WEBVTT - C. J. Sapong Part 2 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.600 This is cut to It with Steve Smith Senior at 0:00:02.640 --> 0:00:08.879 production of The Black Effect and I Heart Radio. I'm 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.680 Steve Smith Senior and I'm a little John and this 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:15.960 is cut to It. Good do it, Good do it. 0:00:16.120 --> 0:00:19.520 Let's getting down to do it. Good do it. We 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.880 asked the questions you always want to know, but no 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:29.040 one ever asked, let's cut to it. You ain't heard 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.800 am about it, then we're about to let you know 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:41.000 it's all coming up. On the cut to It podcast, 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:44.559 we've got professional soccer player c J. S Pong, the 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.279 MLS Rookie of the Year in eleven. He won an 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:51.000 MLS Cup in and he's the co founder of the 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:54.440 Black Players Coalition for MLS. C J Pong on the 0:00:54.480 --> 0:01:02.800 Cut to It podcast. This is Part two with c J. 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:08.760 Say Pong on why the how soccer just about him 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:11.440 and what he believes in and in and what he's 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:14.600 experiencing in soccer. Part one was a lot about his 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:17.360 h his past and what he experienced and what he 0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:21.200 learned about his his family, his community uh in Ghana. 0:01:21.400 --> 0:01:24.200 But then also now we're talking about his soccer career 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:28.360 MLS and also too you're here, um what he desired, 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:30.679 what he likes about soccer and how he wants to 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:38.119 impact the soccer world. When everything you're going back and forth, 0:01:38.319 --> 0:01:41.560 you have so much heritage oozing out of your family, 0:01:42.520 --> 0:01:47.440 how does that impact you, like as a as a 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:51.240 high schooler going to college, just really starting to form. 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:55.880 You're in Virginia, you're kind of dealing with that. You're 0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.720 going back and forth every couple of summers, going to Ghana, 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:03.160 dealing with that, you know, getting embraced and your friends 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:06.559 and your family tribe, and then you go to Virginia 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:08.919 and you're playing soccer and all that stuff. It had 0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:15.919 to be, you know, very confusing to switch like that 0:02:16.200 --> 0:02:21.920 so much and experience it's literally like hands and Tales 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:25.840 of of life for a young man. Yep, yep, you're 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:32.800 wearing different masks. You know, you're turning up the black situation. Yeah, 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.800 you're turning down the black here, you're turning it up there. 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.680 You're wondering who you are, bro. I didn't really find 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:43.560 my true nature until probably my third year as a 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:48.520 professional soccer player. When you say true nature, what are 0:02:48.560 --> 0:02:53.960 you pertaining to? True nature? True nature is my own 0:02:54.160 --> 0:02:58.680 understanding and awareness of my frequency, right like who I 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:03.320 am and again not consistently robbing myself of who I 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:07.760 am to make this person comfortable or to sound cool 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:12.360 on this interview, or you know, like just I found 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:15.680 myself from an early age, you know, from the first 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:21.160 time I went to school and somebody made a comment 0:03:21.200 --> 0:03:24.720 about how dark I am compared to everybody else, you know, 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:28.280 and and I remember my parents telling me I would 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.160 always have to work twice as hard as simply because 0:03:31.200 --> 0:03:35.080 of that, you know, and that led to I mean, 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:38.800 I I think I was fortunate that I didn't you know, 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:41.280 I didn't want for nothing, Like most of the things 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:45.280 that I asked for, I did get, um, but it 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:51.880 was tough having that childhood uh mental construct just follow 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:56.040 me up until you know, three years into the league, 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:59.040 where again I had to go to a dark place 0:03:59.040 --> 0:04:03.200 where you know, we won a championship in my third 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:06.400 year in the league, and that was like my dream. 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:08.800 That was my goal, was to win a championship at 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:13.240 the professional level. And I did it. And then the 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:15.320 next month you right back at work and it's like, oh, 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:17.520 we're gonna do it again, and I'm like, damn, I 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:20.240 didn't even really get to like let that ship marinate, 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.680 Like we gotta do it again. All right, cool, let's 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:27.120 do it. But then that season didn't go like everybody wanted. 