1. Complete a Tough Mudder — I am officially signed up to run the Sacramento Tough Mudder on June 10th with four of my buddies from grad school and their friends. I also just recently signed up for another Tough Mudder in NorCal for October 14th. This will be my second and third Tough Mudder after I completed my first one last year in Arizona.
2. Run 1,000 miles — If you remember this goal was much smaller when I originally set it. It was a comfortable 365 miles, or one mile a day. However, after being challenged by my high school cross country coach I decided to make it a little more uncomfortable by trying to run 1,000 miles in 2017. After today’s run I am sitting at 332 miles which means I would have almost hit my original goal in May. All that means in my opinion is it was too easy in the first place! I have really had to challenge myself to put in the miles because no one else is going to do it for me. I’ve woke up at 5am in the morning to run, I’ve come home from working double shifts at the A’s/Warriors and run at 11pm at night, I’ve run in the rain, I’ve run when it was 30 degrees outside and now in the high 70’s. No one ran the miles for me and no one’s going to run the miles for you. You have to do it yourself. My current pace this year is 2.77 miles a day. In order to reach my goal I need to average a little over 2.74 miles a day. For the record though I have not run every single day. I’ve actually only run a little over 68 days so far this year and rested the others. However, as a result I have had to increase my miles per run which is currently at 4.88 miles with a duration of about 36 minutes and 16 seconds or 7 minutes and 25 seconds per mile. This means that I have invested over 41 hours towards this goal just in running. That does not account for stretching before and after the runs (highly recommended). I am planning to run in two more half marathons in 2017 which will rack up another 26 miles easy. I am planning on running ‘The Town’ Half Marathon on August 12th (Oakland) and the ‘Golden Gate’ Half Marathon on November 5 (San Francisco).
3. Hit 90% FitBit goals —The five categories that I am tracking for this goal are Daily Steps, Floors Climbed, Miles, Calories Burned, and Active Minutes. In order to hit those goals I need to achieve the following on a daily basis. In parentheses are the number of days I have not reached these daily goals of 12,000 Steps (10 times), 10 Floors Climbed (13 times), 5.00 Miles (7 times), 3,200 Calories Burned (7 times), 30 Active Minutes (7 times). The only category where I fall below 90% success rate is the Floors Climbed which I am currently at 89.08%. On another note I started the year with a 10,000 steps a day goal before raising it to 12,000 shortly after. I am now averaging over 16,090 steps a day in 2017. I would be remiss without giving my colleague, Haley McCollough, a shoutout for competing with me and keeping me accountable. Not to mention she is kicking my butt in our steps competition. I have taken over 100,000 steps a week since the first week of the year which is a direct result of our competition. Before that I would average anywhere from 70k-85k a week. So far she has beat me 12 of the first 14 weeks. My averages in each of these categories so far in 2017 are as follows— Daily Steps (16,090), Daily Floors Climbed (34), Daily Miles (8.48 mi.), Daily Calories Burned (3,883), Daily Active Minutes: (95 mins.), & Average Sleep per Night (7 hrs. 15 mins).
4. Average 7–8 hours of sleep — As noted above I am averaging 7 hours and 15 minutes of sleep each night. So I am technically achieving this goal as well. However, I would still like to get better at this. Only 22 times (120 days) I have got the recommended 8 hours of sleep. Which means once every 5–6 days I’ll get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. Only four weeks out of the first 17 weeks this year I have averaged below 7 hours of sleep.
5. Don’t eat fast food — This has been pretty easy to cut out and I’ve felt great as a result. I have also added additional items to this do not eat list thanks to my old roommate Colin Graham. We decided to start a competition on March 5 through our Tough Mudder race on June 10. In that time span I haven’t eaten any of the following: chocolate, cookies, cake, candy, chips, or cola. It’s been almost two months and my energy levels have seen a huge difference with cutting out all this junk food.
6. Track calories from food — This has been a bit of a challenge for me this year. I started off by using the FitBit app to track my calories but wasn’t a fan of the interface. As a result I re-downloaded MyFitnessPal to track my calories so that I can see my macronutrient goals (Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates) as well as my sugar intake. I put this app and the FitBit app on the bottom of my phone so they are visible at all times and remind me of my goals. This has helped me remember to log my food and has also helped me be more conscious about what food I am eating. I’d rather not waste hundreds of calories on junk food if I still haven’t eaten my dinner and I want to hit my weight goal (up next).
7. Get under 200lbs — After starting the year at 213.4lbs (no one ever guesses I weigh that much) I have been as low as 191.2lbs (March 1st). I first hit the 200lbs mark on February 11th and have only been above that mark four times since then on February 13th (200.6lbs), February 23rd (200.2lbs), March 15th (200.4lbs), and March 23rd (202.2lbs). Shoutout to Bryant Sharifi for holding me accountable in this department with our competition this year. I’m still waiting on that dinner you owe me ;)
8. Call or FaceTime a friend weekly — I haven’t done as well on this goal as I would like to but I have made more of an effort of doing this more as of late. I’m always happy to jump on the phone in the car while I’m stuck in traffic or if you can line up a time where a few of us can jump on Houseparty (Group video chat app that allows up to 8 people to be on the same call) Let me know if you’re interested in jumping on a phone call, FaceTime, or Houseparty!
9. Pay $10,000 towards student loans — I started the year with $42,370 in student loans from the University of San Francisco after finishing my Master’s in Sport Management. Thankfully I didn’t have any student loan debt at Ashford University after graduating with my Bachelors. So far this year I have made $4,300 in payments on these grad school loans in 2017. I have also spent $3,750 on tuition at George Washington University where I started a certificate program around Sports Philanthropy. In total I have spent $8,050 on education in 2017. My grace period officially ends June 16 (6 months after graduation) so there will be monthly payments being made to help me achieve this goal.
10. Raise $500,000 for the A’s Community Fund — In just 7 games so far my amazing team of 50/50 Raffle Team Members at the Oakland A’s have raised $93,280. We have about 40 more games that we will be holding 50/50 Raffles. In order to reach my new goal of $650,000 in 2017 our team needs to average between $12,960-$13,830 depending on the number of games we register. If we reach the $650,000 mark that will put us at $1,000,000 raised in the first two years of the program. If you want to follow along with the progress of this goal you can visit the following website: www.athletics.com/raffle. In our first year in 2016 our team raised $365,547 in 31 games.

