StarTalk Radio - StarTalk Sports Edition Series Premiere – Changing the Game, with Arian Foster

Episode Date: January 3, 2020

SERIES PREMIERE: Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with former NFL running back Arian Foster to explore his illustrious NFL career, the rise of science in football, and much more. Co-hosted by Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons and All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Photo Credit: StarTalk. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Hello, StarTalk fans. I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson, your personal astrophysicist, and I'm delighted to alert you of a brand new version of StarTalk called StarTalk Sports Edition. As most of you know, I've always had a deep appreciation for the intersection of sports and science. And on this show, alongside my co-host Gary O'Reilly and the one and only Chuck Nice, I'll be exploring the intersection of sports, science, and especially the ways technology have touched both. So, catch StarTalk Sports Edition every other Friday. That's every other Friday on the main StarTalk feed. And as always, don't forget to keep looking up. Welcome to StarTalk feed. And as always, don't forget to keep looking up. Welcome to StarTalk, your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. StarTalk begins right now.

Welcome to our first episode of StarTalk Sports Edition. I'm your host, Neil deGrasse Tyson, your personal astrophysicist. And here with me in studio are my co-host, Gary O'Reilly, a former professional soccer player from the UK. And, of course, Chuck Nice. Hi, Neil. Hey, Neil. And today, we have former NFL running back, Arian Foster, in studio. He joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans, and he still holds the record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for the Texans. He's now pursuing, of all things, a music career under the stage name Bobby Fino.

And he hosts a podcast called Now What? Welcome to the show, Arian. Welcome. It's pretty funny. Just before cameras rolled, we were talking about Monday for you after Sunday on the gridiron and recovery. I'm interested to know

what it takes to recover after a game. I'm not talking like practice. practice has got to be rough enough. But what happens, especially for a running back? Everybody wants to tackle a running back. Well, I mean, listen, every time you touch the ball, there's contact. That's all there is to it. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Your position is probably, aside from linemen, like the front linemen, you know, offense and line, your position is probably the only position on the field other than those two positions that's designed for contact on every single play. Wait, wait, wait. Except when they can't catch him and he scores a touchdown. Yeah. Well, that's often. Well, if you look at it percentage-wise.

Percentage-wise. I'd say maybe not. Right. We'd like it to be like that. But no, it's... Yeah, recovery. Talk us through. So, I mean, I remember it hurting.

I don't know. There's no... I can't get... Okay. Next question. Yeah. I can't... There's not a pretty euphemism I can give you, but it just hurts.

And so, over the course of my career, you develop... You kind of desensitized and you become the pain becomes normal and it becomes a part of routine and you and it becomes pain management rather than uh trying to avoid it it's gonna happen so uh there's a there's a saying in football it's like hit or be hit and so you want to deliver the blow rather than take it because that'll hurt more and cause you more damage. So to answer your question, Monday, I mean, it just hurt. So, I mean, the technical side, you want to get in the ice tub, you know, to try to decrease inflammation. And you want to try to, you want to eat foods that are high in antioxidants.

Once again, yeah. Once again, mitigating inflammation. Yeah, and so that's all basically pain is, is just inflammation. We're going to get on to the dietary thing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, for sure, because you have an interesting sort of thought process

during your career as far as that goes. So you're talking about your own personal mental strategy to cope with the morning after and how long does it take you to to find yourself in that place because obviously you know as a running back there are certain things going to happen so how long does it really once you're in the nfl because the nfl's got to be a lot different to anything else that you've experienced yeah um all right i'm getting there it's different for each junction in the career, right? So, like, when it's early in the career, you're kind of still young and things don't really bother you that much and you can kind of bounce back.

But as you age, you notice the effects more. As you get 25. Yeah. As you age. Yeah. Relative. That's a term you'll like. Relative to other football players.

