*By Zane Bhansali*
For NFL player Ahman Green, 2003 was a year for the record books: He set the Green Bay Packers franchise record for rushing yards and touchdowns, and became the first and only player in NFL history to record at least 1,850 rushing yards, average 5.0 yards per carry, score 20 touchdowns, and catch 50 passes in a single season.
But he doesn't take all the credit for his success.
"It was a team effort," he says. "I'm a team player. From my offensive linemen to the full backs to the tight ends to the wide receivers blocking down the field, that's why that happened," he told Cheddar Sports.
Now, Green is taking his affinity for teamwork off the field and entering the esports game with his purchase of the Halo Pro Battle League team Wisconsin Fury.
"That type of teamwork is what I want to bring to the esports world," he said.
And that type of idea and that type of teamwork is what I want to bring to the esports world."
"It's been something bouncing around my brain for a couple of years," he says.
Green's love affair with gaming goes all the way back to his childhood.
He's been involved on an industry level for the better part of two decades ー since he served as the motion capture model for running backs and wide receivers in Madden 2K, and currently coaches high school "Overwatch" teams in his old home base of Green Bay. But it's Halo that's captured his heart since 2007, during an unfortunate stint on the injured reserved list.
"Halo 3 was my indoctrination into it," he says. "I was on IR unfortunately that year... and so on IR means basically you get a paycheck and that's all you do. So I was playing Halo 3, falling asleep with the controller in my hand, nodding off, nights like that." he said.
Since then, Green's passion for Halo has been unquenchable. His Twitter is littered with clips from tournaments and other events, including last weekend's DreamHack Atlanta. Becoming the owner of a team seemed to be the logical next step.
"I feel great about it," Green says of owning the team. "It's a product that's growing in the community that's going to be big for 2019 and 2020."
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As the online gaming world continues to boom, professional sports organizations are working to marry the online and physical sports world. Hugh Weber, president of the New Jersey Devils, said that there is a way for live esports events to be compelling enough to translate to ticket sales.
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The company's recent growth on the back of a newly invigorated gaming segment is only the beginning, according to president and CEO Bracken Darrell. He said in an interview on Cheddar that esports could become "the biggest sport in the world," and Logitech will be there as its top hardware provider.