That’s all for now! Hopefully this provided a little bit of inspiration to continue crushing your 2017 goals in May and beyond. Until next time!

-TG3

Now more than ever you hear about college athletic departments signing contracts for hundreds of millions of dollars with brands such as Nike, Under Armour and Adidas.

For example, the University of Michigan signed a deal with Nike this past year reportedly worth $173.8 million with around $85 million slotted for Nike apparel and products.

If you’re like me, you may be wondering what anyone would do with $85 million in apparel.

Before talking to Managers on a Mission (MOAM) founder, Drew Boe, I had no idea the impact these apparel deals could have outside of the school they were agreed upon with.

Before MOAM, Boe was steadily climbing through the ranks on his way to becoming the next Equipment Manager at a Division I school.

As an undergraduate in the sport management program at the University of Minnesota, he interned for both the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers.

During the school year, you could find Boe on the football field or the basketball court, where he held a student manager position with both Golden Gopher teams.

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After graduating from Minnesota, he decided to pursue his master’s at Virginia Tech, where he became a graduate assistant for the football team.

Boe was on the fast track to success in the sports industry.

However, after being tasked with developing the framework for a nonprofit organization by one of his professors and a trip to Rwanda during his final semester at Virginia Tech, his path to success started to look a little different than he previously envisioned.

Boe would alter his plans when he saw the impact that he could have by combining two of his passions, his love for sports and his passion for helping others.

Thus Managers on a Mission was born.

What began as a side gig, six months into a position with Auburn in Equipment Operations he decided to take on MOAM full-time.

He hasn’t looked back since.

Having been a Student Manager for Tubby Smith at Minnesota and Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, he had the support from two big-name coaches with the highest integrity and character.

These associations helped catapult MOAM and establish instant credibility for the organization.

Beyond the support of Smith and Beamer, perennial powerhouse college programs such as Oregon, Texas and UNC began to step up in support of MOAM thanks to the relationships Boe had developed during his time as a student manager.

“I had been fortunate to be in the Big 10 (Minnesota) and ACC (Virginia Tech) and SEC (Auburn). I had a good network.”

— Drew Boe

MOAM is centered on an annual student manager-led mission trip to Africa usually in summer months of June and July.

To date, MOAM has sent 20 student managers to spend three weeks in an African orphanage to provide them with athletic gear and teach them the fundamentals of sports like volleyball, basketball, football and soccer.

The success of the missions are due in large part to the relationship MOAM has established with the Rafiki Foundation, which oversees 10 orphanages in Africa.

