We gave our staff a simple prompt and asked them to answer.
"Tell us how your mom influenced your journey in sports."
Here's how they responded.
Dave Kluge
Being raised by a single mom, her impact on my sports journey was bigger than anyone else's. I used to hand her my baseball cards and ask her to quiz me on players' stats. I remember her driving my basketball team to weekend tournaments. I still see her rushing along our high school football field, donning her scrubs from a long workday. Despite her struggles as a lone parent, she always supported my brothers and me by showing up.
But the one story that will always stick out is my first day of padded practices in Pop Warner football. I was in third grade. One day, I was sent home with a mesh bag full of smelly pads and told, “Show up to practice wearing these on Monday.” My mom and I dumped the bag out on the kitchen floor. We figured out how to put on the helmet and shoulder pads pretty easily. Rib pads, knee pads, and the cup all made sense. But my mom and I were befuddled by a matching set of ribbed, rectangular pads. After unsuccessfully trying them as shin guards in my socks and oversized elbow pads, my mom stuck them down the back of my pants and assured me they'd protect my butt if I were knocked backward. I'll never forget the roar of laughter from the coaches when I showed up with my thigh pads sticking out of the back of my pants, each one protecting a butt cheek.
Looking back, my mom and I both crack up at the story. She was trying to navigate motherhood with a trio of sports-obsessed boys. She didn't always get it right, but she tried her best. And that's what I will always remember.
Joey Wright
Pro Football wasn't my first love. I was raised by a single mom who loved college basketball. Once a week, from the ages of five to twelve, my mother and I would go see the Men's and Women's Florida Tech Panthers teams play. It was a Division II school, but the players, to a kid, were larger than life. We developed a good relationship with the school, and after the first season as fans, I became an assistant to the team. This meant I got a big mop to wipe up player sweat when it hit the paint. I was paid in all-you-can-eat pizza at halftime of every home game, a solid deal for any kid.
I could have forayed my mopping skills into a great janitorial career, but I leaned into the sports side of it. Without those late-night games at Percy Hedgecock Gymnasium or Saturday morning road trips to the rival Florida Southern University, I would have never fallen in love with sports. Thank you, Mom, for supporting my dream for the last three years and any dream I've had in the last forty-one. Happy Mother's Day!
Alfredo Brown
Life was all about Batman and Power Rangers until my mom took me to my first baseball game - then life got a little bigger for me. As a single mother, my mom did everything she could to make sure I got the opportunity to enjoy the passion and culture that comes from sports. Whether I was watching or playing, my mom was always in the crowd cheering.
I've had the pleasure of attending multiple World Series games, the NBA Playoffs, and even a VIP experience at the Miami Dolphins training camp, where I got to meet Ricky Williams, Zach Thomas, and Jason Taylor II. I remember that I was always shy around these stars, but my mom has no shame whatsoever. She'd scream at them (respectfully, of course) until they came over and signed my ball - gotta love moms. Sports became the greatest joy in my life as a young man, but to my mom, seeing me happy was the greatest joy she could experience. She still cheers me on as she watches every episode of our podcast, even though she doesn't know who many of the players are. I can honestly say I wouldn't be half the man I am today without the love and constant support of my mother. Happy Mother's Day!
Sigmund Bloom
My mom taught me, first and foremost, to strive to be happy. She also taught me to just be myself and not worry about what other people think of me; they will just see who I am anyway. That helped me pursue a career as a sports talker/writer even when it seemed risky to walk away from a stable, good office job in 2006. She encouraged me to follow my passion, whether collecting baseball cards as a kid, following Phish as a college student, or "podcasting" and writing about "fantasy football" in my aimless late 20s. Thanks, Mom! See you on the other side.
Keith Overton
Mom understood what I did as a tech guy, though she never really understood fantasy football or what we do at Footballguys. But she always used the definite article "the" when she asked about "the fantasy football" in asking about Footballguys.
If you're from the South, you'll recognize that construction as describing something personal and tangible to the speaker. Not some foggy concept of "Walmart" or "family" or "church", but "the church", "the family", or "the Walmart". The one I know well and have a personal connection to. It's a possessive like "my family".
Some believe using "the" as a possessive is improper, a loutish construction. And it does sound funny. But it's also familiar and comforting. "The fantasy football" may not be proper English, but it communicates a lot. It conveys a deeper meaning.
It embodies a bond of association, endorsement, and solidarity. And that means everything.
Thanks, Mom.
Sam Wagman
My mom doesn't really understand what I do for work. She's always tried her best, though, and when I asked her to best describe what I do, she responded, "You love yelling at your computer about fantasy football and your sports bets."
It's a pretty apt description, most of the time. She's always been so supportive of what I chose to do, even though it's been a bit of a struggle for me to find my way in this competitive industry. She's my biggest fan, always asking if I'm going into my office to podcast and when I'm going on the radio so she can try to listen. I'll never forget the first radio appearance I made on Sirius XM. She listened to the whole hour in the garage in her car and after, had me explain everything I talked about so she could understand it better.
She's been there throughout my sports-obsessed life, even though she never really played sports. From hockey to tennis to golf to all of the other sports, she's always been there to ask how I played and if there's anything she can do to help me get better. There's nothing I appreciate more.
Bob Harris
I remember showing my Mom, Susie, one of my first fantasy football websites. I did it thinking she might finally understand what I was doing.
I brought the site up on the monitor and proudly told her, "This, Mom. This is what I do."
She responded, "You make computer monitors?"