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:30.880 You know, I wasn't playing as much anymore. I got 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.279 sent to our like minor league team, and and again 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:36.960 it had me questioning the question that popped up at 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.680 many moments in my life. But I always found something 0:04:39.760 --> 0:04:42.760 to hide it, found something to stifle it. It's like, 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:46.360 who are you? What are you doing? You know? And 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.479 this is even and this is still after being able 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:51.599 to go to Africa. You know, I had that moment 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:56.680 it was true and and ripe for a good you know, 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.760 six months to a year. But then shoot you and 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:03.359 a America. American life just takes over and it's keeping 0:05:03.440 --> 0:05:06.760 up with the jones is. It's looking cool, it's staying fresh, 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:13.240 having new kicks. You know. It's like chasing, continuously chasing 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:15.960 without Like you said, Hope, I don't even know what 0:05:16.000 --> 0:05:19.680 we're chasing for it sometimes, you know, whereas now when 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:23.479 I say true nature, it's a complete understanding, not even 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.920 just image wise of what I'm trying to create for myself, 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:31.279 my family and this world, but innate feeling of what 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:33.599 it's going to bring me. You know. That's what takes 0:05:33.680 --> 0:05:37.560 that to the next level is knowing that, you know, 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:41.080 right now at the feeling that whether it's fifty sixty 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:45.239 on a rocking chair, not because I ain't doing ship, 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:48.480 but just because I'm taking a moment and and understanding 0:05:48.520 --> 0:05:51.520 that in that moment, I have so much to still 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:56.400 live for, you know, And and that's a very empowering feeling, 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.680 and it it empowers me every day. And I literally 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:03.640 I got lots of hope, you know, like I got 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.760 the the budget, the plans, the financial goals, all that's 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.760 just you know, written up in documents. So that's that's 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.080 helped me, you know, more centralized, the focus more in 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:17.120 and now when I leave wherever my my place of 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:20.800 dwelling is, at that moment, I walk into the day, 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.719 and I walked into the world with my chest high 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:29.719 and an excitement. Honestly, you go to James Madison University 0:06:29.839 --> 0:06:32.960 and you I read some stuff that that said that 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:37.320 your decision to go to college was based on education, 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:43.039 and I'm I kind of chuckled at that because then 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:45.280 I look at some of the offers that you had 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:48.920 University of Virginia that that ain't a school for dummies, 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.479 you know, So to take us through that recruiting process 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:56.120 of how how you came to that decision just to 0:06:56.240 --> 0:07:01.279 choose college, especially after you know what, all this stuff 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:05.840 that you've experienced so far as a I don't want 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:13.360 to say African American, African that happened to live in America. Yeah. Yeah, 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:17.920 the education was a plus, but mostly well one my 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:21.960 college soccer coach, Uh, may he rest in peace, Tom 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:24.920 Martin just past. But I owe a lot to this 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:27.520 man because he told me from the job. Look, I'm 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:29.960 not gonna tell you you're gonna start. I'm not gonna 0:07:29.960 --> 0:07:31.520 tell you you're sitting on the bench. What I will 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:34.760 tell you is you have an opportunity to compete. That's 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.640 all I wanted to hear. Virginia they said, yeah, yeah, Virginia. 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:42.280 They said, oh, we're thinking by your junior year you'll start. 0:07:43.080 --> 0:07:45.440 Other schools were telling me, yeah, we're you know, I 0:07:45.520 --> 0:07:48.240 was a forward. I want to score goals. Other schools 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:51.480 is telling me, now, you're gonna be a defender here, like, nah, 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:55.760 don't tell me what you know, don't place parameters on me. 