BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Welcome to Be A Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities, and the world! I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited to for you join me on this journey.
On this show, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our own lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come.
Our guests will be individuals who have built a legacy in various fields – ministry, business, sports, and community service. And what's unique about our guests is that they're committed to the Wisdom Pledge. That means they're not just sharing their own stories and experiences with us, but they're also paying forward and sharing wisdom to empower the next generation.
So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place!
So grab your earbuds, get comfortable, and let's dive in!
BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Fox Sports 1 Chris Broussard Building Legacy Through Sports and Faith
Send us a comment about the Be a Baller Podcast Episode. Thanks for support.
Chris Broussard's story is uniquely powerful and he is transparent about the spiritual journey that transformed his life. Despite achieving what many would consider the American Dream—promising career, loving relationship, financial security—he describes feeling an emptiness that only surrendering to faith could fill. On his 21st birthday, this decision became the foundation upon which he's built everything since, guiding his priorities: God, family, and career.
Chris Broussard's remarkable journey from sports-loving kid to nationally recognized analyst offers a masterclass in building a life of purpose and impact. The accomplished Fox Sports personality opens up about finding his path by combining what he enjoyed (sports) with what he was gifted at (writing), eventually landing an internship that launched his career at major outlets including ESPN and Fox Sports.
As one of the first African-American sports analysts at ESPN, Broussard recognizes how representation matters. "You can't be what you can't see," notes host Tim Brown, underscoring how Broussard's visibility paved the way for others. This commitment to lifting others extends through his King Movement, an organization spanning 20 cities that fosters brotherhood among Christian men.
Perhaps most compelling is Broussard's wisdom about balancing ambition with family life. Throughout his demanding NBA coverage years, he made strategic career shifts to remain present for his twin daughters. His parting advice resonates deeply: the choices we make during the crucial decade from junior high through college largely determine our next 50-60 years. "Your younger self has to protect your older self"—words well worth carrying forward.
Don't miss Chris speaking live in Columbus on April 26th and Cleveland shortly after. Subscribe now for more conversations building lifelong legacy through faith, family, and purposeful work.
Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world. Your host, coach Tim Brown, is excited for you to join him on this journey. On each episode, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come. So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place. So grab your earbuds, get comfortable and let's dive in. It's time to Be A Baller. Welcome to Be A.
Speaker 2:Baller podcast, where we bring you the best conversation in sports faith. I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown. Today we're excited to have a very special guest, chris Broussard. Chris is an accomplished journalist, tv personality and devoted family man with over two decades of experience in the sports industry. Chris started his career working for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon Journal and devoted family man with over two decades of experience in the sports industry. Chris started his career working for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Akron Beacon Journal. Then he transitioned to ESPN, where he spent 12 years as an NBA analyst and reporter. He later joined Fox Sports, becoming a daily co-host on First Things First and a regular contributor to other popular shows like Undisputed, the Herd and Locked In. Chris is more than just a sports commentator he's also the founder and president of King Movement, an organization dedicated to helping boys and men reach their full potential through faith, inspiration and guidance. Welcome to the show, chris. We're excited to have you on Beer Baller Podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you, tim. I'm excited to be here and I'm looking forward to the show. Chris, we're excited to have you on Beer Baller Podcast. Thank you, tim. I'm excited to be here and I'm looking forward to the conversation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have a couple of things in common. One is that I work for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I know you're on the board for Athletes in Action and so as organizations, we work closely together, you know in this sports ministry world. You know it's truly been a blessing, you know, in this sports ministry world.
Speaker 3:You know, it's truly been a blessing and I've spoken at several events just over the years for FCA. So I've spoken at some of their events and supported some of their you know, ministers, missionaries, whatever you want to have you want to term it over the years. So yeah, both groups do great work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we're looking forward to you. Looking forward to you coming, coming to Ohio soon, columbus on the 26th, and then you're shooting right up to Cleveland.
