World Series MVP Zobrist Supports Teen Athletes Facing Significant Pressures

Ben Zobrist is a giving man.

From 2006 to 2019, Zobrist, 44, earned millions of dollars playing for four MLB clubs. The Eureka, Illinois, native earned his way into World Series play three times in three different clubs.

In the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Zobrist found himself celebrating back-to-back championships: first, with the Kansas City Royals, then as a member of the Chicago Cubs. It was in the 2016 Fall Classic that Zobrist’s performance earned him the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award.

Three seasons after being part of the Cubs’ squad that snapped a 71-year drought of appearing in a World Series, Zobrist called it quits for what was an all-star career. He was recognized as among the best, if not the best “super utility” player in the game, excelling wherever his managers needed him, including all three outfield positions, or at second base and shortstop.

Growing up a fan of baseball, and cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals as his favorite team, Zobrist was ready to move on with his life after a successful career in the game.

With an honorable reputation in tow, along with financial freedom few baseball fans will experience, Zobrist had options. The former three-time all-star could have easily retreated to some exotic tropical island and lived an unassuming life. But a life lounging in a hammock, swinging between two palm trees isn’t his style. Zobrist, the son of a pastor, had a calling to make a difference in people’s lives, many of whom he never met.

In 2023, Zobrist founded Forward Champion, which helps teenage athletes, coaches, and parents process the emotions that are associated with sports. Failures, successes, and pressures that come with notoriety on the playing field are what Zobrist’s nonprofit organization addresses.

“I really believe in helping young people,” Zobrist told The Epoch Times on Monday from his Tennessee home. “They are our future. Sports offers many challenges. What’s important to them, also has them hurting in a lot of ways. Many have mental health issues, especially those under 25 years old, as they are dealing with anxiety and depression.”

While Champion Forward isn’t a mental health clinic, those in need of services can be educated on signs to look for and what options are available. Performance pressure at many levels of athletic competition for students is evident, with updates of game performances spread on social media. Zobrist understands how teens handle fame and other challenges, because he went through the process before knowing there was a process.

“Particularly in high school, kids have higher mental challenges than in our previous generation. Primary and secondary caretakers understand there is a need to handle problems that come up. Many see the problem but don’t see what the solution is,” explains Zobrist, a father of three children.

The more Zobrist offers a deep dive into what Champion Forward’s goals are, his passion for wanting to make a difference is clear. He’s not just “talking the talk.” Zobrist, known throughout his playing for his defensive versatility, is “walking the walk.” Making a difference in the lives of others can be traced back to his Christian upbringing.

“Offering tools to those in our ambassador program as well as resources, education, and integrating how to respond to those in need, we hope will provide the necessary bridge to connect individuals to the therapy they may need. Parents, social workers, and athletic administrators can use this,” he said.

Champion Forward hopes to make a difference in more than just one step of teens’ sports experiences—the organization hopes to contribute to the entire journey itself. Zobrist isn’t just a conduit connecting those in need with mental health services, he was a recipient of assistance. He isn’t too shy to talk about a point in his life when it was crucial to seek help for depression. Perhaps this is why Zobrist’s mindset is dedicated to giving back to others through his faith.

When Zobrist stepped away from baseball, he did so with a plan. Zobrist, who spent the first nine years of his MLB career with Tampa Bay, gave himself two years to ponder just how he was going to give back. There was no watching sports on TV with any regularity. In looking back at his decision-making period, Zobrist remembers that as a “helpful time to have had.”

The one baseball topic of Zobrist’s baseball past that seems to pique his interest to revisit is his former manager, Joe Maddon.

In the majority of Zobrist’s 14 big league seasons, it was Maddon grooming his career. Maddon was Zobrist’s skipper in 2008 when Tampa Bay won the American League championship, and again in 2016 with the Cubs. It’s clear, right from mentioning Maddon’s name, that Zobrist holds his former manager in the highest regard.

“[Maddon’s] knowledge of the game is as good as any. Joe’s a unique individual who I have a lot to be thankful for in giving me opportunities on the MLB level. He believed in me from the start. It was Joe who started calling me a ‘super utility’ player,” Zobrist said.

Champions come in all sizes, in different walks of life, and at various levels of expertise. However, when measuring competitors’ hearts, Benjamin Thomas Zobrist is right up there with the biggest.