Adrienne Smith is a woman of many talents: entrepreneur, football player, wide receiver, producer, writer, and actress. She chatted about her latest endeavors.
Background on Adrienne Smith
Smith is a trailblazer in women’s tackle and flag football. She is a five-time U.S. women’s national flag football team member, two-time gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national tackle football team, and six-time national champion with the Boston Renegades.
Smith is also the creator of Blitz Champz, the new NFL Shield edition card game that features all 32-teams.
What inspires you each day as an athlete and football player?
I absolutely love the sport of football! I love the intelligence of the game. I love the finesse of being a wide receiver. I’m always excited about the opportunity to score touchdowns.
After all of these years in my career, I still get a thrill when I run into that end zone. Football is the ultimate team sport, and I enjoy the sisterhood I experience with my teammates.
It is irreplaceable and something I cherish greatly. I want to ensure that girls and women around the world have an opportunity to experience tackle and flag football for generations to come.
How did Blitz Champz (card game) come about?
I invented Blitz Champz in December 2015. I wanted to make the game of football more accessible to people. Not everyone can play football at the elite level.
Not everyone is going to win championships in their life, but most people can and love to play card games, so I sat in my office and literally prayed to God and asked for a football card game. I went to sleep that night and woke up the next morning with the concept for Blitz Champz.
I took all of 2016 to develop and test Blitz Champz, and the game proved to be a success both with people who knew about football and with people who had no previous exposure to football.
My goal in creating Blitz Champz was to provide a medium through which every person in the world could experience the strategy and excitement I feel when playing football at the elite level.
What do your plans for the future include?
I want to continue to grow Blitz Champz. I would like to launch the Blitz Champz Math League, where elementary and middle school students throughout the U.S. can improve their math skills by playing Blitz Champz in a virtual league that promotes strategic thinking, healthy competition, and a love of learning.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age? (now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)
I love the digital age. Technology has made it possible for me to connect with football fans and Blitz Champz customers around the world. I can have a global impact in ensuring football is accessible to women and girls.
What is your advice for young and aspiring football players? (especially girls that
wish to go into sports)
My favorite piece of advice for girls who wish to play football is the tagline of my company, Gridiron Queendom, and that is simply: Girl. Play Football.
Just go play! Don’t ask anyone’s opinion on whether it is “okay” for you to play sports.
I read years ago that “desire” is simply ability seeking expression. If you desire to play football or any sport, it means you have the ability to do so. Nike said it best with: just do it!
Were there any moments in your career that helped define you?
In 2010, I was selected as one of 45 women to represent the United States as a member of the U. S. women’s national tackle football team in the first-ever IFAF Women’s World Championship.
During the first game of the tournament, I scored a 52-yard touchdown pass against Team Austria that put me in the history books as the first woman to score a touchdown in international women’s tackle football competition.
That moment helped establish the phenomenal career that I have had in women’s football.
Another career defining moment occurred in June 2018 when I was invited by Walmart to attend their Open Call for new products. I presented Blitz Champz to six of Walmart’s toy buyers and they all loved the game.
In that moment, I felt a sense of validation and really knew that Blitz Champz’s potential was limitless.
What does the word success mean to you?
Success is when the ideas and concepts I see in my mind, manifest in reality.
What would you like to say to your fans and supporters? (Who have been with you on your journey)
I thank everyone who has encouraged me throughout my career as an athlete, and my entrepreneurial journey of bringing Blitz Champz to market.
The road has been and continues to be challenging, but every day is made easier knowing that I have people out there rooting for me. I want to send a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who is part of my A-Team.
To learn more about Adrienne Smith, follow her on Instagram.