Speaker 3:It's always great to get back to Ohio. My father grew up in Cincinnati. I grew up, I lived in Cincinnati from the time I was a baby until I was about seven or eight years old, and then I moved to Cleveland. In high school my junior year of high school finished up. High school in Cleveland went to Oberlin College, which is in.
Speaker 3:Ohio and then, after graduating from there, worked at the Plain Dealer, as you said, in Cleveland and the Akron Beacon Journal. So I moved around a lot as a kid, but if I had to say I was from anywhere, any one state, it would be Ohio, just because I spent more time there than any place and a lot of my formative years were spent in Ohio and now I've been in New Jersey for the past 27 years.
Speaker 2:But we're still claiming you as a Browns fan.
Speaker 3:You know I never that's what I mean when I was in Cleveland. I guess I did pull for the Browns when I was in Cleveland. When I grew up believe it or not, growing up in Cincinnati, I was a big Steelers fan. Oh, no. Because my dad was literally from Cincinnati. Okay, he was a Steelers fan and you'll remember this, because they had Joe Gilliam, who was the quarterback in that day in the 70s that was rare he was from Tennessee State to HBCU and he battled with Terry Bradshaw for the starting job.
Speaker 3:And so because of that, my father pulled for the Steelers and so I, as a little boy, pulled for the Steelers because of my dad. But now, after they lost all you know Lynn Swine, frank O'Hara, jack Hamm, bradshaw, all those guys. I remember all those guys. So um, but yeah, the Browns. It's tough sledding right now. I'm surprised you still claiming the Browns, right now.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, man, I ain't letting them go. You know every year we go on the Super Bowl. You know that you know the. Browns fans, we believe it you know the word is you had a pretty good basketball game Playing that point guard.
Speaker 3:I played pretty well, you know I played. I went to Holy Name High School. I moved there toward the end of my junior year in high school. I finished my high school career at Holy Name, Played football and basketball Football. We went to the state playoffs, which was tough to make at that day. Benedictine Cleveland. Benedictine beat us. They beat us badly in the regular season and they beat us badly in the playoffs, but we did beat St Ignatius in the regular season.
Speaker 3:That's big, that's big In that game. That was right before they became a national power. You remember they had that run where they were like the top few programs in the country. They were still really good when we beat them, but they weren't one of the tops in the country at that time. But and then basketball. Yeah, holy name. We went to the district final and lost by a point to St Ignatius. I did end up playing.
Speaker 3:you know they had I don't know if they still have it the Greater Cleveland All-Star Game where they had the best players from, you know, greater Cleveland, all the surrounding suburbs, playing this All-Star Game, so I did play in that. So that was a lot of fun. And then it ended up going to Oberlin College playing Division III.
Speaker 2:You know, when did you realize and make that? I know you majored in journalism. When did you realize that sports journalism was your calling?
Speaker 3:Well, it's an interesting story because I didn't know what I wanted to do when I first went to school. I just I started off as an economics major just because my dad was in business. So I figured I'll try business and then I took introduction to economics and that pretty much ended my econ career. I did pass with a C minus or something like that, but I didn't get it at all, and so my sophomore year now Oberlin was a unique school in that it was about 3,000 students and it had a great history as far as African-Americans.
Speaker 3:It was the first school, first college, white college to admit African-Americans like have a policy where anyone of any race could attend Oberlin. This town of Oberlin itself was a stop on the Underground Railroad and at the turn of the 20th century believe it or not, so the early 1900s two-thirds of all African-American college graduates had gone to Oberlin and graduated from Oberlin. So that was one of the things that attracted me there, because most of the schools that recruited me for basketball and football were division three, baldwin, wallace, case, western Reserve.
