BleedGopher
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per Greder:
Gophers running back Rodney Smith’s blue-and-orange striped necktie coordinated nicely with the paisley-print pastels of his pocket square at Big Ten media days Tuesday in Chicago.
This style was no mistake. It was the byproduct of a “swag” class Smith requested be taught to him and his U teammates as part of the new Gopher for Life program that focuses on skills outside of blocking and tackling.
In these sessions, the players have learned proper etiquette for formal dinners and how to manage personal finances. The “swag class” was about learning things like knotting a necktie, shining shoes and matching those shoes to the color of your belt.
“It’s about changing the narrative about how people look at football players,” first-year Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “… This is about making our student-athletes better in every area of their life. It has nothing to do with football.”
On June 16, Gophers players donned suits and asked dates to accompany them to a fancy dinner on the suite level of TCF Bank Stadium. They posed for photos on a red carpet. They learned the difference between a dinner fork and salad fork, and different ways to cut and eat meat.
“You don’t want to be at the table eating like a barbarian,” said Smith, who used those skills during the media days’ luncheon in a hotel ballroom.
During the etiquette dinner, Fleck wanted to show his players that manners matter and chivalry isn’t dead. For instance, the players learned how to pull out a chair and seat a woman — or, your “queen,” as linebacker Jon Celestin said.
After the lesson and the meal, the players and their dates — as well as the coaches and their wives — took to a dance floor, where Fleck learned some new moves from his players.
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/2...m-teaches-football-players-life-style-skills/
Go Gophers!!
Gophers running back Rodney Smith’s blue-and-orange striped necktie coordinated nicely with the paisley-print pastels of his pocket square at Big Ten media days Tuesday in Chicago.
This style was no mistake. It was the byproduct of a “swag” class Smith requested be taught to him and his U teammates as part of the new Gopher for Life program that focuses on skills outside of blocking and tackling.
In these sessions, the players have learned proper etiquette for formal dinners and how to manage personal finances. The “swag class” was about learning things like knotting a necktie, shining shoes and matching those shoes to the color of your belt.
“It’s about changing the narrative about how people look at football players,” first-year Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “… This is about making our student-athletes better in every area of their life. It has nothing to do with football.”
On June 16, Gophers players donned suits and asked dates to accompany them to a fancy dinner on the suite level of TCF Bank Stadium. They posed for photos on a red carpet. They learned the difference between a dinner fork and salad fork, and different ways to cut and eat meat.
“You don’t want to be at the table eating like a barbarian,” said Smith, who used those skills during the media days’ luncheon in a hotel ballroom.
During the etiquette dinner, Fleck wanted to show his players that manners matter and chivalry isn’t dead. For instance, the players learned how to pull out a chair and seat a woman — or, your “queen,” as linebacker Jon Celestin said.
After the lesson and the meal, the players and their dates — as well as the coaches and their wives — took to a dance floor, where Fleck learned some new moves from his players.
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/2...m-teaches-football-players-life-style-skills/
Go Gophers!!
