Life After the NFL: Ahman Green on Mindset, Discipline, and Purpose - Part 2

Welcome to the Legacy All-Stars Podcast.

We feature inspirational stories from people who dedicate themselves to helping others. Here is your host, Alan Pavlosky.

Thanks for tuning in to Legacy All-Stars. This episode is part 2 of a special 2-part episode with Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame running back Amon Green. I hope you enjoy the show. Yeah. All right, we're going to shift gears again. One of the things that always made our relationship so meaningful is that we're both tech geeks at heart. Geeks in general, but tech geeks specifically. And esports, I know the answer to this question, but I want the audience to understand this. What sparked your shift into esports and youth development?

It came when, one, obviously since I was a kid playing video games. My dad Edward was an IT guy at, uh, Northrop Aviation in Southern California. I say, so that's the origination. And he brought an Apple II PC, came home to repair it, and he fixed it. I was like over in his— over behind his back trying to see what, you know, I see the soldering iron and the smoke coming up, and he has this light, he has his glasses on to where he could see things better, and he had an X-Acto knife and black electrical tape, all the stuff that an IT person needs to fix a computer. And He finished. I was like, "What?" I said, "Dad, what is that?" He said, "It's an Apple II PC." And he said, "Here's the button where you turn it on. Press that button." And I did.

Boom.

Screen popped on. It was the green font that was back then. And he's like, "Use this thing here. This is the mouse. You move it around. Click this right here." And I went over and clicked it. It was Carmen Sandiego. And I played it for like 5 minutes and then came out of it. And then he said, try this one. He said, go ahead. It was Oregon Trail. I played that for a little while.

Floppy disk though, right? Yes.

Yes. You know, put it in and it goes. And then he said, well, you know, if the two games just played, that means the computer is fixed. It's working. And so now I'm like, all right, what else? Like, I want more. Well, I want more. I said, we couldn't afford a computer at that time. But so I ended up having ColecoVision first, Zaxxon, Donkey Kong, then Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES, Sega. And then every year on after that, you know, when my dad and mom can afford it, they would go— I would request the system because I had good grades. And along with my sports, football, baseball, basketball, so I was doing both then. And so that's where— that was the origin story of where I'm at now, because when I got done with football, you know, between coaching high school football high school track, a little bit of baseball as well, the opportunity presented itself in 2020 at Lakeland. I mean, but it was a whole bunch of events from my foundation events to going to E3, going to San Diego Comic-Con, going to DreamHack Atlanta, PAX East and West in, you know, in Seattle and Boston, coming and making friends and contacts in the esports, in the video game space first, all culminated with me getting hired at Lakeland University. And then when that first year hit was COVID year, you know, I got hired and a month later we get a pandemic, we get locked down. But, you know, not video games. Yeah, every video game is already virtual. So we're online and we jump in this thing called Discord. We could sit there and talk to each other. I can recruit kids. And I remember that year where parents were like, Why is my daughter talking to a mind green right now on a Zoom call? And I'm like, because I'm the esports coach at Lakeland and she's really good at Fortnite. You know, her name popped up on my list of this website where I recruit kids from. And he's like, really? You know, is this real or are you joking? I'm like, no, I don't joke like this. I said, especially with— not about that, not about that. Like, you gotta, you know, your daughter, she's 17, 18, about to go to college. I said, no, this This is real. I'm trying to, you know, I'm just asking her questions about her games and how long she's played video games, just like a recruiter would. And if she played baseball, basketball, or softball, or whatever. And so he's like, oh, okay. He started asking questions. So that is where it got going. And then I saw something, you know, just like a running back being that who I was at the, you know, after that I could see ahead, like I could read things and saw things coming. And I'm just like, wait a minute, this is a space that need some help. Like, we didn't have a ton of resources at Lakeland. We did have enough money to build our facility, but a lot of schools didn't, and schools bigger than us. We were a D3 and we had, you know, enough money that was put aside to create the program. But places like Wisconsin, even Nebraska at the time in 2020, they didn't have the funds, they didn't have the resources, they didn't have the people. So I'm like, man, you know, and so I kind of put that in the back of my head because this is my year one of coaching. And figured that, you know, I'll be here for 5 to 10 years maybe, you know. We were at the time thinking about moving a little bit, but I was like, right now let's stick with this year one. Let's not think about that. And then year two came around, another successful year. Year one, we won a Madden Championship. The second semester, we came in second, but playoff berths for a lot of games from Fortnite to Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends, and all that. And so then I got an opportunity to go to Nebraska. They reached out and called and it was a fantastic opportunity, right? Why? It's my school I played football at. Let's go and let's see what happens. I asked a few questions. I probably should have asked a few more questions just to kind of know everything that I was walking into in the terms of that. It kind of got lost in the shuffle of me just being back home, you know, coaching at the university, which I've been trying to coach at forever as a football coach. Just never got the opportunity to do that. But still, esports coach, I'm going to take it. So got there, but it was the same thing. It was seeing a deficit where it was the lack there of knowledge of people that were decision makers in certain places at Nebraska, at other universities and other institutes that try to support us. You know, they didn't really understand it still. So it's me explaining half of the conversation of what video games and competitive gaming is. And so first year was a little rough between recruiting and the students that were there. Because they didn't understand. Some of them didn't understand why I was coaching. You know, I'm like, well, yeah, well, you play football, right? And I'm like, yeah. I said, but I was a gamer. I'm a tech guy. I actually came to college for computer science, but that's a whole different story where I didn't finish in computer science. But I know this space because of one, I was at Lakeland for 2 and a half years and I know how to get a team together regardless of what, if it's football or if it's League of Legends, I can do it. I'll figure it out real fast, and then you guys and girls will be ready to compete and play and win. That's my goal, to get y'all there. That's my job. So that was the questioning I would get at both institutes. But still, just like anything, I would walk, you know, I would take my time, get through it, and tell them, you know, yes, this is why I know things, this is why I coach.

