world championships or medaling at the Olympics, Miller said. I think thats got to be our big picture goal. Hes capable of doing that.

After dealing with several back injuries this season, Mattis cant wait to prove himself.

Im finally starting to put some stuff together, he said. Im excited. Just being there at an event like the Olympic trials is very exciting. Its just a different level of competition.

When Mattis reflects on the hours of training, grueling practices and opportunity costs, he still has no regrets. The moneys tight, unemployment and small stipends from USA Track and Field have helped him survive this year, but hes proud that he chased his dream.

You only get to do something like this once, he said. Regardless of how things shape up, Im very happy I made that choice and decided to do something a little more fulfilling than making rich people richer.

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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.

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Online gambling helped Sam Mattis pay his bills. Now the N.J. Olympic hopeful is betting on himself - NJ.com