Last year’s group visited an orphanage village in Kenya where they donated clothing, shoes, and equipment to help run sports camps.

In a video produced by MOAM, kids can be seen running around in an assortment of college apparel ranging from UCLA to UNC and even Tubby Smith Basketball Camp shirts.

While the student managers are in Africa, they execute two weeks of sports camps along with one week of discipleship with over 100 kids ranging in age from 3–18 years old.

Each session starts with a devotional and a different manager is responsible for leading the devotional each day.

Boe discussed the challenges the managers face when teaching the kids, due to the lack of exposure the kids have had to organized sports.

“It seems so small but they haven’t had that exposure to organized sports sessions.”

— Drew Boe

MOAM has grown significantly since Boe started the nonprofit in 2013.

Working with more than 80 colleges and 20 professional teams between the NFL and MLB, Boe makes it very simple to support their mission.

MOAM will send the equipment managers a box and pay for the shipping. All the teams have to do is fill it up with gear and drop it off to ship back. Boe calls it “Clean out for a Cause.” Your moms call it spring cleaning.

“The equipment directors are really the lifeline of the organization. They are the individuals helping us with ‘Clean out for a Cause’ and connecting their student managers to our program opportunities.”

— Drew Boe

Boe estimates that 70 percent of the donations are apparel consisting mostly of shirts, shorts, sweatpants, polo, jackets, socks, and more. While the remaining donations consist of new and used shoes running shoes and cleats. There is also a small percentage of equipment such as basketballs from previous Tubby Smith Basketball Camps.

The apparel they collect is either taken with them on the trip or is sold via eBay for Charity to fund the mission trips and scholarships for MOAM.

In 2017, Boe is looking to double the number of managers from the previous three years combined by sending 20 student managers on the mission trip.

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the mission trip in 2017 please visit MOAM’s website. The deadline to apply is Sunday, March 5th.

You can support Managers on a Mission on eBay and also get some awesome team swag.

Managers on a Mission: Making an Impact On and Off the Court was originally published in Front Office Sports on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs how people behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong influence on the people in the organization and dictate how they perform.

When it comes to organizational culture, the Memphis Grizzlies may have one of the best from the top down.

Their entire organization from their ownership to their front office and even their players share the same vision for the organization and the impact they can have on their community.

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Don’t take it from me, take it from Grizzlies Guard, Mike Conley.

“Today, too many of our young people grow up with too few opportunities and no hope. That has to change. Closing the achievement gap is important. Access to opportunity is imperative. The support of caring adult mentors is critical. There is no quick fix.”

If you visit the Grizzlies Foundation website, you will see these same fundamental principles addressed in the Foundations study of the state of the children in Memphis.

The foundation has created programs to address these specific obstacles that Memphis youth face on a daily basis.

They focus their efforts around three key areas in a child’s development including education, health and fitness, and youth mentoring. Their goal is to close the opportunity gap for children in underserved communities across Memphis through youth mentoring, education, and enrichment.

The foundation studies highlight the lack of basic academic skills possessed by students noting that only 32% of third graders in Memphis are able to read at grade level.

They also reveal that children are not getting enough of the right food and exercise. This results in a 25% childhood obesity rate among students in Memphis.

Finally, outside of professional athletes like Conley, Memphis youth have few positive role models in their lives. Studies showed that only 11% of Memphis high school students graduate college-ready.

That’s why when Conley gave a million dollar donation to the Grizzlies Foundation to help them tackle these issues facing Memphis youth, Grizzlies’ Owner Robert Pera matched that gift to bring the total to two million dollars.

“Mike exemplifies what Grizzlies basketball is all about and I am honored to join with my Memphis-based partners in matching his generous gift.”

— Robert Pera

The Grizzlies have made mentoring and youth development programs a priority since relocating to Memphis by increasing the organization’s investment in these priority focus areas.

As a result more than $40 million has been donated to help support the foundations programs and their partners to eliminate these obstacles for youth in the community since 2001.

As the founder of Ubiquiti Networks, Pera is able to provide resources and equipment through a variety of high-end wireless networking products that utilize innovative and ground-breaking wireless technology.

These technologies have been placed in schools, community centers, and many other locations in the Memphis area.

What distinguishes the Grizzlies’ foundation from other professional sports teams’ foundations is both their depth of programming and, the infrastructure they’ve established to ensure their programs are delivering on their promises to students and volunteers.

That programming is known as the Grizzlies Foundation TEAM UP program and consists of four key elements.