You know, the thought occurs to me that you talked about the administration of these places not really understanding esports or not understanding where it was going. What do people, especially administration people, misunderstand most about esports today?

Uh, they haven't took the time to read about it. It's that simple. Sometimes I hear e-gaming, I'm like, wait a minute, e-gaming, that's casino stuff, that's gambling online. I say, so if you're not reading the fine print, you didn't even take the time to do your research. But internationally, worldwide, these games— League of Legends, Dota, Rocket League FC— are the biggest international esports titles in the world. Places over in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, they have the esports World Cup, which is their Olympics. Been around for at least 10 years. So it doesn't take much to find this out. You can make— type in 3 words and be somewhere and find out all the information., you know, on a website that will give you that. And so that means you're not taking the time. If you want this at your school and university, then why you got to put some time in to really get it and understand it and what, like I did to find out the deficits that were missing. And so I think people got to just do a little bit. And we have the tech right in front of us. It just, to me, sound like they're being lazy because if anything, if they want to really help out a program, they do your hard work due diligence to find out every nook and cranny where they can fit in. And some places, I say internationally, I've been a part of talk groups once a month that did that for their community. And they created great programs and successful programs. And I think it's starting to turn over now because we're almost at the 10-year mark from my time being hired. And then probably 20 years for esports really growing at the university level, the college, at the high school level, and also, and even middle school and elementary is starting to pick up legs. And I'm part of a few programs now that are helping schools, high schools get that traction in the dirt. So then when sponsors come around, when other institutes like Nebraska, you know, universities come around, they take it seriously and they know more about it now. And so I'm always advocating through my podcast, through shows like this, to basically say, hey, find out the information about what is going on in our space before you judge it, before you say, oh, it's not worth our time, when it definitely is because The students, not only are they going to be potential esports competitors, you know, stars, but this also teaches other things. It leads to cybersecurity, it leads to droning, it leads to coding and other fun things in the tech space, which, as we started this conversation, tech is huge in our space, in our world right now, regardless if you're into it or not. Tech is here, period. For sure.