Speaker 3:You know a lot of the schools John Carroll in in the Cleveland area in Ohio around the surrounding states and that most of them had a very small African-American population, and so, ober, one of the things that attracted me to it was that they did have a sizable at that time, pretty sizable African-American population, and our basketball team was majority African-American, which is unique for Division III, and it had students from all over the country. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3:And even the world. And again, most schools, most small schools in Ohio or Pennsylvania or Indiana, they just have students from those states. You know surrounding states, but Oberlin was unique in that there were probably more New Yorkers there than people from Ohio, a lot of people from California, chicago, detroit. I met my wife there. She's from New York City, so it was a really good experience. But in being there I looked around at a lot of my friends and they all knew what they wanted to do.
Speaker 3:I was a sophomore and I looked around at my teammates and a lot of my friends who weren't on the team and they all knew what they wanted to do. Some were going to study engineering as a part of a 3-2 program that Oberlin had three years at Oberlin, two years at another school. Some were going to study public policy in grad school. Some were going to law school, medical school you know they had they and these were mostly African-Americans and they knew what they wanted to do and I really didn't have a clue. I was like man. So I said I need to come up with something. I said I've got two years, two and a half years, left to figure out how I'm going to take care of myself, how I'm going to make a living before I have to become a responsible adult. And so I got scared, so I came up with a formula. I said let me take something I enjoy, because I do want a job that I would enjoy, plus something that I am gifted at.
Speaker 3:And we tend to think in our society of gifts as athletic gifts, musical talent, right being able to sing, or something like that. But we all have gifts, whether it's your speaking ability, whether it's you're great at math, you are a great debater, or you're argumentative, you are great cooking. Whatever it might be, you have gifts, and one of my gifts was the ability to write. I always was gifted in writing and so I said, let me. I love sports. Sports was my life.
Speaker 3:I played, you know, I said, football and basketball in high school, played baseball as well in high school and that was, you know, every book that the teacher, whenever the teachers in school, would allow us to choose a book to read for class, a book report or something. I would always choose a sports book. I read Sports Illustrated religiously. Hadn't really thought about being a sports writer, not seriously but I said, well, let me take sports, which is what I enjoy, plus writing, which is what I'm gifted at, and try to become a sports writer. And so I ended up writing a few articles on the school newspaper, not a lot, but a few. And then I was blessed, really going into my senior year that summer, before my senior year, to get an internship, a summer internship at the Cleveland Plain Dealer in the sports department, and so that's really where my career began and I did well after a rocky start. I did well in the internship and they hired me when I graduated and that was really where my career began.
Speaker 2:You know at least. His next question is can you talk to young, especially young people, about the importance of developing relationships early? That benefits you along the way, because I know that experience at the Cleveland play, even as an intern, you know some of those relationships, how they propel you to the next level.
Speaker 3:Next thing absolutely um, you know, there's the saying it's not what you know, it's who you know. It's both um, but it is sometimes one will override the other what you know or who you know. But in most cases it's a mix. And one thing I did do at Oberlin was I got, obviously I played basketball, so that's an extracurricular activity. But I also got involved on campus in a lot of different things because I had been told that you know your ability to work with people and be involved in different things. Like if you're well-rounded, you show yourself as a well-rounded individual, say, you're well-rounded, you're involved in a lot of things on campus but have a 3.3 grade point average. That in many cases is more attractive to employers than someone who may have a 4.0 grade point average but do nothing but study. You know, because they may not be a people person, they may not be able to work with others.
Speaker 3:So at Oberlin I was. I was on various committees. Like I said, I wrote on the school newspaper, I did shows on the school radio station musical shows, hip hop shows but also like I was on the news little newscast and did sports on that, I DJed around campus, I DJed at the clubs on around campus and stuff I was. I was actually on the committee that chose people to be on the other committees and then I was like so I just wanted to fill up my resume. And so Oberlin was unique in that it was a liberal arts school, so it did not actually have a journalism department.