So as you start to age, you start to feel the effects of it more. And it's kind of like what I alluded to earlier. It's about pain management. You have to find a way to manage the pain. And I was in the NFL at a time where the NFL wasn't in love with the science part of the sport. And so they were actually trying to hide some of the science part of the sport, like stuff with CTE. And so that was my era. Now they're embracing science, which the world should, but now they're embracing science and it's going to do nothing

but benefit the players and their organization. What role that science could play in learning what can happen to your body and preventing that, you know, concussions and other... I mean, it's just like anything. And I'm not saying this because you're here. I'm an advocate for science. But anything that science is infused with upgrades. It just doesn't matter what it is because it's empirical data

that does nothing but help and grow whatever you're trying to do. So early on, I remember vividly as a kid and in high school and even in college, you were considered weak if you got a drink of water while you're in practice or while you're doing workouts. It's like, no, leave the water alone. And looking back, I was like, this is the dumbest thing possible because now you got guys falling out because i grew up in the same same ethos yeah you know what you're weak if you drink yeah you're into the sideline you're gonna see your mama you're gonna do this you know get your hands off your knees i'm like i'm I'm tired. Are we pretending that we didn't run right now? There we go. There you were.

I never understood. It was peer pressure. It was coach pressure. A lot of it's constructed in your own mind, but it was enforced upon you all the time. It's a culture, especially in football. It's a culture of this pretend macho ego-driven thing that I was never in love with. and so you get kind of like you call

like i used to call some of that stuff out i'm like why are we pretending like i'm not tired i'm tired i'm thirsty i'm gonna drink water and so like you get kind of typecasted as like the the bad one the you know what i mean interestingly though just banging for rights yeah what's funny now though is uh the approach to that is just the opposite. It's like we see now that you've reached your peak, and at this point it's time for you to take a break because that's going to increase your performance. They're tracking how many steps you take.

Right. And when was the last time you did take a drink and how much you did drink and what the electrolytes were when you did it. That's right. And the fact is that being hydrated is probably the best thing you can do when you're doing any physical activity. A thousand percent. I mean, what we were talking about off camera was I spent the majority of my career dehydrated, and I didn't know.

It wasn't until my last year where the sports science side came on, and they started hooking us up to all these things while we're practicing. They took our levels. And so I didn't understand magnesium, potassium, and these things that kept you hydrated as a human that I was burning more calories. A lot of these things, it's not common knowledge unless you have somebody who's an expert in these things. But it's not information you're privy to unless you go out and seek it. See, I spend a lot of my time dehydrated

because I drink a lot. And I don't mean water as you should everybody thinks about the harvesting of data as the telemetrics particularly in NFL but a lot of it now has come into the

bio data each individual athlete's hydration levels heart rates everything because is that where it's gotten now i mean because right as you said it's easy to to monitor the kinematics of things how fast did he run how long was he running how what's the temperature outside you have that but what's going on inside your body relative to someone else's how much energy do you have left that you might not know you have or maybe you're ready to collapse and you don't know it but i know it because i've got the

data they're starting to take that into account, which is a beautiful thing, but it's like when you see it, when your time has passed, you're like, are you kidding me? But it's better for the players. So like I said, they're starting to take that account, whereas before, the culture of football

was this one-size-fits-all model, and I used to hate it because, for example, for workouts, we had this slate of workouts, and I used to hate it because, like, for an example, I used to, for workouts, like we had this slate of workouts, and I used to do the same things that the linemen were doing. And I'm like, this makes no sense. I don't do what they do. They don't do what I do.

Why are we lifting the same? This doesn't make any sense. And I used to protest, and I used to get, he's a troublemaker. Did you get your ass whooped by other players? No, that never happened. That never happened. That never happened. No, that never happened. Somebody never happened. That never happened. No, that never happened.

Did someone have a stopwatch on their head? That was instant. That never happened. That's so funny. It's like, we don't get that twisted. Were you a geeky annoying in the gym? I was. I was the guy, like, always had something to say.

Because the system was broken. And I'm like, if the system's broken, we got to fix it. Like, why are you guys not? He's whistleblowing on the weightlifting. You know that's bad. No, no. What we have here is an athlete who has seen the future from where he is. Now, okay.