The first element of the program is the TEAM UP Youth Mentoring Partnership which unites a broad range of local community organizations, businesses and civic leaders to promote, support and advocate youth mentoring. The Grizzlies Foundation has a key partner in the National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) which unites over 1,000 quality mentors through 41 partner organizations that serve 1,500 mentees in Memphis alone.

These 1,000 mentors are required to go through thorough training in the Grizzlies TEAM UP Training Institutes in collaboration with several of the best-in-class organizations for training mentors such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and UP2US to name a few.

As a professional basketball team the Grizzlies know the impact sports can have on youth development. As a result, through the TEAM UP Sports Partnership they have created an alliance with several community groups that use sports as a catalyst for youth development.

Their focus through this alliance is to equip coaches with the proper skill sets to mentor children through sports, school and life.

Last but definitely not least, the TEAM Mentor Program features groups of three volunteer adult mentors paired up with nine students in 7th and 8th grade. This program is operated across five sites in the city of Memphis and comprises of 270 scholars and 90 mentors working to develop 21st century skills in students.

As illustrated by the infographic, created by AlleyCat Design, the impact of the the Grizzlies efforts is widespread.

If that weren’t enough the Grizzlies Foundation just recently started a Scholars Program for ten high-performing middle school students in May with the goal of increasing the number of boys of color with access to academically rigorous, independent high schools as a pathway to success in college and their careers.

Whether it be with the Grizzlies Foundation, other community partners, or their own foundations and causes that are near and dear to them, the Grizzlies players, such as Conley, are actively involved in the community.

Vince Carter, Marc Gasol, JaMychal Green, and Zach Randolph all have their own foundations focusing on everything from youth health and fitness to families in poverty to women and children’s programs and everything in between.

Conley is right when he said that there is no quick fix but he’s also right that we have to do better. The Grizzlies have created an organizational culture in which they are holding their owners, front office, and players accountable to create opportunities for Memphis’ youth to be successful in school and in life using the game of basketball as a catalyst.

Grizzles Find Success with Foundation that puts City and Community First was originally published in Front Office Sports on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This Sunday, when Super Bowl LI is played in Houston, more than 100 million people will tune in to watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the New England Patriots.

Super Bowl Sunday parties are something we all look forward to for many reasons, my favorite reason being the food. Super Bowl Sunday is second, only to Thanksgiving, when it comes to the amount of food we eat as Americans.

While many of us are looking forward to diving into our favorite Super Bowl recipes, there are 50 million people in the U.S. that lack ability to access adequate food.

Minneapolis restaurateur, Wayne Kostroski, realized the opportunity to capitalize on Americans’ love of food and also tackle this issue when he founded the Taste of the NFL in 1992.

The Taste of the NFL is a 501c3 organization that raises money to support food banks throughout the United States.

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On Saturday, February 4, the Taste of the NFL will host its 26th annual hunger relief event, dubbed ‘Party With a Purpose,’ on the campus of the University of Houston.

The Party With a Purpose fundraising event will include fans, top chefs, and some of the greatest players in NFL history from each of the 32 NFL cities. The purpose of the party is to raise awareness and funds for hunger relief in cities across the country and the food banks that support those communities.

Some of the notable guests include Boston Chef Steve DiFillippo of Davio’s and Former Patriots’ offensive tackle Matt Light. They will be raising money on behalf of The Greater Boston Food Bank.

Guests will have the opportunity to purchase limited edition lunch boxes, enter into a raffle for a grand prize and bid on silent auction items.

The grand prize for the raffle includes two tickets to Super Bowl LI. While silent auction items include experiences ranging from an all-inclusive trip to the Masters Championship to an experience at the Hamilton play on Broadway and even a trip to the CMA Awards Show.

The best part, every $100 raised provides about 800 meals for those in need! To this point the Taste of the NFL has raised more than $25 million to help feed more than 37 million Americans who have turned to their local food banks for assistance.

Can’t make it to Houston for Party with a Purpose? That’s okay, too. You can party from home and still make a difference. In fact, fans from all over the nation have been competing since September, on behalf of their favorite NFL teams, by raising money online for their respective food banks. The funds raised will directly impact the donation of thousands of meals to food banks in each team’s local community.

The Houston Texans are leading the way this season in the Kick Hunger Challenge with a whopping $137,459 raised. Their donations will benefit the Houston Food Bank, which provides 79 million meals to 800,000 individuals annually through their partnership with over 600 agencies that span 18 counties in the area.

