Ellis L. Williams

I’ve spent a lot of my career covering what athletes do on the field. This offseason, I’ve been helping Sophie Whitesell build The Giving Game, an athlete-impact media company and storytelling engine focused on athletes using their platforms to give back to the communities that supported them and spotlight the causes, nonprofits and foundations they care about. Sophie founded The Giving Game and hosts the weekly show, where athletes and leaders across sports tell those stories in their own words. We want to help athletes and foundations convert awareness into action by putting that work in front of more people and making it easier to get involved. So far, guests have included Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith and Alyssa Highsmith, World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, University of Minnesota Hall of Famer Laurence Maroney, former Afghanistan Women’s National Team co-captain Dr. Hajar Abulfazl and MLB All-Star Tyson Ross. The work has included ALS research, access to youth baseball, veteran support, addressing food insecurity, bullying prevention, children’s health and safety, support for kids living with chronic health conditions, and opportunities for people with disabilities through sports. We want to help more people discover the credible nonprofits, foundations and philanthropic work athletes are putting their time and platforms behind. We’re also creating The Giving Game Community and Athlete Story Library on our website so people can find the athlete, learn more about the cause and see how to get involved after the episode comes out. giving-game-playbook.netlify… Since launching this spring, The Giving Game has grown to more than 58,000 followers on Instagram. I want to connect with more professional and college athletes, former athletes, Olympians and Paralympians, as well as coaches, executives, scouts, agents, broadcasters, foundation leaders and others who have spent their careers around sports and are using that experience to help people. If somebody comes to mind, I’d be grateful for an introduction. And if you just want to follow along, I’ll be sharing more of what we’re doing here.

My decade in journalism, summarized on a newspaper page, felt fitting. Hastings. Eau Claire. Upstate New York. Cleveland. Charlotte. The Vikings. A lot of titles, a lot of miles, and one moment that changed how I look at it all. I’m still building the other projects I care about while returning to the kind of storytelling that made me love this work in the first place. hometownsource.com/county_ne…

As good as it gets. Probably the best high school football performance I’ve ever seen. You were cold @JG3_____ at the Dome. Yet look at this young man compete. My dad was sitting next to me going, “That’s Adrian Peterson, dude. He’s running mad like AP.” 1,500 rushing yards in six games, averaging 250 per game, plus 20 touchdowns. An all-time historic season is unfolding in Hastings, and the Mr. Football conversation needs to include this young man. #ShadyFootball

Officially on Mr. Football watch here in Hastings

Go Raiders, Dolphins and Vikings