I would like to think that. Thank you. See, the thing is, why am I doing the same standard practices that a guy that doesn't do my discipline of skills i should be doing my own things and we we kind of got there in soccer happily after i finished playing long after but you did something that you could control yourself which was your diet you went to a plant-based diet i mean when everyone else is zigging you you just often zag. Clearly, you can be as physically fit as necessary. You can gain muscle mass and you can be, from what I understand,

more energetic by just having a plant-based diet. Wait, wait. Were you plant-based when you were signed to the NFL? Yes. The whole time? No, no, not the whole time. For a short period of time. Okay.

yes for the whole time no no not the whole time for for a short period of time okay so i'll tell you so when i when in 2012 for about half the season i was plant-based it was it was it was that that summer into half the season um and the reason why i switched we'll get into how i felt during everything but the reason why i switched was it was just annoying to me to have to because like right now you can walk outside and there's a vegan restaurant somewhere. Right. In 2012. Across the street. Yeah, in 2012.

That was the case. Not only that, I did it. It was the salad bar. Yeah. It was it. If that. Because I was in Texas. Oh my God.

By the way, the salad bar in Texas, barbecue. That's right. It's a sprig of parsley on the barbecue. Exactly. That's a salad. Right. We put some chimichurri sauce on there. That's green. It's a sprig of parsley on the barbecue. That's a salad. We put some chimichurri sauce on there. It's green.

It's green. No, so I did it in a time where it wasn't as socially acceptable. So I did it when... You got your ass whooped for that too? I mean, no, man. Nobody whooped me. I'm thinking, are you trying me right now? That's twice.

I love it. The other thing is, you wanted a kicker you're a running back right right right and you've gone plant based right so how much flack did you take in the locker room

it was a not necessarily the locker room because everybody understood on my team like whatever I did like I can intellectually defend myself right right

for sure plus everybody's naked so there's a limit to how much yeah we ain't talking about vegetables but uh okay no like on a national scale it was like a national story it got debated on sports Naked, so there's a limit to how much stuff you want. Yeah, we ain't talking about vegetables.

Okay. No, like on a national scale, it was like a national story. It got debated on sports shows. Right. And like I got called all kind of like, it wasn't like. What about on the field? Nah, nobody gonna. No trash talking? I could trash talk with the best of them.

All right. Yeah. That's what I like. If he keeps trying me, you're going to see. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know what what I'm very interested why don't you stick around yeah I'm interested

because I just want to hear some of the because some of the best stories you hear about trash talking on now on a basketball court you get a lot

of good trash quality trash talk a lot of quality trash talk on a basketball court and you know you see a lot of barking on the football field

but I also hear there's a lot of barking on the football field, but I also hear there's a lot of good trash talk that happens. Right on the line. It's different. It's a different kind of trash. Like one story, Reggie,

it wasn't Reggie White. It was Reggie White who did the trash talking, but it wasn't him who told the story. It was an offensive lineman. He was lined up across from, and the guy was,

he said he was just needling Reggie all like half the quarter. And all of a sudden, Reggie just went like, you know I know Jesus, and you about to know him too. And then he came off the ball and just, he said he leveled me. And he said, and I shut up.

And you put on some gospel trash talk. That's what I'm saying. Gospel trash talk, yes. I feel like he had that one in his pocket. Exactly. Because I know what you're thinking. You're just like, why are you putting Jesus in there? Yeah, you're all distracted by that, right?

All right, so let's try and knit these two things together. We spoke just previously. Trash talk and vegetables. We're going to get to that. My bad, man, my bad. It's all right. They bounce. They're great. get to that. My bad, man. It's all right. They bounce. They're great.

The recovery, post-match recovery and going to a plant-based diet. Now, it had to be some benefits. Was recovery part of the benefit of going plant-based, do you think? For me, yeah. And anytime I speak about this subject, I always have to preface it with it. It is anecdotal because there was nothing. I didn't really have a barometer I can gauge on anything other than me. To my knowledge, I'm the only plant-based running back in the NFL that there has been. So I don't have anything.

There never was. Right. So I don't know how to gauge it. So all I can say is like, yeah, for me, after the games, I noticed a difference in how my body felt. It didn't take as long to recover. The bumps and bruises, I didn't feel like were as, it didn't inflict as much. Persistent. Yeah, well, it just didn't hinder me as much.