The Seattle Seahawks sit in second place with $83,189 with their proceeds going to the Food Lifeline. Food Lifeline provides 91,000 meals a day to local food assistance programs through their 275 members of their food program network. You can check out where you favorite team is in the standings here and which organizations they are supporting.

Even if you aren’t able to make a monetary contribution to the cause you can still help out by volunteering at your local food bank. We can make a difference in a number of different ways. Whether it’s by increasing awareness or raising funds to help fight hunger in our communities.

If you are interested in fighting for the cause you can call the Hunger Hotline at 1–866–3Hungry to find the nearest program to you. You can also search online for a food bank in your area by visiting Feeding America.

All it takes is a small $10 donation to provide up to 80 meals for those in need. If you wanted to donate $25 that would provide an additional 120 meals. Now imagine the impact we could have if everyone that watched Super Bowl LI got involved in the fight to end hunger.

If each of us made a monetary donation, donated that leftover can of Bush’s Baked Beans from our Super Bowl parties, or even just volunteered at our local food bank we would be that much closer to achieving the goal that Kostroski set out to achieve in 1992 when he started the Taste of the NFL. We would be that much closer to ending hunger.

The Taste of the NFL: A Party with a Purpose was originally published in Front Office Sports on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Our nation loves sports, and the Star Spangled Banner has become a part of our sports identity. The lyrics to our national anthem have become somewhat sacred to Americans who hear them fill stadiums and arenas before every professional sporting event. Everyone rises in unity, removing their caps and placing their right hand over their hearts.

In 2016, the sports world would be rocked by one individual who decided to go against that identity. San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick grabbed national attention when he silently protested our national anthem before a NFL preseason game.

Kaepernick defended his decision in a postgame interview by saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

While you may agree or disagree with the actions of the 49ers’ quarterback, this article isn’t intended to sway your opinion one way or another. I want you to put aside your opinions on the methods used by Kaepernick and focus on the objectives this protest has achieved.

After grabbing national attention when he began his silent protests in August, we fast forward four months to January.

Recently, you probably haven’t heard much in the news about Kaepernick and the abysmal San Francisco 49ers that finished with a 2–14 record. That’s not to say you shouldn’t, though. After being told he was “all talk and no action,” Kaepernick rose to the occasion by making a Million Dollar Pledge in early September.

“I will donate $1 million dollars plus all proceeds of my jersey sales from the 2016 season to organizations working in oppressed communities, $100,000 a month for 10 months.”

— Colin Kaepernick

If you follow Kaepernick on Instagram, you know that he has made good on his pledge thus far. Kaepernick has provided monthly updates along the way and goes into detail about the organizations he has made donations to and what each of them will be using the funds for on his website.

He has donated $300,000 between October and December with another $700,000 planned to be donated over the next seven months to organizations working in oppressed communities.

His goal to make a change in the community through his social activism is evident through his financial contributions. However, he has gone above and beyond just making financial contributions to nonprofits that do the work he is passionate about. He has actually created his own foundation in his name with a goal to fight oppression across the globe.

“The mission of the Colin Kaepernick Foundation is to fight oppression of all kinds globally, through education and social activism.”

— Colin Kaepernick Foundation Mission

As a part of his goal to fight oppression across the globe, Kaepernick started right here in the United States when he created the Know Your Rights Camp.

The Know Your Rights Camp is a free campaign for youth, fully funded by Kaepernick, to raise awareness on higher education, self-empowerment and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.

The goal of the camp is to help build a stronger generation of people that will create the change that is much needed in this world.

Since its debut, Kaepernick has hosted two Know Your Rights Camps in Oakland, CA in October and in New York City, NY in January.

Each event has featured keynote speakers who speak to at-risk youth about the 10 Points that are the foundation of the campaign.

Kaepernick is not only providing organizations the financial resources to make the changes he wants to see in this country, but he is also taking action himself.

By providing at-risk youth with the resources they need to beat the odds that are stacked against them, he is giving kids opportunities to explore higher education, become self-empowered and educated on how to interact with law enforcement in different scenarios.

Anyone can donate money, but Kaepernick’s specificity on where he has donated the money and the actions to back it up have been remarkable.

At the end of the day it’s your choice whether you choose to support Colin Kaepernick and his actions on the field. I’m not asking you to agree with his choice to kneel during the national anthem. I’m asking you to take the time to understand the root of what he is fighting for because there’s one thing you can’t argue with, and that’s what he’s doing off the field.

