“Daddy…all I want to do is watch the game with you.”
My dad passed away in 2017 after a short but brutal battle with brain cancer.
He wasn’t there when my brother and I finally witnessed our team win a playoff game for the first time in 31 years. It was a moment of pure euphoria—relief, joy, and tears all tangled together. But there was an emptiness too. He should’ve been there. He was the one who introduced us to football, who taught us the rules, the plays, the passion. It was our language. Our bond.
A week later, I found myself watching the divisional round from my couch instead of the stadium. My wife was 36 weeks pregnant with our third child. My daughter, then five, had no interest in the game on the screen. Despite my best efforts over the years—jerseys, cheers, halftime snacks—she just never really connected with football the way I had hoped.
And that’s when it hit me.
I wasn’t just missing my dad. I was missing the connection—the bond we built through football. I wanted that same relationship with my daughter. I wanted to share the excitement, the heartbreak, the inside jokes. I wanted her to feel it.
But yelling at the TV wasn’t going to cut it. A new – and better way – to build connection
So I set out to create something different—something designed for her, not for me. A way to introduce football that made it fun, accessible, and meaningful for kids.
That’s how Future Fans Football was born. It's not just a product. It’s a bridge between generations. It’s a way to ignite fandom in your little one, and more importantly, to build memories that last a lifetime.
A year later, thanks to Future Fans Football’s impact, my now six year-old daughter’s simple comment stopped me in my tracks – “Daddy, please don’t go, all I want to do is watch with you.” I was preparing to travel to the AFC Championship game with my brother—something I’d waited over three decades to experience. But that little voice, that moment… it brought everything full circle.
I canceled on my brother and she and I took in what was a heartbreaking loss on couch together.
But, the truth is, wins and losses fade. But watching the game together? That’s a memory we’ll have forever.
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