It didn't hinder me as much. So you hear that story coming up as a junior running back, as a rookie in the NFL. Do you think I recover better? I recover sooner? No, I'm going to try that. I'll go plant-based. Let me try it. Would you advise that for another? No, I wouldn't advise it. This is why I wouldn't advise it. Because in order to be plant-based, you have to have

extreme control over your diet. And so, I have the resources in order to, like, I want this for dinner. And I go get that for dinner. I can have a chef cook it for me or my lady can cook it for me. And you also have to make sure you're getting the right nutrients. Yeah. I mean, you have to supplement with B12. There's a lot of things that you have to be aware of.

B12 is a meat-based vitamin. And so when a kid is coming up, you have for dinner whatever your mom or dad, I mean, unless. No, no. It's social economic. How I grew up. Unless you're Justin Bieber whatever your mom and dad, I mean, unless, I mean, no, no, it's social economics. How I grew up, how I grew up was whatever was for dinner

was for dinner. Yeah, for sure, I get you. So for a kid coming up and he sees somebody goes plant-based, like, he might be intrigued,

put it in your file folder and experiment with it later, but for now, get your nutrients how you need to. That's interesting because I just thought maybe

if there was particularly as running backs contact it is it is a contact sport bordering on collision sport I would say collision sport

yeah so you know anything that aids recovery has to be something that you've got to open your mind to otherwise you're going to be struggling to play fit

every single game. I'd be interested in it being studied. Yeah, I'm with that. We've got to take a quick break, but more StarTalk Sports Edition. Today, we have former NFL running back, Arian Foster, in studio.

All right, so we're all over the place here because we don't have a lot of time with you. I need to know, who is your favorite running back taking snaps right now? Favorite running back who's not in jail. Oh, man. Oh! Oh!

Damn! Oh, man. Oh, damn, that cut down the Damn. Oh, damn. That cut down the list. No, sorry. Right now? Yeah, right now. Right now.

I don't watch a lot, but from what I've seen, probably it's a cat by the name of Alvin Kamara. Okay. Yeah. I like his game. All right. Growing up. Running back hero.

Growing up. I got two. I got three. I got three. Three heroes. Running back hero. Growing up. I got two. I got three. I got three heroes. Three's good. It's Eric Dickerson. Yes. Of course.

Walter Payton. Of course. Yes. And Barry Sanders. Oh, my God. Yes. Sweet. It's hard to get better than those three.

I'm with you on sweetness. It's hard to get better than those three. I mean, seriously. Yeah. And of the three, I got to say, the most exciting to watch. And LaDainian Thomas, and I had to. I'm sorry. What's that? LaDainian Thomas. Oh, LaDainian was great. I had to. But I got to say, the most exciting to watch. And LaDainian Thompson, I had to, I'm sorry. What's that?

LaDainian Thompson. Oh, LaDainian was great. I had to. But I got to say, LaDainian, that's like a new element on the periodic table. What's that? LaDainian?

It does. I think it's LaDainian. It's LaDainian. Oh, LaDainian. But LaDainian is a great element. A very good element. Right, exactly. Sorry.

If only we could find the elusive LaDainian. We may be able to make this bomb. Actually, it's in Avengers Endgame. All right, so now I got to just... Yo, so, Arian, I got to... So, of course, I always read everybody's Twitter feed

before they come on the show. Oh, I'm sorry you did that. Sorry you did that, man. Oh, my God, I love it. I talk a lot of junk on that. No, your Twitter feed is awesome. By the way, it's at Arian Foster, and it's Fino is, you know, your Twitter handle. And you have on here a video that I have to know if you made the video or did you just post this video because it's titled this.

This is how cannabis goes from a seed to harvest. And it is the whole, check this out. It's the whole video. Yeah. It's not my video. I wish it was my video. Oh, this isn't your video. Okay, you're just reposting it.

I just retweeted it. All right, then forget it. I thought you might have. I mean, it's an amazing video. It's an amazing video, but I only asked because I thought you might have some weed on you. So, okay. We've been to the end of the city the city man we'll highlight you all right

after the show this is the alpha party special so uh we've done nfl we've zigged when others zagged where are you on your own particular journey right now so what are you into um that's a great question thank you can i preface that by saying he caught my attention early because he was talking like no other football player i had ever seen he was thinking about science he took his gum shield out he was he was not he was marching to a different drummer yeah and that drummer had some overlap in my venn diagram as a scientist nice how his brain is wired and And in fact, you heard him say when he was talking about

his vegan experience, he prefaced it. He said, this is only anecdotal. This is anecdotal. I can tell you my experience. We didn't do the official experiment. We don't have empirical evidence.