Just because these issues do not affect all of us personally doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

We need to learn more about these issues and support the organizations that are committed to making these positive changes in our communities.

Kaepernick has come to symbolize a movement that is drawing attention to challenges that some people are neglecting to realize even exist.

You don’t have to be a professional athlete to make a difference. You don’t have to make monetary donations to make a difference. All you have to do is want to make a difference and take the initiative to put your ideas into action.

We may not want to admit it, but as Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune pointed out, “Kaepernick’s protest has further highlighted a general lack of knowledge and complete disconnect among white Americans about black American history, particularly to resistance movements. He’s calling on us all to pay attention to inequalities in our country with an act of peaceful protest.”

I’ll leave you with a choice. United we stand or divided we fall.

Kaepernick Backs Up Actions with Million Dollar Pledge was originally published in Front Office Sports on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, a fire broke out in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood at a warehouse known as the Ghost Ship. After the building was searched for several days, it was announced that 36 people had lost their lives in the fire, the deadliest in the history of Oakland. The Oakland community was devastated. However, it would soon be brought together by a city epitomizing what #OaklandStrong really means.

Newly appointed Oakland Athletics’ President Dave Kaval was quick to offer his sympathy for all of those affected via Twitter the morning after the fire.

Dave Kaval on Twitter

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, first responders, and our Oakland community at this tragic moment. #oaklandfire https://t.co/2tNoIKvCAE

This was the beginning of what would be an astonishing effort by the local Oakland sports teams to take the lead in response to the disaster. A couple hours after Kaval’s tweet, the Oakland Athletics launched a YouCaring page to raise funds for the victims and families affected by the Oakland fire. They also pledged their support to match donations up to $20,000.

Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ on Twitter

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the #OaklandFire. We are Oakland. Donate to help. https://t.co/dtVUflIQNp

The donations began to pour in from A’s fans hoping to help support the cause. The A’s would go on to hit the $20,000 mark just hours after the page launched. Before the end of the day, the A’s would end up raising their pledge to $30,000. In addition, the Oakland Raiders joined forces with the team that they share the Coliseum with and announced they would also match donations up to $30,000.

Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ on Twitter

The @RAIDERS are joining us in relief of the #OaklandFire and will also be matching and donating up to $30,000. https://t.co/xYHSzfb3Lz

The next day, due to the overwhelming generosity from the Oakland community and support from both A’s and Raiders’ fans, the two teams raised their pledges to $50,000.

Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ on Twitter

The Oakland Athletics and @RAIDERS will now match up to $50,000 each in relief of the #OaklandFire. https://t.co/xYHSzfb3Lz

The donations continued to pour in and showed no sign of stopping. Not only did the A’s have the Raiders support, but the Golden State Warriors joined the efforts by pledging their support to match up to $50,000. With all three professional teams locked into the effort, they together had pledged to donate up to $150,000 to support the Oakland fire victims. It didn’t stop there.

Oakland A's 🌳🐘⚾️ on Twitter

The Oakland A's, the @RAIDERS, and now the @warriors have committed to match funds. Each team is matching $50,000. https://t.co/xYHSzfb3Lz

Led by Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and Shaun Livingston, Warriors’ players and coaches released a short PSA-type video announcing they would be contributing an additional $75,000 to the cause.

GoldenStateWarriors on Twitter

Warriors players & coaches have pledged to donate $75K to the ongoing relief efforts surrounding the #OaklandFire " https://t.co/gFwXmap2N0 https://t.co/LUMt0QiN4w

As if that weren’t enough. Two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry went a step further with the help of eBay to auction off his autographed game-worn shoes that honored the Oakland fire victims. The pair of Under Armour shoes drew over 150 bids and raised a total of $43,157 for the fire relief fund.

GoldenStateWarriors on Twitter

Steph's game-worn shoes, designed to honor victims of #OaklandFire, are up for auction to benefit relief efforts " https://t.co/INpZ8u4TAv

The relief efforts even saw corporate partners of the professional teams step up to the plate. For some, it was the right thing to do. For others that are headquartered in Oakland or nearby East Bay towns, this was their home and community that was affected. Contributions ranged from $25,000-$75,000 from the likes of Under Armour, Clorox, Kaiser Permanente, Ross Stores Foundation, Mechanics Bank, Sutter Health and more.

The outpouring of support extended beyond Oakland and came in droves from all over the Bay Area, including the A’s Bay Bridge rival, the San Francisco Giants.

