GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Bo Jackson has a message for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who is moonlighting as a two-sport athlete.Don’t Just Do It.A day after he arrived at White Sox camp, the club’s newest ambassador and most famous two-sport athlete in history addressed the media on Tuesday on a variety of topics. Included in the session was advice for the Super Bowl winning quarterback, who has spent time in camp with the Texas Rangers this month.
An All-Star in both baseball and football, Jackson said his advice for Wilson is the same he offers to kids who attend his Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports complex in Lockport, Illinois.“Stick to what got (Wilson) in the headlines, not baseball,” Jackson said. “Twenty-five or 30 years ago when I did it, I’m not trying to say anything negative about other athletes, but the talent pool wasn’t that deep. In this day in age, with all the high-tech training, computer-engineered workouts and the proper food and diet, if you try to concentrate on two sports, I guarantee you’re going to ride the bench in both because the talent is that deep. Stick to whatever sport you’re comfortable with and let everything else go.”A Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn, Jackson averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns in four seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He also blasted 141 home runs and stole 82 bases while playing for the Kansas City Royals, White Sox and California Angels. He debuted in the majors in 1986 and retired in 1994.
But Jackson, who turned 51 in November, doubts that he’d be able to have the opportunity to do both now. That’s why he thinks Wilson, a Rule 5 pick by the Rangers, should focus on football.
“I probably couldn’t, no,” Jackson said. “Just because the talent pool is that deep now. If my kids want to do both sports – ‘No. No. No.’ … If you try to do both you’re going to be riding the bench in both. You’ll never get to that level that you want to get to if you split your time between multiple sports.”
Dan Hayes/CSNChicago.com
An All-Star in both baseball and football, Jackson said his advice for Wilson is the same he offers to kids who attend his Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports complex in Lockport, Illinois.“Stick to what got (Wilson) in the headlines, not baseball,” Jackson said. “Twenty-five or 30 years ago when I did it, I’m not trying to say anything negative about other athletes, but the talent pool wasn’t that deep. In this day in age, with all the high-tech training, computer-engineered workouts and the proper food and diet, if you try to concentrate on two sports, I guarantee you’re going to ride the bench in both because the talent is that deep. Stick to whatever sport you’re comfortable with and let everything else go.”A Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn, Jackson averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns in four seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He also blasted 141 home runs and stole 82 bases while playing for the Kansas City Royals, White Sox and California Angels. He debuted in the majors in 1986 and retired in 1994.
But Jackson, who turned 51 in November, doubts that he’d be able to have the opportunity to do both now. That’s why he thinks Wilson, a Rule 5 pick by the Rangers, should focus on football.
“I probably couldn’t, no,” Jackson said. “Just because the talent pool is that deep now. If my kids want to do both sports – ‘No. No. No.’ … If you try to do both you’re going to be riding the bench in both. You’ll never get to that level that you want to get to if you split your time between multiple sports.”
Dan Hayes/CSNChicago.com
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