You talked earlier and you mentioned the digital divide, and I've had a couple other episodes on this show about closing the digital divide. Tell me what's so important about closing the digital divide and give a quick overview of it for our audience.

Yeah, so the quick overview is basically the digital divide is from in the tech space. It's where neighborhoods in the world that are lacking things like broadband internet and just the equipment to get that stuff and how to use it or how to make it a useful item in their space, in their community. Working from home is a big deal because that means you could afford a computer that could withstand or go through different things and you could get your job done online. But if you don't have that, you got to go out and say, as we could say old-fashioned-wise, hoof it to a job somewhere. Between broadband and internet, between the PC itself, the equipment, getting that stuff introduced to people, be it kids, be it teenagers, be it adults. So bringing an esports space to a facility, a Boys and Girls Club, a local high school, middle school, elementary school, a rec center. So that's what the Digital Divide is, is bringing those spaces that we've seen in other ways that YMCAs do, that elementary schools do, that high schools do. You know, they have a swimming pool, they have a football field, they have a basketball court, baseball court, court. Now I'm looking to put esports facilities or esports rooms in those same places to spread the word. And then, like I said, those esports rooms will lead to other jobs, kind of like what you did for a career, you know, building out websites. Now what I do, I'm a content creator on Twitch and YouTube. But then somebody that may not want to do what I do, they could go into coding. But because— but they already started at playing video games, you know, there was a game It was Madden, it was Super Mario Brothers, it was Legend of Zelda or whatever, or Fortnite today. But then they saw other things that they could do just by being in front of a computer every day. And so filling that in, because when kids of any background have enough support, they go do something and then experience something. That's where the growth happens, because that's what happened with me. You know, my dad worked IT. If it wasn't for him working IT I would have never saw a PC. But I mean, not— I want to say that it was two instances. It was my dad working at Northrop Aviation, bringing home the PC to fix it, and my elementary school partnered with Crenshaw High School where they've got their computer lab, and we would walk to the Crenshaw High School to go to their computer lab once a week. And so I got to be on the computer once a week for a semester, learning how to print a file, a piece of paper, learning how to type. All of the basics of IT to know I could go in and be comfortable in front of a computer, you know, comfortable in front of anything that looks like a computer, i.e., a machine on a construction site these days, right? Their motherboard of a diesel crane is all computerized, you know. Uh, you're going to a hospital, you're a doctor now, you're doing surgery, you're not even doing it with your hands anymore, you're doing it with an automated, you know, kind of like a crane like this with a hand on with robotic hand on it. And if— and it's a joystick you're using to do the surgery. So it's like, yeah, it's directly applicable to a lot of amazing occupations. Exactly. So feeling that, that's the digital vibe. I'm being an advocate of it. So like, I'm gonna be one of the change agents to say, hey, this needs to close. Because I mean, I'm like, I want to get to the level where it should just be free internet everywhere. Why not? Yeah, because That's a way to make a living if you have it online. If you can't afford it, you're at a deficit in your family, in the neighborhood, in a community, you know. So I'm looking at rural farm areas, Native reservations, Boys and Girls Clubs, and inner cities, or just inner city communities, to go make the change and make the initiative happen.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All right, this is a big question. How has your definition of success changed or evolved over the years?