San Francisco Giants on Twitter

Our thoughts are with the #OaklandFire victims. We will support the @Athletics fund & urge everyone to donate https://t.co/BT2CQ7GliL

The San Jose Sharks even used their brand new 50/50 Raffle program to pledge their support for the cause. Donating the proceeds from the two games following the tragedy.

Sharks Foundation on Twitter

Fans, support those affected by the #OaklandFire at #SJSharks home games or visit https://t.co/RczzDrXVtq (now-12/11 at midnight).

At the end of the day, when tragedy strikes, it doesn’t matter what colors you wear or who you root for. We are all on the same team. Sport brings people together and that’s why I personally love sports. The platform that athletes have to do good in the community and the support given to the communities of these professional teams was highlighted. This just shows what #OaklandStrong and #BayAreaUnite really mean.

As of Jan. 5, more than $552,000 has been raised via the YouCaring page by 3,617 donors. Social media has played an important role as the page was shared over 31,000 times across Twitter and Facebook. If you are interested in supporting the cause, you can visit the A’s YouCaring page here:

Click here to support Oakland Fire Relief

Athletics, Raiders and Warriors Come Together to Support Devastated Oakland Community was originally published in Front Office Sports on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I recently began reading the book The Blueprint by a good friend of mine Will Baggitt. In the first chapter it’s already making a huge impact. It’s not just going to make an impact on myself but many other young professionals starting their careers as well. Don’t believe me or need some more evidence? Mark Dantonio just ordered a copy for every one of his Michigan State football players less than a month after the book was published.

In the first chapter you’ll find a quote “Are you playing to win or not to lose?” Although it might seem like the options are eerily similar, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I know this from first hand experience. The mentality of the two choices is what separates the good from the great. It’s not an easy transition from one mentality to the next. It took me about three years to figure this out. I hope everyone that reads this no matter if you’re younger than me or older than me can make this change. Not later but right now!

I can thank wrestling for teaching me many life lessons especially the difference between the playing to win versus playing not to lose. You see, in my opinion one of my greatest accomplishments in high school now seems like one of my biggest failures looking back. It’s not that I’m not proud of what I was able to accomplish in my wrestling career it’s more the fact that I know I could have done so much more.

I started wrestling in 4th grade and instantly fell in love with the sport. It was one of the greatest things since sliced bread (for those of you who know how much I love bread). It was an excuse to go out and beat the hell out of someone without getting my hair pulled by my mom when my older brother and I would fight in the house.

With only five years of experience in wrestling I went into my freshman year of high school with pretty low expectations for myself. Quite frankly I didn’t have that mental toughness yet. As a freshman I wasn’t a varsity wrestler. That honor belonged to my best friend, Spencer Dale. However, I was still able to get 17 varsity matches as a freshman. Out of those 17 matches I won only four matches and lost 13. Most of my losses were by fall and came at the hands of ranked opponents.

Equipped with the experience from the year before and getting a year of butt whoopings in the practice room from fellow teammates and coaches, I improved leaps and bounds. Going into my sophomore year I was able to secure a varsity spot at 130 lbs. My mentality going into each match was not to get pinned and I was pretty darn good at it. Out of 60 matches I only got pinned on one occasion. I even won eight times as many matches as the year before with a 32–28 record. I fell one match short of qualifying for the Iowa High School State Tournament. Which was my goal at the beginning of the season even though I thought it was a bit of a stretch.

As a junior I began to realize my potential and how good I could be with the right training and mentality. I worked my butt off in the offseason for the first time in my high school athletic career. I cut down from 160 lbs. to wrestle in the 135 lbs. weight class. My mentality even changed from not getting pinned to not losing. Everything was going according to plan, or so I thought. I continued to improve and my record showed it. I was 38–17 as a junior and even went the whole season without getting pinned. But yet again I didn’t accomplish my goal of qualifying for the State Tournament after suffering a loss at the hands of a freshman. I was crushed, disappointed, baffled, etc. I couldn’t wrap my head around it because I thought that I had done everything right.

I had one shot left to qualify for the State Tournament my senior year. I was willing to do whatever it took just to qualify. My mentality changed once again going into my final year. I decided I wanted to spend as little time on the mat as possible. I wanted to bury people and get off the mat. I was no longer wrestling not to lose but rather to win or better yet to pin. For the most part that’s exactly what I did. Out of my 44 wins my senior year only six weren’t pins. One of the biggest matches that wasn’t a pin was the match that sent me to the State Tournament. I had finally accomplished my ultimate goal when I qualified for the State Tournament.