It could be true, but here is my story. This is, you're talking science. That is, that's how that works. That's how that works. Yeah.

Plus you compose poetry. And so, I'm just, I'm all in your camp. Go. Oh man, great to hear that. We can end it right there. No, but my journey right now is, I've been extremely fortunate to live a dream of mine, which was the NFL.

So when I was seven years old and I was born in the circumstances I was born into, I had a dream to be- You were born at age seven? Yeah. I just woke up at age seven. I don't get to born in the circumstances I was born into. I had a dream to be a— You were born at age seven? Yeah. Yeah, I just woke up at age seven. I don't know what to say. It was an anonymous thing.

I'm just saying that sentence the way that was composed. But that's when I started. When I was seven, I was born into a—okay. It was amazing. But no, that's when my dream in the NFL started. And my dream was to get out. And when I accomplished that goal— Wait, you were not even drafted? No, I wasn't drafted, but I had the perseverance to finish the goal, and I did that.

And throughout the journey, what I learned was just that. And this is going to sound super fortune cookie, and I apologize, but it's like success. It's a relative term, and you have to define your success before you obtain it. Yeah. Or else you're going to be chasing the rainbow. And so I did that. But what I found out that it was a journey and it wasn't a destination. I know it's really corny, but it's the truth.

And so I found out on my journey that I was so, I had such tunnel vision focus on what I wanted to do that it blinded me to the things that I really am passionate about. And so as I'm living my dream in the NFL, I realized I have access to all of these things that I wouldn't be privy to otherwise. And so I get to sit here and talk to you guys. And so I started to tap that well when I was in the NFL. talk to you guys. And so I started to tap that well when I was in the NFL. All right.

And so I say all that to say I am just enjoying the journey and everything and anything that interests me, I get into. And so I have an idea of what I want to do, but right now,

it's podcasting, it's music, and when I get to a certain age, I'm going back to school. That's like a good place to be. Yeah, yeah. So you got your own podcast. Yeah.

What's it called? It's called Now What? Now What? Now What? Question mark Yeah Alright, cool You talk about the journey

Were you one of those athletes That come through high school And it was destined That you would be NFL Or did you have that guy on your journey That said, son Ain't gonna make it Yeah, no, I had a whole bunch of those guys

Nice I was never like the kid in town where it was like yo that's he's gonna be the one I was never that was never that I was always

I had to fight like I didn't I had to fight to get playing time in high school just on some politics stuff so have you been back

to the coaching no but I've heard stories that he don't he don't really like me but like so I had moved so I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I moved to San Diego, California

because it was just a bad situation my father wasn't there and I was doing things I shouldn't have done I have to interject the name of the Albuquerque AAA baseball team Albuquerque Dukes

well it's the isotopes isotopes the isotopes that's where they detonated the first atomic bomb you're never three steps away from a scientific reference. Right.

I just thought it was cool. We're going. It's all over our culture. Okay, go on. But how did you overcome the people who said, yo, man, you're not going to make it or you're not going to do it? Ignorance is bliss, right? So like looking back, I had no chance.

The probability was very low. And you just couldn't tell me anything different. I never knew anything different. You're the roadrunner. Standing out on thin air. I mean, I'm positive that there's plenty of dudes out there who have had the same dream, and it didn't work out, and they're still trying to do it somehow, some way. And it will never work out.

Well, they believe the naysayers. Yeah. Well, not even this. I think that a lot of them don't, but they just don't have the talent. And it's not, no disrespect,

but it's... Yeah, but both will not get you there. If you don't have the talent, no. If you have the talent but don't have the drive and you believe

naysayers, then you're not getting there either. It's a multivariable issue. Just see him talk that math. No, he's right.