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:02.880 Allow me to again find myself. And Massive university at 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:10.040 the time was known for uh yes, they're still known 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:14.080 for parties, so I know at the time, I'm like, 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.960 they still don't know for parties. I went to community 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:22.480 college and I had a partner go uh to James 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:27.440 Madison for linement um there and he talked about it 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.680 so much like bro like because he's from Cali, so 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:33.680 it was a you know, it's a big step and 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:35.760 he went out there. He said, oh, I ain't know 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:39.080 it went down like that. Down it because here's why 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:42.200 you got the rejects that can't go to Virginia and 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:46.920 then you have Blacksburg. You got Virginia Tech, and then 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:51.000 James Madison's like it's right in the middle. It's it's 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:54.840 like second base. You got first base and then's second 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:58.240 basis James Madison, I ain't gonna appreciate your calling them 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:02.320 rejects though, Bro, I'm just calling it. Bro. You noticed 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:05.560 another reject school, South Carolina because they say the USC 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:09.920 you ain't us, You're the University of South Carolina. Now 0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:13.600 you're really about It's true though I didn't go to 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:16.559 either one. But I'm just telling you, yeah, no, not 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:19.440 that that was a big thing for me is the 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:24.000 I knew I was gonna again. The other schools was like, yeah, here, 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.000 we do a dry season, no alcohol during the season. 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:32.480 You know, different guys like that were hit. Yeah, you 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:43.920 gotta be wet to dry out. Yeah eleven, you were 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.920 drafted tenth overall, so you're in the top ten pick. 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:51.680 Take us through because football being a top ten pick, man, 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:56.000 it is a circus. It is a circus. So you know, 0:09:56.000 --> 0:10:00.960 obviously MLS does not have that much eyes as the NFL. 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.360 But y'all, but you got a little bit. Take us 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:09.320 through that. What the what the soccer circus was for 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:12.560 you being a top ten pick? You know, it's interesting. 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.560 I had a very different experience than most guys that 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:19.360 go top ten. I went to a team. Uh the coach, 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.439 he didn't he didn't care what the number you ain't. 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:26.240 I still had to try out. You know, every other 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:28.920 player in the top ten had a had a contract 0:10:28.920 --> 0:10:31.200 before they even stepped on the field. I had to 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:33.920 go through a month and a half the preseason before 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.080 I even saw it. Why why do you not get 0:10:36.080 --> 0:10:39.320 a guarantee being number ten? Well one, I didn't have 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:44.840 a good agent. Uh yeah that was that was because 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:48.280 I was a what you call, I guess somewhat of 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:53.120 a sleeper coming up So it wasn't until I was 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:57.720 at the combine that I realized I had a strong 0:10:57.800 --> 0:11:01.199 opportunity of getting picked in a whole bunch of agents 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:03.280 where like in my face. And I ended up going 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:05.480 with a guy that was like from where I lived, 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.480 and he made it seem like he he really knew 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:12.839 what he was doing, but he really didn't. And so 0:11:13.280 --> 0:11:15.720 they actually try to get me on like a on 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:20.400 a reserve contract, which basically means it's like a practice 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:24.520 squad contract. They try to finesse me hard. But you know, 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:29.800 I I actually have always excelled in those positions, whether 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:34.160 it's being an underdog or continuously having to to grind 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.720 and work towards something. Um, because I could safely say 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.920 I earned my contract my first contract in this league. 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:45.240 There's guys that have gone number one, number two, never 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:49.120 even played a professional game, you know, out of the league. 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:51.720 And two to three years you said the combine. Should 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:54.880 they have a combine for for these players or what 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.680 is that entail? Yeah? Man, I think it's different structure now. 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:03.640 But for me, if you call it a combine, I mean, bro, 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:09.320 we played three scrimmages, right, We did a forty yard dash, 0:12:09.559 --> 0:12:13.720 we did a vertical test and I think like a 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:17.760 shuttle runner. And that was a combine. You know. So 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:21.679 the teams did they interview you? Yeah? Every Yeah, the 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:25.199 teams interview you. You know, you're at the little resort 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:29.480 and every every day you gotta you know, a list 0:12:29.520 --> 0:12:33.960 of appointments if you will. And that was a wild, wild, 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:39.560 wild experience for me. Um, But I do think I 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:47.640 what I was. I definitely gained points with how I spoke. 