I had accomplished my goal of 3 years. But when I got to the State Tournament I got my teeth kicked in. I don’t remember much from either of those match to be honest. I don’t know if that’s from the loss of circulation in my head from the headlock Tony Parks had me in the majority of the match or if I just don’t want to remember it. I felt this empty feeling that shouldn’t be there if you’ve just accomplished your ultimate goal. Instead of setting a “realistic” goal of qualifying for state and being satisfied with that I should have had expected to be at the top of the podium.

I hadn’t really failed at anything but this “accomplishment” of being a state qualifier didn’t really feel as gratifying as I expected when I set the goal. I didn’t understand it for the longest time but I have come to understand it more as my journey continues to unfold. I had finally set a goal that was going to take a lot of work to accomplish. I’m not discounting the work that I put in to reach this goal at all. I’m not saying I didn’t make sacrifices. I’m not saying I didn’t work hard. I’m saying I could have done more. You can always do more. Your body can always do a lot more than your mind tells you.

I made a lot of sacrifices that a lot of normal people wouldn’t make but so did every other wrestler. I had improved from 4–13 as a freshman to 44–10 as a senior. But once I qualified for the State Tournament I had accomplished what I had set out to accomplish. It felt like I had nothing left to prove when I got there. I had already reached that goal. I had set my goal too low and I hadn’t even realized it until then. That’s where the empty feeling came from. That’s why I wasn’t satisfied when I got there. Because I knew I could have done so much more on top of the body of work that I already had. I should have expected more out of myself with the preparation that I put in. But I didn’t.

Now I do. It came after I moved to California at the beginning of 2015 to pursue my goals (I don’t call them dreams anymore) knowing damn well that I had just as many opportunities to fail as I do to succeed. The only difference is I am willing to take the risk this time. I had never been to San Francisco before moving there. I was 20 years old when I moved. I knew absolutely no one in the entire Bay Area. The program I was enrolling in was going to cost $42,000+. Seems pretty scary for a lot of people, myself included. But I chose to embrace it and be optimistic every step of the way.

Whatever it is that you think you can do, you can always do more. There’s nothing that you can’t accomplish if you set your mind to it and actively work to reach that goal. Don’t set goals so low that you know you can reach them. If you’re goals don’t scare the sh** out of you then they aren’t big enough. You’re not going to win every single time. You’re not going to accomplish every goal you set. As Brian Cain would say though “failure isn’t fatal”. If you don’t win there is something you can improve on. Don’t be discouraged by these setbacks. There’s a quote that I absolutely love about facing adversity and setbacks. “Giving up on your goal because of a setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got a flat”.

Don’t tell me the odds are against you. Everyone that is reading this has more opportunities to be thankful for than obstacles to complain about. Chances are you were given the opportunity to go to high school, to go to college, to own a smartphone, etc. You’ve got a place to live and food on the table. Best of all you have a choice to break any mold or stereotype that exists.

Your age doesn’t matter. Your gender doesn’t matter. Your ethnicity doesn’t matter. Where you grew up doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is your attitude, your mental toughness, and the work that you put in. Forget all that outside noise from everyone else. It’s your journey not theirs. People are going to tell you that you can’t do something because they don’t think they can do it themselves. They are scared to set their own big goals because they are scared to fail.

It’s never too early or late to start but you’ve got to start now. Forget the old proverb that says “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Proverbs are general truths. General truths don’t apply to people like you and me. Being young hasn’t stopped me either and it shouldn’t stop you. Just remember “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re too young to accomplish something. A baby shark is still a fu**ing shark.”. I’m about to get my Masters as a 22 year old less than five years after I graduated high school. I’ve got a full time job with a professional baseball team. I’ve had all the opportunities in the world presented to me and I’m taking advantage of every single one. These are merely stepping stones though because I know I can do so much more to impact children, youth, and young adults which I believe is my purpose in life.

There will always be the potential to fail but don’t let those thoughts enter your mind. Quit setting easy goals that you know you’re going to hit with minimal commitment and effort. Go out and crush goals that you may or may not fail when trying to accomplish them. I guarantee you will learn a lot more about yourself in the process. Failure isn’t really failure until you cease to make progress or learn from the experience. I’ll leave you with another fire quote from The Blueprint below.

“You must remain mindful; however, that failure to move the needle is what ultimately allows colleagues and competitors alike to bypass those who have set cruise control on the path to success (The Blueprint, p. 24).”

– TG