Speaker 3:So I majored in English and so I took some private readings with individual professors where we worked on journalism. But really I was an English major and so when I met with the Cleveland Plain Dealer for my interview to get the internship, I didn't have much experience and I just hit it off with the. I think it was the managing editor at the time, but he was a high ranking executive who was interviewing me and we just hit it off and we spoke for about 90 minutes about mostly about everything but sports. I'm sorry, but journalism, like it was just about me as a person, the activities I was involved in and things, sports but things like that. And he said look, you don't have a lot of experience, but I'm gonna give you a chance.
Speaker 3:I'm going to give you an opportunity and so that just being able to relate to people, being able to talk and have conversations with different types of people. I said I moved around a lot as a kid. So I was born in Baton Rouge, louisiana, then I lived in Cincinnati, ohio, indianapolis, indiana, syracuse, new York, des Moines, iowa, and then Cleveland, ohio, all before I graduated high school. I graduated from Cleveland and moving around. There were pros and cons to that that. I learned how to get along with different types of people and you know, relate to different types of people and different races, different cultures, as far as rural versus urban, suburban, things like that, and that you know benefited me in college and even again in an interview like this where I could just hit it off with the managing editor I think that's what it was and then, you know, it led to me getting the internship doing well and then ultimately getting a job with the plane dealer that propelled my career.
Speaker 2:You know you're. You're one of the first African-American sports analysts on ESPN. You know how did that experience shape your career and what do you hope it meant for others in the industry. You know seeing you there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, of course, nowadays you look at ESPN and FS1 and there are a lot of black faces on the networks, which is great, black faces on the networks, which is great. And I just think, like I said, I had not really as a kid, even though I loved sports I read a lot about sports, I played sports I really didn't think seriously about being a sports writer. That, like didn't really enter my mind. The only time I even thought about it was I was in high school. I was either a sophomore or junior, and one of my friends who he was he wanted to be a sports writer and he was reading the sporting news and he was saying, yeah, I want to be a sports writer. When I grew up and that was the first thing time I even thought of that job as a possibility, but I still didn't really go all into it. I just thought that's, that's interesting, that'd be a fun job, but I never really, you know, thought about it seriously. See, very many black broadcasters. You know you had Irv Cross, but he was a former NFL player, he did the NFL. Most of the African-Americans. You had Bryant Gumbel, you had a couple, but OJ Simpson, you know most were ex-athletes and then there weren't, not that I was seeing pictures of them anyway, but obviously there weren't a lot of black sports writers at that time. And so I think nowadays, when a young and this is clear I mean I there are a lot of young african-americans, male and female, female now that grow up wanting to be in sports journalism, which is great, and I think a lot of that is because they see myself and a lot of other African Americans on television, uh, or writing for their local newspapers, um, you know, being representing them, and now they know that that's wow, that's a career I could have.
Speaker 3:I used to A Smith who's a good friend of mine.
Speaker 3:His first television show was, quite frankly, on ESPN and it was on late.
Speaker 3:It was only like 11, I think 1130 at night or something like that, but he had a lot of African-American journalists on his show and I told him, and I used to tell others, like that is, that is great, because I'm sure there are a lot of young African-Americans looking at this show and saying, wow, I had no idea there were that many black sports writers, and so that, just just like you see when you watch the NBA dunk con, slam dunk contest and they're trying all these new things that Michael George, even Vince Carter and guys never really thought about trying. Their imaginations were, you know, widened because of what you know, the dunkers, what they saw in the past, and then they started trying to do more Just like that. A lot of young African-Americans now you see Michael Wilbon and other people on television and it opens up your mind to dream about what you can become and what you can do, and so that is great inspiration for a lot of young African-Americans as well as people of other races.
Speaker 2:Yes, it really is. You can't be what you can't see. You know, if you don't see, you can't be it. But just seeing it, it's like yeah, hey.
