#Ipaint marty smith pro

Everybody were farmers or blue collar community and he and I both made our way out to pro sports – pretty crazy.ĪM: What was that moment when you realized that you might be interested in pursuing professional sports? My best childhood friend since I was 4 years old basically, is the Tampa Bay Rays Athletic Trainer – how weird is that? We grew up in this tiny little town of very few people. So, I never stopped playing ball and again, I grew up in a small community so my buddies that were my teammates and I went to school with them, they’re still my boys today. From December until March or April, I played basketball and then I played baseball for my school teams until school was over or the season was over, and then I played either Rec League Baseball or American Legion Baseball all the way through the summer. I played football from August until the winter time – December.

The same year, I started playing Little League Basketball so from 4th grade all the way through my Senior year of high school, I played all 3 of those sports and I played all year around. MS: From four years old through my Freshman year of college, I was an athlete and I started with baseball as a little Pee Wee League guy and then when I was in 4th grade, I started playing Pop Warner Football. So I knew real young that I was going to be a sports guy.ĪM: So can you share with us your sports background – what you played and how far you went? That feeling of competition and that feeling of grinding your way to noticeable improvement against competition is something that’s intoxicated me forever. My parents were like, “get your ass outside and do something and don't come back until dark,' and so football, basketball, baseball-and I loved to compete. We played everything and there was no sitting inside. I grew up in a small farming community in the Southwestern part of Virginia and all we had was ball. That’s when I kind of knew – the way that it felt just being in my father’s aura that way. So, I was a little boy and I would sit with my daddy and watch the Steelers and my momma used to say that even as a four year old, I would be like, “that was a hold,” or “that was a clip,” and I’d call out penalties before the flags were thrown and what not.

MARTY SMITH: I would have to say I was a young boy and my father, he was infatuated with the Pittsburgh Steelers, back in the Steel Curtain days of Joe Green, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and those immortal – immortal Steelers teams, Lynn Swann and John Stallworth and all those guys. This interview not only includes Marty's journey to the successes that he currently enjoys, but also lets you reflect about what happens when you believe in your self, honor those that came before, acknowledge where you came from, and allow yourself to engage in powerful progression that you may not have planned for yourself!ĪTHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you knew that you fell in love with sports?

As someone who began his time at the network covering NASCAR, he has grown into a number of areas which include: SportsCenter, College GameDay, this fall's SEC Nation as a host, and the successful Marty & McGee.

Marty Smith, ESPN's Broadcaster/Journalist is someone who breaks down the game, brings his enthusiasm for the love of sport and is always exchanging energy with those on set as well as those that are off. Our July cover story took us to Ocean City, NJ for a fun and inspiring day at the beach as well as insight to the fundamentals of life.