{"id":102436,"date":"2023-03-15T11:21:42","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T16:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=102436"},"modified":"2023-03-15T11:21:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T16:21:42","slug":"nfl-arizona-cardinals-promote-physical-wellness-community-building-among-phoenix-youth-at-boys-girls-clubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/nfl-arizona-cardinals-promote-physical-wellness-community-building-among-phoenix-youth-at-boys-girls-clubs\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL, Arizona Cardinals promote physical wellness, community building among Phoenix youth at Boys & Girls Clubs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tristan Tucker
\n<\/strong>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

PHOENIX \u2014 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley worked in collaboration with the NFL to inspire local youth to get active, both in their community and on the football field. On Feb. 10, Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner Dak Prescott and several runners-up came to the Bob and Renee Parsons branch to spend time with the kids and inspire physical wellness through the Play 60 initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

The NFL formed Play 60 15 years ago and, according to the league\u2019s website, it is \u201cthe NFL\u2019s commitment to youth health and wellness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Sam Fowler, vice president of development and strategy for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley, the NFL has increased its engagement with Phoenix youth efforts over the years. That level of physical engagement is felt across the nation, as represented by the 32 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees who inspire youth wellness in NFL markets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, first of all, it\u2019s huge for our kids,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a powerful thing about what the NFL does whenever it comes to a community and leaves its impact.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fowler said the space surrounding the Bob & Renee Parsons branch is mostly vacant and the club is diligently working to build up the area. Kids, players and land development workers spent part of the afternoon planting trees in the lot, another form of physical and community wellness that goes beyond the Play 60 initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside of working on the area, players spent time getting kids athletically involved and speaking with the children about their dreams through various stations at the club. Prescott, along with players like New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett participated in such activities with the kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, for me it\u2019s all about the kids,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cAnd so, seeing their faces when all these players walked out and just kind of walking around today and seeing the interactions, that\u2019s what means the most to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although he wasn\u2019t able to attend the event, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and other Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees are continuing to push for youth engagement in football.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust keep those grades up, No. 1, because that\u2019s the only thing that could take you away (from football),\u201d Graham said to aspiring young athletes during a press availability on Feb. 9. \u201cAnd then, just make sure that you love (playing football) because when you love something, putting in that extra work doesn\u2019t feel like extra work because you really love the game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Prescott both said their hope is to inspire even more engagement with youth in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat (the 32 nominees) do in their communities, with their families, is extraordinary, and I couldn\u2019t be prouder of them,\u201d Goodell said, speaking to the children. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have these men, and we\u2019re fortunate for you and fortunate to have them in your communities. And these are the types of people you should be looking up to as young people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals and other NFL representatives and executives attended the event, and Fowler said Cardinals players continually take the time to engage in the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing the impact that they\u2019ve had,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cEverybody from Larry Fitzgerald, who\u2019s a legend here in Arizona, to Kyler Murray and Zach Ertz and everybody in between (has gotten involved with the organization). And so, we\u2019re very grateful because they actually take the time to get to know the kids and they do some good work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the Cardinals had a down season, the team is setting its sights on developing the next generation of football players and developing community engagement along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly grateful,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cIt\u2019s not all the time that you get great partners that can come in and do some spectacular things and leave lasting memories, so we\u2019re grateful for that and we\u2019re grateful for the league.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tristan Tucker is a sports media graduate student at Medill. You can connect with him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tristan Tucker Medill Reports PHOENIX \u2014 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley worked in collaboration with the NFL to inspire local youth to get active, both in their community and on the football field. On Feb. 10, Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner Dak Prescott and several runners-up came to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":896,"featured_media":102437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5348,31,5349,5339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medill-explores-2023","category-sports","category-super-bowl-lvii","category-winter-2023"],"yoast_head":"\nNFL, Arizona Cardinals promote physical wellness, community building among Phoenix youth at Boys & Girls Clubs - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/nfl-arizona-cardinals-promote-physical-wellness-community-building-among-phoenix-youth-at-boys-girls-clubs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NFL, Arizona Cardinals promote physical wellness, community building among Phoenix youth at Boys & Girls Clubs - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Tristan Tucker Medill Reports PHOENIX \u2014 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley worked in collaboration with the NFL to inspire local youth to get active, both in their community and on the football field. 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