I love the values football can teach. It gives young people a sense of how to defer present gratification for future success, it teaches self-discipline, it teaches teamwork, it gives them a bonding experience that can be hard to find somewhere else, it teaches the ability to process large amounts of information and apply it in real time.

I try to live in the moment, every moment.

But the truth is, growing up in California, we knew nothing about hockey.

For a generation that gets most of its information off a computer screen (be it Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or what have you), an athlete has to be very careful about the public/private aspect of that. Be careful not to be overly critical, be careful with use of language, and understand the whole world is watching.

I ran track, and basically played every sport.

Well, my favorite sport as a kid was clearly baseball.

Forty years ago the chances of journalists reporting - or the authorities even prosecuting - a pro athlete were practically nil.