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:51.120 You know, I had the feeling that I wasn't that 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:54.120 typical black man that that a lot of these guys 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:56.520 were expecting. I don't want to say it's sad to say, 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:59.000 but you guys know how it is. You can feel 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:02.199 I want to I want I don't know what you mean, 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:06.360 but yo yo yo, talk about talk about it, don't. Yeah. 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:10.760 So it's like you, you know, you're sitting down and um, 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:15.280 once you start having the conversation and you, I guess, 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:19.560 articulate what's on your mind, or you use a uh 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:22.880 quote unquote big word or fancy word here and there, 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:26.680 and then you get the the little raised either or 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:31.000 the wow you speaks to speak so well, Yes, exactly, 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:37.280 exactly exactly. That's how they do and then it's interesting 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:41.160 for me because I think my first year that's what 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:45.280 made me very marketable as well, because oh it snap 0:13:45.480 --> 0:13:49.240 number ten pick right. I wasn't giving a hype as 0:13:49.360 --> 0:13:52.040 you know, right off the bat, but when you know, 0:13:52.200 --> 0:13:54.400 my first game, I scored two minutes into the game, 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:58.000 so then like yeah, hell yeah. So they're like okay 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:02.880 a little bit and then they interview it. Yeah, you 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:06.240 know the interview, I not only showed personality, but I 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:10.080 was able to articulate, you know, how I was feeling, 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.560 how the plays, uh that led up to me scoring, 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.520 you know, stuff like that, and that's when they're like okay, 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.520 and then they asked me to do the interviews here 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:22.880 they're everywhere, you know, and like again that I've heard 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:25.680 the damn he speaks so well. Well, so it's such 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:30.720 a well spoken kid. You know, you were such an exactly, 0:14:31.280 --> 0:14:33.920 and like that's a little aspect where people don't realize, like, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:39.760 damn sure you in that result of being a well 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:44.960 spoken having that charisma, being able to have the game 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:49.320 to back it up, you became rookie of the year. Yes, yes, sir, 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:52.880 yes sir, you become rookie of the Year. Let me 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.920 pause for a little bit, though, because I've had this UM. 0:14:56.960 --> 0:15:00.400 I had this enlightenment when you really think of about it. 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:11.560 Um of sometimes sports really mimics because right next to 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:18.320 my question, I have Kate Coast and it enlights me 0:15:18.440 --> 0:15:21.800 to understanding like sports, A lot of the sports, a 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:25.240 lot of athletes are people of color. And the combine 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:29.720 is almost like the slave trade. And let's go down 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:34.520 memory lane, because you bring all of these individuals, you 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.920 put them on the airplane, and you heard them into 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:41.400 one centralized location. And then you have all other people 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:45.680 that are coming in and they examine you. They they 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:48.720 prod you. They see, let me see how strong this 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:53.040 boy is. Let's see how strong you are. Can you 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:58.440 carry the work loan? Do you have the mental capacity? 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:03.240 What is his his deficiencies? And what is his attributes? 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:08.720 And then they all they have a draft, and was 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:12.560 the draft? If someone likes you, what did they do? 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:14.960 They barter with someone else to move up to get 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:21.480 their special workload, and they examine you and they look 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:24.280 at you, and then they decide what's your value, and 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:26.000 then they get you and they take you off. And 0:16:26.520 --> 0:16:28.920 I had that. I was I was kind of nearing 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:30.360 my end of my career. And I was at the 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.640 combine and I bumped into a kid and he was hurt. 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:37.760 He was being herded in at the combine. I'm like, bro, 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:43.680 this is mom to day slavery. And I didn't really 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:47.160 see it that way. Now, somebody listening and say, really, Steve, 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.040 mother and day slavery, right, you you really saying? All 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:55.800 I'm saying is it just really has something very familiar 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:59.880 with people coming into a place and bidding on God 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.920 and and and the differences that we are free and 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.879 we have the opportunity to choose to participate in that. 