In the years since, especially once I got into the magazine business, she's gained a much better understanding of the whole fantasy football thing -- maybe not the finer points. She won't be discussing draft strategy or ideal best-ball players.
But she loves telling her friends who mention the magical words "fantasy football" that I "do that." She also makes it clear I can help them before texting me their questions.
Of course, my Mom has supported all my sports-related activities. I began playing Pop Warner Football when I was ten years old. She was the official "Team Mom" from Day 1 and never missed a game.
That carried over to high school, both football and wrestling.
The Harris house was the "Team House" in those years. Pre-game meals were hot, and waiting before every game for me and my teammates. Rides to and from hundreds of practices, not just for me, but for friends who didn't have rides.
No matter how far out of the way, she was there.
And that's the defining statement. Even when she wasn't sure what this whole fantasy football thing was all about, Mom was there. She still is.
Leo Paciga
My mom knew very little about sports beyond the basic premise of the major ones - put the ball in the hoop, puck in the net, or tackle the guy with the ball before he gets to that "yellow goalpost thingy." No matter how often she tried to grasp the nuances or intricacies of each sport, the details always seemed to elude her grasp or overlap to the point where she frequently applied basketball rules to football and vice versa. Honestly, it didn't matter if my mom couldn't navigate the details because she was always supportive and encouraging regardless of the number of teams I was on or the amount of energy required to meet what must've seemed like an endless tsunami of practices, games, obligations, and commitments.
Writing this submission is both challenging and therapeutic, as I lost my mom at the end of 2023 to an aggressive battle with Alzheimer's. This will be the first Mother's Day without her, without the matriarch of our family - and that void has never been more evident. She was the foundation that allowed me to enjoy my childhood and explore life as a young adult. She taught me that respect, empathy, honesty, and transparency matter when establishing relationships and building confidence - a valuable lesson for a young man who, at the time, was maneuvering through endless relationships with teammates and coaches.
So, while the colors of spring may seem a little less vibrant overall for me this Mother's Day, my focus is on remembering the invaluable tints and hues my mom painted into our lives daily and appreciating the infinite amount of love and support she selflessly shared no matter the challenges she faced.
Miss you, mom.
Matt Montgomery
My mother, Elizabeth, influenced me in many ways, but one of the foundational experiences of my early years was how she handled my love for sports. If it was round and considered a ball, I played with it. Like most kids in sports, there comes a time when the dream of being a professional athlete is realized as just that, a dream. So, after years and years of getting me to every game, whether it be baseball or basketball, my sports journey ended with my mom, who attended every single game and practice I played.
Noticeably, there is no football in this description. While I never really played, I have been an obsessive football fan throughout my life. Sundays in my house growing up were a dream. There were spreads of food, family gatherings, laughter, a good bit of trash talk between my Dad, brother, and me, but most importantly, my mother, who glued the entire thing together despite not being a fan herself.
Fantasy Football entered my life in the early 2000s. Shoutout to Tim Rattay, who helped secure my earliest fantasy championship victory, effectively lighting this fuse inside me to love this game. You would have thought I won the lottery. So much so that the next season started a family tradition in my household. Each year for Christmas, my mom seeks out our favorite fantasy player each season and gets the jersey color of our choice. The first Christmas, I received a surprise jersey of Tim Rattay!
From Devin Hester to Sean Lee, to Phillip Rivers, to Joe Burrow, to Mark Andrews, to Deebo Samuel, no matter how obscure or expensive, she made this happen. I love you, Mom; you are my biggest supporter and best friend. Thank you for keeping this flame alive in my life!
Zareh Kantzabedian
I loved my mother very much. She was a vibrant woman who enjoyed the company of good people and worked incredibly hard to give my sister and me the best lives possible. I never realized that until several years after she passed, which is why I am here at Footballguys today. It's been roughly 25 years since my mother passed, but I'm always trying to live for her.
She was a strong woman who followed her heart. My favorite memories were finding her on the balcony, watching the sunrise, and having a cup of Turkish coffee. I think she's still there watching me. I hope I'm making her proud and doing right by her.
I love you, Mom.
Jeff Bell
As the oldest of four kids, I was very independent. My parents worked second or third shifts for a large portion of my childhood, so often, I was left to entertain myself while they slept. My younger siblings would go to my grandmother's, but I had earned the trust of independence.
I grew up in the country. We had five TV channels until I was 14, and live sports were a must-see entertainment.
Sports cards were IT. (This was well before the days of fully fleshed-out franchise modes in video games.) I spent a large amount of my days shuffling and distributing sports cards to create different franchises, building teams, and tracking stats to create a fictional alternative sports world. The Dan Marino—Jerry Rice connection was lethal. Collectors are going to cringe, but this was the 90s when overproduction ran rampant. Despite caring for four kids in a blue-collar family, my mom would always get me a fresh pack of whatever sport was in season.
My parents also made sure we could play any youth sport we wanted. I was a horrible athlete, but you would never know it from the support my mom provided. Her support is crucial to my path.
Joe Bryant
Unfortunately, when I talk about my Mom being here, it's in the past tense. We lost her a few years ago.
However, I almost always think of her in the present tense as I see her impact on me and my life nearly every day. I owe her more than words can ever say.
I think about how she raised me and my brothers as I want to instill the same things in my kids. And I think the primary thing she did was balance an almost delusional unconditional sense of support for me against a pretty tough understanding of the reality the world owes you nothing. And you have to make it happen.
She embodied the old saying, "God will provide the potatoes. You'll find them at the end of the shovel." Meaning some things just happen. But you have to do your part.
I love you, Mom. Thank you. And thank you to all the Moms out there. Rock on.