Speaker 2:I can do that. They can do it, I can do it, you know it gives you a reference point. You know, as we kind of shift gears. They can do it, I can do it, you know, gives you a reference point. You know as we kind of shift gears. Can you share a little bit about your faith journey? I know you're a man of faith. Can you share your faith journey? A little bit about your faith journey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my faith journey is interesting. I was, I was raised Catholic, I grew up Catholic, altar boy and all that is in in church and school. And it's interesting because Oberlin college was known for being incredibly liberal. Now they they're all Oberlin's foundations were in the Christian faith, you know which Charles Finney, who was a great evangelist, and the Tappan brothers, which Tappan Square there is named after, and that's one reason that they were, you know, admitted a lot of African-Americans early on and things like that. But by the time I got there it was very far removed from his Christian foundations, christian foundations, and so it was incredibly liberal, not just in a political sense but just in every sense of the word. And so it's interesting that that's where I actually became a Christian, a Bible-believing Christian.
Speaker 3:But I started dating a woman my sophomore year who was a Christian and she was really the first person I was really close to that introduced me to biblical Christianity, and now we're married, you know.
Speaker 3:But so we, we dated and you know she kind of I started going to some different churches with her and where they preached from the Bible and ultimately, after about a year and a half you know that's when I gave my life to Christ. I've got a year and a half of dating her, but the way it happened, we went to a church in Cleveland one Sunday and they had a guest minister and he was preaching about his life. He gave his testimony about how he had been involved with drug use and real rebellious as a teenager and then gave his life to Christ as a 16 year old and his whole life was changed and turned around. And it was at that church and the church was charismatic. There were people were really excited about God. They had the lyrics to the songs on the wall and everybody was singing and I had never seen anything like that being in front of God.
Speaker 3:And so seeing everybody so excited about God really impacted me, about God, really impacted me. And then the message from the speaker. And it was at that moment, that service, that I knew I needed to give my life to Christ. I knew that I wasn't a bad kid, but, you know, God's standards are not our standards. And so I knew, I realized, by God's standards I was, you know, a sinner and living in a life that was opposed to his will. And so I knew I needed to give my life to Christ. But I didn't want to, and so I didn't. I left the church, didn't give my life to Christ, and, um, you know, I kept kind of running. I knew it was there, but I kept running from the Lord. And he still blessed me with that internship. It was, it was actually a few months before that internship that I went to that church service, and he blessed me with that internship. And then, at the end of the summer, the plane dealer told me they were going to hire me after I graduated in a year, me after I graduated in a year.
Speaker 3:And so at that time it was like man, I've got the promise of the American dream, Because I was raised to think the purpose of life was to get the American dream. Well in school, Chris, so you can go to a good college. Go to a good college so you can get a good job, make money, take care of your family and live the American dream. And that's all that's good. But I was now at a point where it's like, man, I have this within the palm of my hand, within my grasp. I've got a job that's promised to me. It's a good job. I make pretty good money. It's a job I'll enjoy. I got a girlfriend I love that was captain on the basketball team. Like everything was going well. And then I start feeling like, is this all there is to life? Is this all there is? Like there has to be more than this. And so, having everything going well for me, well for me.
Speaker 3:But then I started feeling an emptiness and I knew it was Christ. But, like I said, I didn't really want to give my life to Christ. I knew I didn't have to be perfect, but I didn't even want to really try to live for God in a real sense. Of course I'd say I believe in God and go to church and all that, but as far as really living it, trying to live a Christian lifestyle. I didn't want to do that. I didn't know many guys that were doing that, my friends and all that. And so finally, you know, I kept kind of running and God just really broke me down to where it was, at a point where I was either keep running and be miserable or give your life to Christ and get some peace and some joy.
Speaker 3:And so, on my 21st birthday believe it or not, October 28th 1989, that's when I gave my life to Christ. And so so it's and it's been you know no regrets ever since. And so so it's and it's been, you know, no regrets ever since. Obviously, you have your challenges, but I feel like that man you know in the Bible who's who built his house on the rock, and first the man who built his house on sand. So we all, the storms of life hit both of them, and the storms of life still hit us as Christians. But when they hit you as a Christian, I know I'm rooted, you know what I mean and nothing can rock me to fall off that rock which is Christ. And so so, yeah, that's, that's really how I came to know Christ.
