The Real Athlete Blog

Changing Lives, The So Cal Falcons Way

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The influence of the National Football League and football reach across our country and our world. One doesn’t need to live in an NFL market to see the positive influence that the sport of football can have on the character of our youth. Before Super Bowl XLV, I caught up with Keith Johnson, President of the Southern California Falcons (The So Cal Falcons), a Pop Warner League, to learn about the organization, its mission, its efforts, and its progress. Despite Los Angeles not having an NFL team (a little bit of irony for me since I helped to relocate the Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995), The So Cal Falcons are a beacon of light in a tough part of the city.

In the spring of 2005, Keith Johnson, a speaker and trainer, joined forces with the entertainer Snoop Dogg, and together they created the Southern California Falcons in the Snoop Youth Football League. Their initial goal was to offer an affordable youth football league for children in Los Angeles’ inner city.

Rudy Award Winner Chance Anthony and Insightful Player Kevin Reilly Turn Adversity into Awe-Inspiring Triumph

by Chrissy Carew 02-05-2011 05:27 PM Athlete Career Development | Education | Human Relations | Insightful Player

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If you passed Chance Anthony on the street, you might not guess that he was a high school football player, and you almost certainly wouldn’t guess that he recently won one of the most coveted awards granted within his sport: the High School Football Rudy Awards, which searches for the most inspirational football players in America who best demonstrate the exemplary values of football legend Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger, the iconic figure of the classic football film Rudy. The Awards seek to find those players who best define what Rudy refers to as the “The Four C’s”: Character, Courage, Contribution, and Commitment. As the first-place winner, Chance received a $10,000 academic scholarship.

Although he has the strong physique and size of many high school football players, Chance is different from most in one significant way: one of his arms is normally formed, but the other ends at the elbow. But his parents set an example for him from day one that he could probably do just about anything his peers could. As a doctor told them around the time of Chance’s birth, Chance would never know his body any other way; to him, his status would feel normal, and he would learn what his body was capable of doing as he grew the same way any other child would.

Tony Gonzalez is on a mission to spread his all-natural lifestyle

by Matthew Allinson 11-13-2010 06:17 PM Athlete Interviews | Life After Sports | Nutrition | Education | Sports Business

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Tony Gonzalez never read when he was a kid. It wasn’t until he was going into his third year in the NFL that the All-Pro tight end for the Atlanta Falcons really started cracking open books, and he says it’s the best thing that ever happened to him.

“You have so much free time on your hands and you got to make use of it,” said Gonzalez, who admitted to squandering his spare time during his first two years in the League. “You can look at it and go stale in the brain, which a lot of guys do, or you can do like a couple of the guys do, and make the most of your time here. You never know how long it’s going to last.”

Playing in College

by Alan Stein 11-08-2010 11:51 PM Athlete Career Development | Education

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I am honored to receive hundreds of emails per week from coaches and players around the world… almost all of which offer kind words and support (for which I am truly grateful). I also get asked a lot of questions. The three questions I get asked most often by players are:

What is the best way to improve my vertical?

How do I get a college scholarship?

Will lifting weights stunt my growth?

Education is Key for Pro Athletes

by Matthew Allinson 07-07-2010 01:15 AM Finance | Athlete Career Development | Education

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Education is a process that needs to be sustained over a period of time for elite athletes from the amateur ranks to the post-athletic career.

Brian Kelly & The Job Change Challenge

by Eileen Wisnewski 12-29-2009 02:43 AM Athlete Career Development | Education

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Athlete Career Development Specialist, Eileen Wisnewski, discusses the challenge of leaving one job for another while continuing to maintain a strong reputation.

NBPA Top 100 Camp Recap

by Alan Stein 06-30-2009 05:23 PM Trusted Athlete Educator | Athlete Career Development | Camps | Education

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From the opening staff meeting the goal of the camp was made crystal clear; make this the best basketball camp in the world.

Athlete Weekly Rundown, 6/12/09

by Tim Ryan 06-12-2009 08:54 PM Athlete Weekly Rundown | Education | Legal

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Important News and Information for Athletes: Theft by Alabama sports teams, more illicit behavior by athletes, and post-season bans instituted by the N.C.A.A.

Athlete Chat: Milwaukee Bucks Charlie Villanueva

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An exclusive Access Athletes interview with Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva about The Charlie Villanueva Foundation, NBA life, and the player-agent relationship and his bond with superagent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

Athlete Weekly Rundown, 5/22/09

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Important News and Information for Athletes: Irresponsible Athletes, NCAA Interpretation Regarding Recruiting, and the Effect of the Economy on Collegiate Sports