Many of us remember the nearly $822,500 gambling debt and subsequent arrest of former NBA star Antoine Walker. For the sake of full disclosure, I must confess that I went to college with Antoine at The University of Kentucky. The school's racism left me scarred for life, but Antoine was one of the good ones. He was also a megastar on campus, attracting far more female attention than myself. I'm not trying to hate, but I'm just saying.....

At any rate, Antoine and other professional athletes are often the pick of the litter for any woman choosing to be married. I might dare to speculate that after revealing what might be a serious gambling problem, enduring the humiliation of a nationally-publicized arrest and not being able to pay his debts, Antoine might not be considered such a great catch these days. But Antoine is not alone in his financial issues, as the news is packed with stories of athletes making millions and going broke as a result of their extravagant lifestyles.

In the research I did for my book, "Financial Lovemaking 101," I found that the ability to provide financial security is one of the most critical components of a woman's attraction to a man. Disgruntled women are more likely to get angry over a man's financial habits than they are to get upset about his infidelity.

In the book, I write a chapter about how to avoid a "financial venereal disease." This is a case in which someone may look good on the outside, but have serious financial liabilities on the inside. Examples might be a gambling addiction, overspending, excessive borrowing, drug or alcohol addiction, etc. What's most interesting is that similar to regular VD, most people tend to judge books by their cover when it comes with whom they choose to mate or marry.

A professional athlete is a tempting choice for most women, because their incomes can be quite high. But for many women across America, they think they've won the prize, when they've actually gotten the man that no woman would ever want. My email inbox is packed with messages from women across the world who've married professional athletes, only to find that their financial futures have been ruined by bad monetary choices, a lack of planning or blatant overspending. What's worse is that many African American athletes are so smitten with sports that they choose to ignore formal education, undermining alternative sources of income and financial security.

Here are some steps to help yourself avoid a financial venereal disease in your own personal relationships. Most people will never marry an athlete, but these problems are universal:

1) Don't get fooled by the bling: Having nice stuff doesn't mean you actually own the stuff. Many people have beautiful cars and nice homes that are actually owned by the bank.

2) "Get financially naked" with your partner: The same as when you make physical love, financial lovemaking requires that you reveal yourself. That means showing your credit report, income levels, debt levels and more to the person with whom you expect to share your life. This is how you can find out what you might be getting into.

3) Pay attention to habits: Where a person stands today is not nearly as important as where the are going to be tomorrow. If a person earns $5 million dollars per year but spends like a maniac, chances are that the person is going to eventually go broke. This is especially true for professional athletes, since there will come a day when the athlete's body doesn't command the salary that it once did. There is nothing sadder than watching a 40-year-old fighter going into the ring to get out of debt, but it happens far too often.

In the Financial Lovemaking episode below, S. Tia Brown and I discuss the situation with Antoine Walker as a learning point about making good financial decisions. The truth is that when it comes to love and money, the link is far deeper than you can imagine. Enjoy!

Dr Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University. He is also the author of "Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good." He does regular commentary in national media, including CNN, MSNBC, BET and more. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered directly to your email, please click here.