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."
Jill and Carlo discuss the pending approval for Pfizer's vaccine for kids, the state of anti-Semitism three years after Tree of Life, potential criminal charges in the 'Rust' prop gun shooting and more.
DraftKings is walking away from a deal to buy Entain, a major company in the international gambling industry, for $22.4 billion. The deal reportedly fell through after the companies could not come to agreements about BetMGM, the exclusive sports betting division of MGM, and a joint venture between MGM resorts and Entain. Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams joined Cheddar Nws' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jill and Carlo cover the news out of Facebook's latest earnings, Tesla's monumental day, Dave Chappelle addresses controversy and the tragedy of the climate emergency.
Zaire Wade and Jalen Newsome, Co-founders and Co-CEOs of 'YNG DNA' join us to talk about their new NFT collection available Oct. 25 on WAX NFT blockchain.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks defending its title with nearly the same team, bettors are putting their dollars behind "King" LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Meanwhile, Caesars Sportsbook is laying odds that the Larry O'Brien trophy will be hoisted by the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA's 75th season gets underway tonight with the Brooklyn Nets facing off against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, followed by the Golden State Warriors at the LA Lakers. The league also is expected to celebrate its anniversary by unveiling its list of 75 greatest players.
The world of sports media continues to be a white-male dominated industry according to the latest Associated Press Sports Editors gender and diversity report card. For the sixth straight release of the report card, the industry received an F for its gender hiring practices. Jen Mueller, a Seattle Seahawks sideline radio reporter and entrepreneur, joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to talk about some improvements she has witnessed over the span of her career but noted that while change has been evident on some level, much more needs to be done. Jen is also the founder of 'Talk Sporty to Me,' a professional development organization and you can learn more about it by visiting www.talksportytome.com.
Amal Shah, co-host of 'Odds On', joins 'Cheddar Bets' to share how he likes to handle teams that just lost a coach when gambling, and whether the Arizona Cardinals can stay undefeated another week.
Sponsored by BetMGM
According to The Wall Street Journal, four U.S. gymnasts, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Maggie Nichols, penned a letter to Congress asking them to break up the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee board of directors for allegedly turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse committed by team doctor Larry Nassar.
