Ahman Green on Bringing His NFL Experience to Esports
*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."
Trysta Krick, host of BetMGM Tonight, breaks down how several major NFL stories impact Week 9 lines, while Snapback Sports founder Jack Settleman makes sense of the chaos in college football and Iain MacMillan, Senior Editor at BetSided, gives his pick for who will win the 2022 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Jack Settleman, Founder Snapback Sports and Sports Betting Analyst for The Game Day, joins Cheddar Bets to help break down the surprises and snubs from the initial College Football Playoff rankings, and who will finish in the top four when it's all said and done.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Iain MacMillan, Senior Editor BetSided, joins Cheddar Bets to discuss the likelihood of a freshman pulling down this year's Wooden Award, and gives his Cinderella pick for this year's National Champion.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Carlo and Baker discuss the fallout from Tuesday's election and the flashing warning sign for Dems ahead of the midterms. Also, a big 2A case at the Supreme Court, Aaron Rodgers has Covid and is in big trouble, and a first for the MCU.
Carlo and Baker discuss the election results across the country, including a Republican comeback in Virginia -- and possibly NJ -- plus the CDC gives the go-ahead for child vaccinations, Atlanta wins the World Series and more.
'THEMAGIC5' produces swimming goggles that contour the face using advanced robot technologies and 3D printing. Both of the company's founders Bo Haaber and Rasmus Barfred went on ABC's 'Shark Tank' and caught a $1 million deal. The duo join Cheddar News to talk about what the new funding means for the company.
Eli and Peyton Manning's "Monday Night Football" telecast on ESPN2 has quickly gained attraction and has now become one of the most talked-about popular sportscasts this season. The show has now become a huge success. Sports Agent Anthony Tall joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker cover the big races to watch on this off-cycle Election Day, the concrete pledges starting to come out of COP26, Jeffrey Epstein keeps causing CEOs to lose their jobs, and Ryan Murphy's TV hit that wasn't.
Sportradar, a global sports data company, announced it will serve as UEFA’s exclusive authorized collector and distributor of data for betting purposes. The agreement covers 1,550 matches from the 2021-2022 season through to the end of the 2023-2024 season across all UEFA properties in Europe. Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl joined Cheddar to provide additional details on the landmark partnership and some insight into the future of sports betting.
