Nick Rascon knew he was done playing professional water polo, possibly forever, after taking one look at his severely swollen knee during a game with his Montenegrin team earlier this year.
Being so far away from home in a strange country, Rascon’s love for water polo began to dwindle. Re-aggravating an injury he carried since college only pushed him to make a difficult decision sooner than he’d liked.
“It’s difficult for water polo players to keep [playing through adversity] but they keep pushing and keep playing because they love it,” Rascon said. “They are pretty much doing it for pride or whoever they’re representing. It’s more for the love of the game and it’s unfortunate that there is none left.”
Several months prior, just days after graduating from Long Beach State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Nick Rascon boarded an airplane out of Los Angeles International Airport with the hopes of making a living doing what he loves.
The three-time All-American attacker, who played for LBSU’s men’s water polo team from 2010 to 2014, had just signed a contract with one of the most historic clubs in European water polo; Kotor, Montenegro’s J.K. Primorac.
“The average player in the league is really good,” Rascon said. “The Adriatic League is one of the best leagues in the world with some of the best competition.”
When Rascon signed with the club, it was in the middle of the season for Primorac. After getting off his plane, Rascon met his new teammates and went to work.
“We started training a little bit and then I had my first game two or three weeks after I got there,” Rascon said. “And everybody was with arms wide open.”
The Laguna Hills native said that the team and people of Kotor were receptive to him because another American water polo player had established success while there. Tony Azevedo, captain of the U.S. water polo team and Long Beach native, played for Primorac back in 2009 and took them all the way to the Euro championship and won.
Unlike the U.S., where sports like baseball, basketball and football rule in popularity, in Kotor, water polo is the national sport. Since Kotor is a small town with a population less than 15,000, Rascon said living there “felt like everyone knew each other.”
One night after a game, Rascon went out for a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants and was rushed by a bunch of Primorac supporters. However, life wasn’t always that easy for Rascon overseas.
Even though the locals treated Rascon like a rich and famous celebrity, he didn’t get paid like one. Since Kotor is a small market, Rascon said that even the best players made around $16,000 a year.
“We wake up every day here in America and see an NBA or an NFL guy signing for four years and $80 million,” Rascon said. “That’s unheard over there of for one player to sign for that amount of money.”
Unlike other popular sports that are franchised in the U.S., water polo is a footnote compared to basketball or football because there are no professional aquatic leagues in the U.S.
[pullquote align=”center” speaker=”Nick Rascon”]I’m still not a hundred percent sure if I am done. I love to play, I love the sport and I wanted to keep going with my career…[/pullquote]For this reason, there is not a lot of money for American players to make by playing overseas.
“It’s very difficult in our country for guys like Nick who don’t have a strong vehicle to keep playing,” LBSU’s water polo head coach, Gavin Arroyo said. “If you don’t go to Europe and make that commitment, you’re essentially done at a high level.”
The money Rascon did make playing for Primorac was just enough to pay for food, housing, going out and other necessities. Because of this, Rascon started having second thoughts about playing professional water polo overseas.
His injury was the catalyst that forced him out of the game.
Following the game where he got hurt, Rascon got an MRI on his knee. While he waited for the results, he played two more games in pain. Although he continued to do physical therapy to rehabilitate his left ACL, deep down Rascon knew that he needed to take a break and decided to return home.
“It was just wear and tear and grind on my leg,” Rascon said. “It was my body telling me, ‘Hey Nick, you need to take a couple months off or else it’s going to break down for good.’”
Rascon said the hardest part about his decision to return home was that it possibly meant saying goodbye to the game for good. Now that he’s back home, Rascon’s made the switch from the water to the office.
Before, Rascon suited up for work in a speedo, sun block and a cap. But at his current job in Irvine where he sells commercial real estate, Rascon has no other choice but to sport a suit.
Although his current occupation and playing water polo couldn’t be more different, Rascon said he still maintains the motto he developed as a 49er and applies it to the workforce.
“Stay competitive, stay hungry, and stay humble,” Rascon said. “I always say that if you don’t fail, you’re never going to learn.”
In his current job, Rascon said he already makes “100 percent” more money than he did playing for Primorac. But deep down, his competitive fire still burns.
Rascon’s former coach is helping him network with some teams in Spain, where Arroyo played professionally.
“Basically, I have a friend whose father was the president of the club that I played for,” Arroyo said. “Since water polo is a relatively small community, they always keep their ears open to what’s available.”
But even with a couple teams lined up that he could go and play for, Arroyo said he “thinks Nick’s done.”
Arroyo also described Rascon as an “incredibly intense, fearless and a tremendous competitor.” Because of that fiery approach, letting go of the game for good has its melancholy, but Rascon’s playing career “might not be over yet.”
“I’m still not a hundred percent sure if I am done,” Rascon said. “I love to play, I love the sport and I wanted to keep going with my career, but I was so frustrated [in Europe] with my leg because no matter how much I rehabilitated it, the pain wouldn’t go away. It’s tough giving it up, but it all depends on my health.”