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:11.359 But one of the unique things not everybody does. Right. So, 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:14.720 as I side tracked on that, I go back to 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:19.639 Rookie of the Year. What did that success due to 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:26.520 your mind? So early on, six seven months after getting drafted. Um, Honestly, 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:30.000 it was very humbling because it was, like I said, 0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:35.959 it wasn't easy for me. Um, it didn't necessarily come naturally. 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:41.880 It came from a lot of sacrifice, a lot of effort. Um. 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:46.080 So I couldn't help but just really feel grounded in 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:49.520 and knowing that all the work that I have put 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:54.320 into the game, all the you know, nightouts with the 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:57.199 homies that I missed to go because I knew how 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.680 a soccer game the next day. It made me really 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.400 feel Uh but was that a sacrifice or was that 0:18:03.520 --> 0:18:07.800 you try you changing and becoming a professional in your 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:12.680 own dedication. Because some people say sacrifice, You're like, well, 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:15.920 how you can you sacrifice this your job? So was 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.840 it a really the sacrifice or was it just you 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:22.400 locking in saying if I really because you weren't given 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:26.480 the success, You weren't giving that big contract you have 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:28.560 to earn your contract. They like you said, they made 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:32.720 you try out as the tenth overall pick. Oh hey, bro, 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.439 I was saying it was sacrifice when I was younger, 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:40.400 when I was a pro, like my first year, I 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:44.439 obviously I was learning to be a good pro, but 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:46.840 I also have me a good time. I actually think 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:50.919 that had a good Uh. That had a strong bearing 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:55.159 all my success too, because it while I wanted to, 0:18:56.000 --> 0:19:00.760 you know, perform for my team, I also so consciously 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:07.480 understood the importance of being loose and being happy and 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:13.000 you know, not confining myself or boxing myself in into 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:18.240 again a mental construct of what I have to do 0:19:18.680 --> 0:19:23.800 to be good. Right people, will you see players, they're 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:28.320 real strict with the diet. You know, Um, they don't 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.680 leave a house. They're playing the Xbox and Whatnotum, just 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:34.280 to stay in a crib. Whereas me, like I was 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:37.960 stepping out, I was, you know, seeing stuff in the city. Uh, 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:42.119 this was Kansas City, and that is I believe that 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:45.600 that's dope though, because you don't you don't really don't 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:48.920 hear a lot of athletes saying I enjoy I had 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:52.200 I had fun that I never really heard that before. 0:19:54.680 --> 0:20:01.040 I'm eating, breathing shocker. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean I 0:20:01.119 --> 0:20:03.080 had good guys around me too. I had a lot 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:05.880 of brothers, I had a lot of Uh. I had 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:09.320 one of my best friends still to this day, Kakumara, 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:14.800 he from Sierra Leone. So he understood. You know that 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.760 that culture aspect um that I've been talking with you 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:22.160 guys about, you know, was able to kind of keep 0:20:22.200 --> 0:20:27.520 me honed in on one. Yes, like we are professionals 0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:31.359 and we we gotta perform, but at the same time, 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:33.800 our families and what we've come from and the things 0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:38.080 that we've gone through to be here right now in America, 0:20:38.520 --> 0:20:41.400 we came here to enjoy too. You know it it's 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:45.120 not so well It shouldn't solely just be a job, 0:20:45.240 --> 0:20:48.440 right you You do hear of countries where families and 0:20:48.600 --> 0:20:51.520 members have to come to America to find a better 0:20:51.600 --> 0:20:55.199 life and and they and they slave away at the 0:20:55.320 --> 0:20:57.879 end of it. But they need to be able to 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:02.200 find a time to enjoy. Um, you know what they're 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:05.199 what they're living in, and what they're doing. Otherwise, what 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:08.040 is the point of this all? We have to take 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:11.280 a break and the morning thing. We gotta pay some bills. 0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:19.000 You got checks. I love cut to It and I 0:21:19.440 --> 0:21:22.960 love it even more when you download us and subscribe, 0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.160 and you can follow us on social media too, Smithie 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:29.360 where where at? That's at? Cut to It on Instagram? 