I say it is defined, and I don't think it's changed. It's still the same. My success is basically when you set a goal, you have the goal set, and then you have the ways to get to that goal, and then the follow-through, and then the completion. And sometimes for a goal, obviously the ways to get to that goal for everything is different. You know, so my goal to play in the NFL as a kid was different now for me to be a part of the digital divide, you know. Physically, it was all for football. It was, okay, I got to stay in shape. I got to fight my body against injuries, make sure I stay healthy as possible. Then obviously good grades. I got to know, going to have to put in college time and all that stuff. Now with fundraising, you know, that's, I got to talk more. I got to promote on my social media. So I got to learn. Or do some of these tasks that some of it I'm not accustomed doing. But now I am because now I know that the word has to get out. It's spread around the world. So it is just knowing your path to get to your goal. That's what never changed. I say it didn't change. It's just like I said, for the goal that changes, but the process is the same, which I love the process of trying to accomplish goals because then I know that every day, the 9 to 5, everyday stuff, you wake up early, You start your day doing one thing, then it leads to you doing all the little things to get you to the bigger goal that's set at the end of the, end of the road.

100%. All right, I asked this question on every episode. What does legacy mean to you today?

Oh man, legacy is— that's an easy one. Um, what I leave behind, basically. And this really starts with my family, you know, what they're going to have for themselves that I was able to build for them and then potentially take over or hand it off to somebody else in the family. If it's not Amani, Mayani, Virgil, Angel, and Elias that they take on and own it now after we're gone, it's passing it maybe to their kids or maybe to somebody close in the family or a friend that want to take over the legacy. Because I know one thing I'll have for my kids is my active giving, you know, my foundation.

So there you go.

Imani already has a foundation now of her own. She's already been motivated to get there, you know, so she's doing it now. It's a track club in Dallas. It's called the Dallas Supersonics. It's been around 2 years, almost 2 years now, and it's growing. So just whatever I leave behind, I could pass. It doesn't have to be big, like, you know, like I said, it could be, you know, my jerseys I earned from being in the Pro Bowl to my jerseys I wore as a Packer. That stuff they could hang in their house. And once they have their kids, their kids would be like, oh, what's this, Ma? You know, oh, that was your grandfather's football jersey. You know, he was a starting running back at the Green Bay Packers. And this organization has been around, you know, 100 years and they did this, that, and the other. And so he was a big part of that, his time on the football field. So she could tell that story to my grandkids. And that, like I was when LL or my brothers and sisters teaching me things, showing me things. Motivation, you know, I could pass that along through my actions on, uh, like I said, on this rock that's hurling in space. I could pass that to them.

You know, this is just, just like you, but I love that the first thing that came out of your mouth was how you can teach your kids and your grandkids how to be people that give and that help others. And the reason I've been wanting to make sure you and I make time for this episode after all these years is for exactly that reason, to people to understand that it takes humility and it takes the real passion for giving and to make a difference to sustain that kind of energy long term, especially for somebody who's a celebrity, that you have all kinds of distractions going all the different directions. But yeah, to sustain that attitude of giving and making a difference for others is exceedingly unique. And you know, I know this because I've been around a lot of celebrities and a lot of people that have been in your shoes. And the reason you and I have been close all these years is because you had that heart for giving from the very beginning.

Mm-hmm.

And it's, uh, it's exceedingly meaningful for me, as you know. So let's make sure we don't lose sight of this. You're giving, but you're also asking other people to support your giving efforts. How can people get ahold of you or support your organization or organizations that are important to you? And give me the lowdown, how we can tell people how to get there.

Yeah, so first follow me on my socials. So I'm on— I'll start it with— I'm on IG, uh, SamonGreen30 and AG_GamersLounge. X, it's the same thing, it's SamonGreen30 and AG_GamersLounge. That's my podcast that I've been doing now for 5, like 6 years now, coming up on 300 episodes, and Then my, uh, Digital Divide Initiative, that's at the link I put in your chat here. And it's on, be connected to the website very soon, the imanigreenfoundation.com. And it's a brand new look. So you just got updated. Imani did that for a birthday gift for me this year. She updated the website. I went on there on Wix by myself and did my best Alan Pavlosky impression to build out a website. Man.

And I remember Imani when she was like, I think, I think she was just born. You and I were hanging out before she was even born.

