Stryker is one of the biggest medical technology companies, and their goal is to make healthcare better. They offer a wide range of innovative products and services in orthopaedics, medical and surgical to help improve patient and hospital outcomes. Since 2004, they have been the official joint replacement products of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions.
Over the years, Stryker Orthopaedics has a roster of athlete ambassadors and joint replacement recipients, which include professional golfers Fred Funk and Hal Sutton, as well as former MLB catcher Johnny Bench. On March 21, 2016, professional football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, who is affectionately known as “The Bus,” teamed up with Stryker as its latest brand ambassador. While he does not have a joint replacement product, Bettis suffers from ongoing joint pain after playing football professionally for 13 seasons.
Regarding his partnership with Stryker, Bettis said, “It’s great. It gives me a platform to really speak about joint pain and the educational aspect. I’m uniquely qualified to speak about that since after 13 years of playing in the NFL, I’ve had to deal with a lot of joint pain in my career, and I continue to deal with it. I explored options that were available to me, and we’re supporting other people that are dealing with joint pain.”
Each day, Bettis is motivated by his two children. “I have two young ones, and I need to be there for them every day. I need to wake up positive with a great attitude, since they are looking at me, and they are looking through life through my lenses,” he said.
Regarding the key to longevity in sports, the Michigan native underscored the importance of a strong work ethic. “If you have a good work ethic, you have the opportunity to be really great,” he said.
Bettis’ advice for aspiring athletes is as follows: “Whatever sport it is, first of all, you gotta love it, then you are willing to sacrifice and you are willing to spend the time that you have. If you love it, then you are willing to do all of those things because you love the game.”
A 2006 Super Bowl Champion, Bettis concluded our interview by defining the word success as “Your ability to make others successful.” “The true measure of success is when you are making the others around you successful. That’s when you become successful,” he said.
In 2015, Bettis was inducted into the coveted Pro Football Hall of Fame.
To learn more about professional football star Jerome Bettis, check out his official website.