No, it is because you know what the count the counters are different and they they align they don't align now go back to that part

in Albuquerque where you were doing things you shouldn't have done I'm not going to ask you what they were I am actually I have an interesting story

so please tell and you can you can chime in on this I had an early experience with psilocybin. And I don't know. We should preface it with you should always be safe with any kind of drug use or any alcohol or anything.

But I had an early, like I was doing, I experimented early. I didn't have a lot of guidance earlier. I had a lot of freedom. We'll put it like that. And I had early experience with psilocybin and I fundamentally believe that kind of changed the way I looked at the world

and it's why I look at things so analytically now and it's why I don't see surface level things. I think it had a part to do. I can't say 100%. No, no. But the more I researched

about that actual... Trip. Yeah. Not necessarily a trip, just the chemical. everybody, not everybody, a lot of people have a trip Just the chemical Like Everybody Not everybody

A lot of people Have a lot of the same experiences It's funny There was a show on HBO Or you could take a class in physics Alright I'm going You land in exactly the same spot

Okay I'm just saying You get analytical After physics Or drugs I don't know And when you say early I mean it's not like

Super early You're not like super early. You're not like four years old, like drinking mushroom tea, going, I'm tripping my face off. No, I don't have that early. It's funny. There was an HBO show with LeBron and Anthony Davis, and LeBron was saying, out of the 11 guys he used to hang around with in high school, five were dead.

Killed. Now, and I'm watching that, and it kind of resonated with my own upbringing not that anyone died but by the time half of the guys i hang around with in high school five of them had been in jail and you said you got into the bad stuff and you came out of that environment do you think that was the moment your nfl career could have possibly begun taking yourself out of because you could have been one of those guys on the other side of the line. Yeah, there's plenty of instances where I could have, my life could have taken another turn. But luckily I had a little voice in the back of my head sometimes.

Yeah, that was the mushrooms. Chuck, I'm just saying. Voices in the head. I'm just saying. Voices in the head. I'm just saying. Another voice is okay. When it becomes multiple. Multiple voices. Yeah, one voice is fine.

So, okay. You're an NFL player, but you were never drafted. You were not drafted. Sure. And you rose up and just were a star. And with set records, is how many of you are out there

that are being completely overlooked during the draft? What formula are they using so that you're not noticed and other players are? Is it the right formula? Yeah, do they just have a better highlight reel person? What's going on at college? I think what it is is a bell curve, right?

That life is basically a bell curve. But it's a bell curve. You have guys that are, quote, unquote, the cream of the crop, and you have guys who are viewed as not really that talented. And it's basically the eye of the observer so it's the talent scouts for the organizations that are picking the guys and it is of my opinion that they don't 100 know what they're doing that nice but i don't want to disrespect their craft right Right. But they're clueless.

I mean, I used to watch guys get drafted, and I'm like, I'm looking at him. Why would you even think he's talented? But it's a multifaceted issue, and there's so many variables involved. And a lot of the times, there's business decisions involved in it too that come into play. So I think anytime you have business and entertainment, it just becomes... It gets muddled and it's never going to be what it's supposed to be. Could it be they're only looking at the highlight reel of what someone has accomplished and they're not looking at the ambition reel of what someone will accomplish?

Well, that's the thing. He could be the most talented dude in the world and then you give him $20 million and that ambition dies. That's it.

Right? Because that's what he wanted. And you never know. You can never, there's an old saying in football. You're literally taking away the hunger.

Yeah. It's a variable. It's possible. there's an old saying in the NFL that says you can't, like there's no drill to measure heart. So, there's a saying in the NFL that says you can't there's no drill to measure heart.

Right. So there's no algorithm either. Right. And by the way, you give me $20 million, I quit everything. No more podcast, dog. So he said, I quit everything. It's all done. I quit everything. What you doing? I quit, bitch.

That's what I'm doing. You don't have 20 million. Sit yourself still. My wife, I'm telling her, right? I quit, bitch. That's what I'm doing. You don't have 20 minutes. Sit yourself still. My wife. I'm telling her, right? I quit. I quit. He doesn't mean it. He's doing the washing up when he gets home.

So is there a perfect set of stats for a running back? Is there a, this is what it should be? Stats? Yeah. He's got to be this tall, this heavy, this quick, got to be able to do this, this, this. Is there a prototypical running back? Yeah.