Speaker 2:As you were sharing that. I was thinking of the scripture of seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all things will be added on to you, all things we're chasing, you know, but it starts with seeking God and his righteousness Not our righteousness but his righteousness, you know, and all those things will be added on to you, you know. Speaking of that as a founder of the King Movement, I see you had, I know you've been doing these conferences what inspired you to create an organization that has boys and men reach their God-given potential?
Speaker 3:Yeah, there were a few things. One, like I said, I was raised Catholic so I didn't know. When I was 21 years old when I gave my life to Christ and then graduated, was working at the plane dealer, but I didn't know a lot of young brothers that I could relate to outside of church or Christ that you were my age so I went to a good church but a lot of men were older and married or they were young kids and teenagers. I actually taught teenage Sunday school but, um, so I kind of long. You know, as men we need male bonding and I think women need female bonding. And I had it. You know you have it as athletes. You were an athlete Like that's really one of the greatest things about playing sports growing up is that you know the friendships and the times on the bus and the locker room with your teammates and all that stuff, and so I had, you know, male bonding with frat brothers and teammates and friends and things like that, but none really in christ.
Speaker 3:And so I kind of longed for male bonding in christ with guys that I could relate to in terms of hip-hop or culture or sports or just life in general, but who also were Christians, so people I could hang with and have fun, but who were going to push me toward Christ versus pulling me away from Christ in their lifestyle or conversation or whatever it might be. And also as I began to meet other young men across the city of Cleveland who were Christians, I saw that a lot of men's walks at that time and today, unfortunately, is like a roller coaster. You know they're strong for a year on fire and then they're out for six months, then on fire for three months, then out for a year and, depending on your background and what you came out of, one of those valleys could ruin your life. And I saw that happen with some men and there are a lot of reasons for that. But I did think one reason was because they lacked that brotherhood of men they could hang with and relate to who were Christians, because obviously we should have friends who are non-Christians, but if that's all we have and all our time outside of church is spent with non-Christians and we don't have Christians with the same like-mindedness as us that we can relate to and hang with, then it's going to be challenging. You're either going to be miserable when you're with your friends or you're going to eventually get into some of the stuff that they might be into. That's not Christian, and so I said, you know what it'd be great to have like a brotherhood that will help me and also help other men, you know, really be able to live that Christian lifestyle and have other brothers you can hang with, and stuff like that. So I did that on a small scale in Cleveland, and then, when I moved to New Jersey, was writing for the New York Times and eventually, espn. It's still I kind of. Once I started covering the NBA.
Speaker 3:A lot of my ministry including like ministry at work I was doing ceased because I was traveling with the teams. I was all over the country traveling and working a lot, and so that fire, though, was still in me, and so, ultimately, as my schedule lightened up, I was able to start King. I met some brothers here in Jersey that wanted to help me start it, and that's really how we got it going about 15 years ago, um, and really kind of hit his stride about 11 years ago, and now we have chapters in about 20 cities throughout the country. And now we have chapters in about 20 cities throughout the country, we have national conferences, we do events at the Super Bowl and you know God's really blessed. We have hundreds of men across the country, every region of the country, who have officially become members, and then there's thousands more that we reach just through our various social media and videos and conferences and things like that.
Speaker 2:You know you hit on something there about traveling and all that Can you share with the audience. I know you've been married for over 27 years now twin daughters who are college graduates. How did you prioritize your family life amidst this demand and career?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a great question. I would have been married 30 years in June June 3rd 30 years. And my daughters they're 27,. They're twins. My priorities have always since I got saved been god family work or god family career, and obviously they there's inter, they mingling with all those, but that's the order I've really put them in and there were times before I got married that, like I turned down possible promotions to because it wasn't going to jive with my plan to marry my wife and us being the same city and things like like I was covering high school sports and I was offered an opportunity to cover the Green Bay Packers in Milwaukee, but it would not have, you know fit with where my fiance was and us getting married and things like that.