We were connected at the ankles, man. We were, we've been along around each other a long time. So Chanel, she did as a gift, she has a friend that builds websites, and so she got a birthday gift for me to help redo it. And so we're going to connect and get the initiative on there, but you could read about it now. The link's on there to buy the t-shirt and other items. We partner with other companies.

That's at amongreenfoundation.com.

Yep, the Iman Green, the ImanGreenFoundation.com. Yep. And then the link in your, uh, chat is from Tiltify, which is a, a funding website, a fundraising website that content creators can use. So it has the links for you to, uh, download and then purchase, you know, look through all the different things you could purchase to fundraise. Because like I said, I want to give somebody a little token of my appreciation and came up with a great idea. And so that's where you could go look there. I do my podcast every Wednesdays at 2 PM on Twitch and YouTube. It is the Iman Green's Gamers Lounge via Iman Green TV on Twitch. And I do Believe in Packers, where I break down my Packers during the regular season and now times like this, because next week is the NFL Draft. So I'll do— probably do a quick episode about who they're going to potentially draft and then do an episode after, you know, do a reaction podcast about that in the next 2 weeks. So That is I Believe in Packers. So that's what I do there. And then, man, I say partnerships with Stay Plugged In. They're out of actually High Point, North Carolina. And they are aligned with what I do. So they help me find places and we find places to need esports rooms. And we have our first one together. It's going to be in Wisconsin. It's the Menominee University Family Center. That's on the Menominee Reservation. In, I say, central Wisconsin, right above Green Bay, about a half hour.

Yeah.

And we're just waiting on the date to plan out that launch opening of that esports room there and many more to come.

We got—

I know I got a dozen places that I want to go to across the country that, you know, that were influential, be in Nebraska and Washington State and California that I want to put an esports room at, you know. So there you go. Yeah, we got places and we got a lot of support. We got all the support that I saw lacking backing when I became an esports coach in the space. So that's, uh, that's where you can find me on the IG. I'm on Green30. That would be the best one to drop a message, go see all my content and support, um, in those spaces. So thank you.

Well, we've come to the end, but man, what a great ride. You know, AG, it's your willingness to evolve and continue serving others is what defines your legacy. Here at Legacy All-Stars, we celebrate those making a lasting difference, and you, my friend, are the definition of that. I appreciate you coming on the show today.

I appreciate you having me on. Super excited about it. When you asked me, finally get a date to where it took work. And actually, I got one more group that I'm actually working with. I almost forgot because they're so new. NIL TV Esports partnered with a guy you probably remember, Craig Richardson. Yeah, of course. Yeah. So me and Craig are now linked at the hip working with Duke University athletes to bring them online.

That's terrific.

And share their stories and have fun doing it, doing IRL content to Esports content. So that's coming down the line on True Blue TV here in, uh, the next couple months of this year.

Okay, that's fantastic. And then I got a giggle when you talked about your Tiltify initiative because I don't know if you remember, but I invited you at a Super Bowl event I did to raise money using e-gaming, to use e-gaming. It was the Tiltify was the platform we used. And I think you might, you might have met Tiltify when I did.

I might have, and we need to talk because For some reason with the account, it doesn't give me the address where I could ship the t-shirts at. So I'm like, where can I— I've been on talking to their customer service for like a month now. Yeah, two months.

I'll see what I can do.

So if you know somebody there, please direct me.

I have the contact information of the leadership there. So maybe I'll insert myself in that and try to help out.

Please do, because we need to know where we're sending stuff.

For sure. All right. Well, to my audience, thank you for joining us on Legacy All-Stars Podcast, where we celebrate individuals using their platform and purpose to make lasting impact. I want to remind you that your legacy is not what you leave behind, it's what you invest in others every single day. See you next time, and don't forget to subscribe and be notified of new episodes. I'm Alan Pavlosky, signing off for Legacy All-Stars.