I think... Give us. Well, actually, to that point, I feel like LaDainian Thompson was one. Marshall Falk was another. We were all kind of early adapters

of the new NFL. The new NFL is you have to be a three-down running back, which means you have to be able to pass protect. That's right. You have to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield. You have to be able to run routes. And so I was one of the early adapters in that

in the transition to this generation of football now. You sound like an old man, the way he's talking. But 30. Yeah, man. I remember when we had those leather helmets. That's what he said. It was so hard. You know, I just haven't been around football in so long.

I feel so disconnected, too. I 100% do. You're right. That's cool, though, man. We did have leather helmets. I got to tell you something. As a retired NFL player, you're in great shape. Thank you, man.

Let me just tell you that. I appreciate it. Because I know quite a few retired players, and they are bad as hell. They balloon. Okay. So, jujitsu. Now, you're sitting next to a former college wrestler. I appreciate it. Because I know quite a few retired players, and they are bad as hell. They balloon. So, jiu-jitsu. Now, you're sitting next to a former college wrestler. I am aware.

And how does, I mean, in this whole raft of things that you've since acting, singing, now jiu-jitsu, where does jiu-jitsu fit into the realm? And how? I would be lying if I said it was something that I was meditating and I just, my, you know, I met some, no, it was, my guy called me. I was like, yo, you trying to work out? And I was, I said, yeah.

And so I met him at the place. He's like, it's jujitsu. And I was like. Is he a jujitsu friend of yours? Well, I want to say he's a jujitsu friend. He's a guy I used to play with that now does jujitsu. His kids have been going there for years. And I was looking for new workouts because I spent my life in the gym.

And so I don't really want to lift weights and stuff anymore. So I'm always looking for new, innovative workouts. So I was like, yeah, I'll give it a try. And when I did, I found out that it was a little more than a workout. And I fell in love with it. It's amazing. It's an amazing sport. Cool.

Does it work mentally as well as physically? That's what I liked about it was if I was telling the doctor over here, it's like chess with the body. You're fighting for positioning, and you're trying to anticipate, and you're trying to trick them. There's ways you can trick them into thinking you're doing something, and it's like chess with the body,. It's a beautiful display of physicality. I like it.

Cool. So give me jiu-jitsu in science, please, doctor. I know less about jiu-jitsu than about other martial arts. I know, but obviously there's a lot of physics, center of gravity. Oh, yeah, yeah. So your hands are on someone. You're grabbing their gi. And you are at every instant trying to feel where their center of mass is,

where they could be tripped, where they can fall off balance, and then you want to exploit that. This is the chess game he's talking about. There you go. You might move in a way, they respond to that move. You're just setting them up. Yep. And that's like a setup in a chess game.

Let me lure them in, and then I'll get the king or the queen. So I think all of these sports that is hand-to-hand, it's all about the physics of your positioning, your center of mass. Is it lower? Is it higher? How long is your reach?

Are you quick? You could be both thinking of the same move, but I'm quicker than I got you. So all of this, and a football player would be, you'd think, especially a running back,

would have very good coordination, balance, and the things necessary to make a good starter entry into jujitsu. I did okay. But not in that video I saw you posted. 100%. That was one of the ones I did not do okay.

The guy that was taking photos around everybody doing the whole class, and he just happened to snap a photo where I was getting tapped out and choked by this black belt. And I had the grimacing face. And I'm like, yo, that's when you decided to press. You learn more from your defeats

than you do from your victories. They hurt, though. That's the whole idea about learning. Right, that is our interview today with Arian Foster. And by the way, if you've never done it, go to YouTube and look at his highlight reel. He just leaves folks in the dust

as he zigzags his way to the goal line. We got to end it here. But you've never done it, go to YouTube and look at his highlight reel. He just leaves folks in the dust as he zigzags his way to the goal line. We've got to end it here. But you've been listening, possibly even watching, our first episode of StarTalk Sports Edition. And I want to thank my guest, Arian Foster, and my co-hosts, Chuck Nice and Gary O'Reilly. I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson. And as always, I bid you to keep looking up.