Speaker 3:So I I turned it down and obviously it ended up working out for me. But, um, when I traveled because, as you mentioned, I traveled a lot covering the NBA, so my daughters, I was a beat writer for eight years and that's where you go everywhere, everywhere the team goes. So I was a beat writer for eight years and that's where you go everywhere the team goes. So I was at essentially every game at 41 road games, 41 home games, playoff games, things like that. I was doing that when my daughters were younger, before they were born, and then, when they were young and when they got to be about four or five, I felt like I could do that when they're really young, you know they don't know whether I'm there or not. I mean, you know they recognize me and all that, but they won't remember all that. And then when, 2003, like, I wanted to come off of the beat as far as traveling with one particular team, I covered the Cavaliers in Cleveland, then the New Jersey Nets and then the New York Knicks, and so in 2003, my daughters were four or five years old. That's when I stopped traveling with the team and started just covering the whole NBA. But I could stay at home a lot more. I still travel a little bit, but not nearly as much, and that was good because that was purposeful on.
Speaker 3:In 2004, I went to ESPN, the magazine and the magazine. Now it's different. Now, with the internet becoming so big, magazines aren't what they used to be. But at that time to me the best lifestyle for a family, uh, in sports writing was magazine lifestyle because you could still cover sports at the highest level professionals, but you didn't have to travel as much. Like if I wrote five big stories a year for esp in the magazine. That was a lot and so I might travel for a week here, there and, you know, report on the story but then be home.
Speaker 3:So that lifestyle enabled me to be at home a lot more. So I was actually able to take, drive a lot of times, drive my daughters to school, pick them up from school, go to a lot of their sporting events or dancing or piano recitals and things like that. So even though I traveled here and there. I still was able to, you know, be home for a lot of their events, which was important to me. But there were still times I had to make sacrifices to me. But there were still times I had to make sacrifices. You know, once I started when I was at ESPN doing television. I was doing, I was on the Countdown show, which was their flagship NBA show, and I had to work on Christmas day you know, and I had to go to LA, lived in New Jersey.
Speaker 3:I had to go to LA and be in LA on Christmas and I was on television it was great with Magic Johnson and Michael Wilbon and John Barry, but that was, you know, a tough tough for the family, but my daughters, thankfully, they understood and I was back the next day and you know we, we made up for it. But you know you just really have to strike that balance and when you're there, make the most out of your time when you're there and be present. Not just don't just be there, but be there in spirit and really be enjoying your kids' lives and your wife and getting, you know, emotionally invested with them when you're there, versus just being there in physically but not being there mentally or emotionally. So it was very important to me to try to make sure that I, even though I traveled a lot, that I could really be there and be the father and the husband that my family needed me to be.
Speaker 2:Good, good, you know. As you reflect on your career and life's work, what would you say is the most important lesson or message you'd like to pass on to our listeners today?
Speaker 3:Wow. Well, like I said, one thing is you know I think it's important to prioritize God family career. I think it's important to prioritize God family career. You know a lot of people are workaholics and they do a great job, you know, in their career, but then they look back and they didn't have a relationship with their children. You know they neglected their kids and you never get that time back, you know. So it's really important to be there for your children. I think family is the greatest legacy you can have. You know, a great relationship with your family. And as far as leaving your family, a legacy is not just money I mean, obviously, if you can do that, that's great but it's also just values. You know, values you pass down to your family that they'll use to. You know, promote to the next there, to their children, and so on and so forth out there, like, if there are any.