0:21:29.359 --> 0:21:34.399 What about Twitter? At? Cut to It Facebook? Cut to 0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:38.439 It featuring Steve Smith singr. What about online? And you 0:21:38.480 --> 0:21:40.920 can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.240 where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:47.359 us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my 0:21:47.400 --> 0:21:51.800 answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:54.439 That's what I'm here for, a brother, cut to a 0:21:54.520 --> 0:21:59.840 Podcast dot Com. Let's talk ball and for you, ball's 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.919 soccer and some kids out there listening, how do they 0:22:03.960 --> 0:22:08.919 become a professional soccer player? How to become a professional 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:12.560 soccer player? Well, I think it starts with you know 0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:15.879 how bad you want it? Man? And I think you 0:22:15.960 --> 0:22:20.760 hear that a lot. But the next step is what 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:24.920 is a kid willing to do to become a professional 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:28.680 soccer player? Do they? Are they training an extra thirty 0:22:28.720 --> 0:22:32.679 minutes after practice? Are they you know, ensuring that the 0:22:32.720 --> 0:22:36.040 food that they're putting in their body is gonna maximize 0:22:36.080 --> 0:22:40.480 their their performance the next day? Are they visualizing and 0:22:40.840 --> 0:22:46.320 envisioning you know those moments? Uh, it's it's it's not 0:22:47.600 --> 0:22:51.320 cookie there's no cookie cutter way too to it, you know, 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:53.760 Like I think it's it's all within your heart and 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:59.880 your passion and believing that you are not necessarily it's 0:22:59.880 --> 0:23:03.000 not like, oh, believe it and you will achieve. You 0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:04.720 need a form of belief, but you need a form 0:23:04.720 --> 0:23:09.960 of action because that that cliche, you know, it's and 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:13.160 it sounds good, right like guys believe and you will achieve. 0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:15.480 It's like, okay, that's one part of it. You can 0:23:15.560 --> 0:23:20.800 believe it exactly. And that's that's where I think if 0:23:20.840 --> 0:23:23.359 we as you know, us as adults, can kind of 0:23:23.400 --> 0:23:26.119 instill that if the kids will start to see, you know, 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:29.359 especially within our community, you'll start to see a lot 0:23:29.400 --> 0:23:34.720 more athletes, not justin basketball or football, but like soccer, 0:23:35.560 --> 0:23:40.800 uh lacrosse, baseball. You know, understanding that there are other 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:44.040 sports and other avenues in which we as people can 0:23:44.160 --> 0:23:47.320 utilize our strengths. So my my son gave me this. 0:23:47.480 --> 0:23:50.000 My son used to play soccer, blew out his knee, 0:23:50.720 --> 0:23:54.720 and I asked him, give me something I can ask 0:23:54.720 --> 0:23:56.879 c J. He said, you know, Dad, because he was 0:23:56.920 --> 0:24:01.040 a forward, but because he uh, he played on the 0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:04.560 soccer team that um, they couldn't really feed him the 0:24:04.600 --> 0:24:06.439 way he need to be fed. But he was a 0:24:06.440 --> 0:24:09.679 great distributor. But then when he got to college, he 0:24:09.880 --> 0:24:13.040 struggled because he played so much as a center mid. 0:24:13.160 --> 0:24:16.440 He struggled to play the right back or the forward. 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:20.879 He could he because he mentally and physically his muscle 0:24:20.920 --> 0:24:27.320 memory was giving other people opportunities to create for them 0:24:27.359 --> 0:24:30.239 that he could not have the ability. He didn't know 0:24:30.280 --> 0:24:34.520 how to switch it over to conversion. Yeah, he couldn't 0:24:34.560 --> 0:24:38.480 create his own shop. So he he asked me to 0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:42.399 ask you, which was really cool, especially for him because 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:45.440 he doesn't he's still in that stage where he's he's 0:24:45.480 --> 0:24:49.280 being vulnerable with his dad, but he doesn't want the 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:51.200 I told you so to come out of my mouth. 0:24:52.240 --> 0:24:54.440 And I tried very hard not to give him that, 0:24:54.480 --> 0:24:57.800 but it was really transparent on his He says, what 0:24:57.840 --> 0:25:03.679 do you do when him teammates or coaches seem to 0:25:04.000 --> 0:25:09.080 lose confidence in you? How do you stake self confidence? 0:25:09.840 --> 0:25:14.480 I think for that one, that's where as a as 0:25:14.520 --> 0:25:18.160 an individual, you gotta get really creative, man, because look, 0:25:18.520 --> 0:25:21.800 the tricky part of that is if you're looking for 0:25:22.400 --> 0:25:26.000 that confidence from that confidence you get from your teammates 0:25:26.000 --> 0:25:28.880 and your coach should just be the sprinkles. You need 0:25:28.920 --> 0:25:31.720 to have it within your own self. And I I 0:25:31.960 --> 0:25:35.000 personally know because of a lot of times in my 0:25:35.119 --> 0:25:38.080 career I was looking for that and when I didn't 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:41.280 get it, it affected my performance. That's when I went 0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:44.840 back to the lab and I just it's repetition. We 0:25:45.240 --> 0:25:48.679 as athletes. If again, if he was playing college soccer, 0:25:48.800 --> 0:25:51.240 he's smart enough in the game to know what his 0:25:51.320 --> 0:25:53.919 strengths and what his weaknesses are, that's where you have 0:25:54.040 --> 0:25:56.640 to say, you know what, all right, that I'm gonna 0:25:56.640 --> 0:25:59.480 go back to my personal lab and I'm gonna find 0:25:59.480 --> 0:26:01.720 all the things that I don't do right, I'm gonna 0:26:01.720 --> 0:26:05.320 do each fifty times. I'm gonna do each a hundred times. 0:26:05.440 --> 0:26:09.359 You know. That's like you said, muscle memory. The thing is, 0:26:09.400 --> 0:26:12.320 when you get to college and professional you are now 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:15.119