We launch our second season with a focus on how the Pandemic affected athletes and how they will fare into the future.  We invited back from our first season, Adam Perez, Director of Soccer at Asphalt Green, New York City to describe how he and his staff pivoted and thrived as one of the leading youth soccer programs in the nation.  

Join host Scott Lacaster, as he interviews Eric Scott, a High School and Collegiate All-American Lacrosse player from Basking Ridge NJ and Yale University, now a member of Premier Lacrosse League's team Chaos.

Listen as they discuss how Lacrosse players are changing the professional sports landscape. 

Key Topics Covered:

• Challanges of training during a Pandemic 
• The unique creative playing style and process of a Lacrosse player
• How not specializing in a particular sport during his youth, prepared Eric to balance life between a professional athlete and business executive
• How the Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series, a Two Week Quarantined  (w/no fans) Tournament July 25th - August 9th will replace the entire 2020 season

On this #TBT Throwback Thursday "Fixing the American Athlete” goes back to 2002 when Boomer Esiason and I co-hosted a radio show “Fair Play - How to Make Organized Sports a Great Experience for Your Kids” on SiriusXM where we interviewed 3 time Super Bowl Champion Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Bill Walsh.  Coach Walsh mentored me during my early years at the NFL, advising me on Player & Coaching Development. I truly received the equivalency of a Masters & Doctorate degree in coaching, management, creative thinking, and teaching from my time spent with Coach Walsh. Unfortunately he passed away in 2007.

This brief but information rich ten minute conversation between Coach Walsh, Boomer and me was one of many discussions we had that lead me to create the most successful grass root tackle football player & coaching development programs in the nation, NFL Junior Player & High School Player Development.  These programs produced notable NFL Star Players including Carolina Panthers Quarterback, Cam Newton.

I’ll always remember Coach Walsh as a generous and gracious man that gave me the valuable commodity of his time for thoughtful discussions. Conversations that focused  not only on football, coaching, and teaching, but more importantly about living a life always in pursuit of knowledge and a better way of doing things.  For that I’ll always be grateful and will use Bill’s wisdom as I continue to develop and search for programs that better develop athletes and coaches.

I want to thank Asphalt Green, for being such gracious hosts for this episode. Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, at 555 East 90th Street this was the site of an old Asphalt Plant that was converted into an athletic facility that has most recently underwent a renovation and expansion.  Now it boasts the only Olympic size swimming pool in the city, as well as a state of art, soccer playing field and training facility. 

As a not for profit organization, Asphalt Green offers many free community programs throughout the city as well as hosts elite competitions for all ages and levels in various sports. Soccer is one such successful program. The soccer training program is headed up by Adam Perez.  Adam was raised in California and where he successfully coached high school soccer  winning 3 California State Championships before arriving in New York City, where he took on the job of Soccer Director and Head of Player Development at Asphalt Green. Since joining he has grown their soccer program to over 2,500 players while overseeing 80 coaches.  

Adam is the perfect person to talk to in regards to Developing the American Athlete. His work in soccer player development, and success at the local level is where it all starts. If it’s not done correctly at the grass root level, it won’t work on a larger national or international scale.  So please take a listen and enjoy our conversation with Adam Perez and get his insights on the current state of soccer and player development.

Pat Kirwan, former NFL Coach and front office executive, discusses football safety, speed, and quality of play. We dive deep into how the game has changed, where brute strength has been surpassed by the skill of speed at 8 out of the 11 defensive positions.  We also discuss the antiquated methods football uses to evaluate players at the NFL Combine, and the best way to develop players from the youth through high school levels

I’m reposting this episode that I did with Lisa Lindley, to commemorate her recent selection into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  Lisa, one of the nation’s most successful and decorated girls high school lacrosse coaches talks candidly about her success of building a dynasty while managing the sometimes unrealistic expectations of players and parents.

An Introduction to Fixing The American Athlete Podcast Series - We misguide and coddle athletes. We don't properly coach and have created a generation of robots that lack creativity, can't think on their feet, can't problem solve and are prone to injuries - leaving them at a competitive disadvantage.  Now we are seeing the consequences - Our US Men’s World Cup Team failed to qualify for the last World Cup, and most recently lost to Canada. When was the last time an American male won a major tennis event? We were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in September 2019. This series cuts to the chase, asks hard questions and delivers innovative solutions.