Speaker 3:You know, junior high or high school students, like the next I say the next the next 10 years of your life, from junior high through college. That 10 years will determine, like the last, in a lot of cases determine how the last 50 or 60 years of your life go, the decisions you make during that 10-year period. So, even if you don't understand why you need to go to school, why you need to do well in certain classes, or you know whatever, just do it and just do the best you can, learn the most you can, because there is a time in everyone's life I call it the revelation of responsibility when you realize you know it hits people at different times. Sometimes it hit me, like I said, in my sophomore year in college, where I realized I need to get a job and be a responsible adult in a couple years. It hits some people in jail, in prison, it hits some people in high school. Some people were raised with it. It just can hit you at any time. But that's when you realize you want to be a responsible adult and you have responsibilities, whether it's children or a wife or that you need to take care of. And if you take care of business, so to speak, when you are younger and you've done well in school and you've enabled yourself to have certain opportunities, then when you have that revelation you'll be in position to capitalize on it. So when I had that revelation OK, I want to try sports writing I was in position to capitalize on it and make it happen because I had been a good student throughout my life, and a lot of young people.
Speaker 3:If you dig yourself a hole because you didn't do well in school, maybe you didn't graduate, you got a ged, or maybe you didn't, or you spent time in juvenile detention center or whatever it might be. You graduated but your grades were horrible. Now you're in a hole. So I'm not saying it's impossible to dig out, but if you now you have that revelation okay, I want to get a good job and provide for a family. Well, everybody else is up here that you're competing with and you're down here because you dug yourself a hole. You might be able to get out of it, but it's going to be tougher because you're in a hole, yeah, and so that's what I.
Speaker 3:One thing I would leave with young people is don't don't make it unnecessarily hard on you. Some of us have challenges because of our family, background or whatever it may be systemic situations and obstacles. Don't make it even worse by, or more challenging, by, you know, doing the things that are in your control you do negatively. Stay on the positive route with the things that are in your control, and doors will be open for you and you'll be able to, I think, have a successful life.
Speaker 2:That's real, the way. I heard a guy say this on the show that your younger self has to protect your older self. Yeah, your younger self has to protect your older self. Your younger self has to protect your older self. And the other thing you talked about you're in that 10-year window, what you do in 10 years, if you do it right, when you get to our age, your older self is going to say thank you. Yeah, that's absolutely right, thank you, your younger self, your older self, is telling you thank you at 21 years old.
Speaker 2:To the Lord it's a young Chris, young Chris. Thank you, thank you, and that's good stuff. Well, this has been great. I'm looking forward to you coming to Columbus and then to Cleveland as well and kind of sharing with the men there. I want to thank you for the time but, most importantly, for this kingdom work that you're doing, because Lord knows that we need some men, that community of men, but I love what you're doing with those men. You're kind of not keeping it all to yourself, like you're pouring into them and then you're releasing them, and that's why you have those chapters all over. You're kind of releasing them. Don't have this good high in here. You know, and leave
Speaker 1:it here.
Speaker 2:There's a world that needs you Now. Make sure you come back next year and get energized now. But then get back out there, get back out there and do this thing, so I want to thank you for that. But this has truly been a blessing now and I'm looking forward to you sharing in our cities in April. April 26th is the date, and we're looking forward to you being here, being here live.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can't wait. Like I said, it's always great to get back to Ohio. I'm looking forward to speaking to the men and I don't know if women are there them as well men, and I don't know if women, if women are there, them as well. But I would like to thank you as well for what you do. Um, because I know fellowship of Christian athletes and athletes in action. As we mentioned earlier, you guys do very important work, and I mean most. It used to be, I think even the net was cast even wider, but so many athletes are exposed to the gospel by what you guys do, you know, on campus, and so that's that's, that's what it's all about, and so you guys do a tremendous job with that. So I want to thank you as well for the work you you're doing and have done.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Chris. Well, this concludes today's episode. I thank our audience for being a part of this and continue to build a lifelong legacy. Thanks, Chris, for being on Be A Baller Podcast You're welcome.
Speaker 1:If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be A Baller Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.