Pass the football! 🏈
Good morning. Football and Turkey Day go together like pumpkin and pie.
For many American households, football is just as treasured of a household tradition as eating turkey. Some families play backyard football games, while others tune in to watch the game on TV.
The first football game played on Thanksgiving was in 1876 by the Intercollegiate Football Association. The thought behind a Thanksgiving Day game? People would be off work, so they would be more able to attend games in-person. The pairing became so intertwined that by 1893 Thanksgiving began to be referenced as the official holiday for watching football.
The twentieth century saw the rise of professional football and the solidification of several Thanksgiving Day football trends, including annual home games hosted by the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.
This year's Thanksgiving slate will feature:
The Buffalo Bills will play at the Detroit Lions,
The New York Giants will play at the Dallas Cowboys, and
The New England Patriots will play at the Minnesota Vikings.
So whether you are watching football, playing football, or feeling like you ate a football, we hope you have a relaxing Thursday.
-- The CG Sports Team
OTHER BIG NEWS THIS WEEK:
Tareke Lewis (UTAH) and Glen Logan (LSU) were drafted into the XFL for the Saint Louis Battlehawks and the Arlington Renegades, respectively.
Paige Madden collected a gold medal in the women's 200 free at the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) Short Course Championships in Sheffield.
P.S. Nervous about missing upcoming news from CG Sports? Follow us on Instagram (@cgsportsco), Facebook (CG Sports Management), and, of course, our weekly newsletter.
Asante Cleveland joined Zach Westerbeck last week on the "You're Not Alone" podcast. The episode covers Cleveland's childhood and the abuse he experienced as a child, how child abuse can affect your life as you age, Cleveland's experience in the NFL, and the stresses that an athlete can experience.
The entire episode can be found online.
Elizabeth Beisel and Swim Across America raised $660,000 for pancreatic cancer research last year. This week, Beisel and the Block Cancer organization announced three separate grants that would be funded by the grant bucket.
One grant of $60,000 will go to Dr. Peter You and his research on pancreatic cancer cell lines, while two grants of $300,000 will be directed towards team science awards for early pancreatic cancer detection.
Read the full announcement online.
After 16 years as a competitive swimmer, Maddy Banic has announced that she will be hanging up her goggles.
Banic penned a letter on social media thanking everyone who has been involved in her career, including (but not limited to): Green Family YMCA, Quest Swimming, LA Current, Energy Standard, and more.
Read her full announcement here.
Sponsorships: A Lesson in Being Flexible
One big theme in my career of sponsorship sales has been the ability to be flexible. Whether it’s during a negotiation, post sale or actually activating the sponsorship, I have had to embrace the ability to adapt and go with the flow. Things will not always go down exactly as they should on paper. Here’s a recent example where flexibility paid off:
This past weekend I was in Los Angeles with Olympic fencer Alex Massialas for his Massialas Fencing Tour powered by Panda Express. The event was awesome, but we did have a slight hiccup with the apparel for the attendees when it came to correct sizes and quantities.
There was definitely a moment of stress and anxiety. But from that, we quickly came up with a new idea. During the middle of the event, we went to a nearby UPS Store and printed off several dozen copies of cardstock high gloss 8.5 x 11-inch autograph cards for the kids. The finished product came out super clean and looked even better than we had imagined!
We gave these out to each of the kids to have as a souvenir for Alex to sign. There were even parents asking for extra copies to give to family or put up in their home office. Ha!
It was a great example of how to turn an unexpected hiccup into a memorable moment for the sponsorship.
Catch up with all Cejih Explains articles online!
Shoutout to our partners at Panda Express for all of their help and support with The Massialas Fencing Tour!
Squatty Potty
We were designed to squat. That is what the Edwards family learned when one of their family members was a little backed up. After that appointment, the Edwards family constructed the very first Squatty Potty and realized that this knowledge could change the world.
Since 2013, Squatty Potty has made it their mission to improve bathroom help around the world. A percentage of their annual revenue goes to organizations that help to spread awareness around digestive health and the negative effects that Western toilets can have.
Squatty Potty offers everything from toilet stools to pootanicals to make sure that your bathroom experience is the best experience possible.
View all of Squatty Potty's available products here.
Champions Mojo, Episode #183: "10 Quick Tips to Shut Down Stress"
The holidays can be a stressful time, but they don't have to be! Champions Mojo presents 4-minutes of micro-mojo to help you manage stress going into the holidays! This is the best of episode 124. Listen to the full episode here.
Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.
SBR Vault - Conversations with Dick Hoyt and Warrick Dunn
We step into the Sports Business Radio Vault for past conversations with Dick Hoyt and Warrick Dunn.
Dick Hoyt and his son Rick Hoyt, who has cerebral palsy, competed in marathons and Ironman triathlons around the world. Dick displayed superhuman strength for his son Rick and launched the Team Hoyt Foundation.
Warrick Dunn is a former star NFL running back and a Limited Partner with the Atlanta Falcons. Warrick Dunn Charities empowers families to break the cycle of generational poverty and achieve a better quality of life for all. Dunn has helped many families purchase their first home through his incredible work and generosity.
Catch up on EVERY episode online!
