World Series Champion Zobrist Tackles Youth Mental Health Crisis Through Champion Forward

Ben Zobrist understands the weight of expectation better than most athletes. When he stepped into the batter box in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, 108 years of Chicago Cubs history hung in the balance, and the pressure was unlike anything most people will ever experience.

The veteran second baseman delivered that night, driving in the go-ahead run that broke the Cubs championship drought and earned him World Series MVP honors. But those high-stakes moments taught him something profound about the mental demands of competition that extends far beyond professional baseball.

Today, seven years after retiring from the Cubs at age 38, Zobrist has channeled that understanding into Champion Forward, a Franklin-based nonprofit dedicated to helping young athletes develop the emotional intelligence tools necessary to navigate the increasingly complex pressures of modern youth sports.

"When I got out of pro sports, I wanted to find a way to serve the next generation," Zobrist explained. "I knew young people were experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression, and how difficult that is, even for athletes. I had a few challenging mental health experiences myself when I was a player."

Zobrist foundation stems from his recognition that today youth athletics environment has evolved dramatically from previous generations, creating unprecedented stress levels that many young competitors struggle to manage effectively.

Social media has fundamentally altered the landscape, subjecting teenage athletes to constant comparison and scrutiny that previous generations never faced. The pressure to perform has intensified, while opportunities for failure recovery have diminished in an environment where every mistake can be broadcast instantly.

"Sports are becoming more difficult and pressurized for young people," Zobrist observed. "We know from social media research that it really challenging for kids to have to be compared to everybody else all the time. There a lot of failure involved for young athletes, which has always been true, but today they burning out more often."

Champion Forward addresses these challenges by training ambassadors - parents, coaches, and mentors - to work with young athletes in developing emotional regulation skills. The program focuses on equipping adults with tools to model healthy responses to both success and failure.

Zobrist definition of a "champion mindset" extends far beyond winning games or tournaments. His philosophy emphasizes persistence balanced with self-awareness, recognizing both human potential and limitations.

"To me, it is the mindset of an athlete that is relentless toward their goal, but they also understanding that they have limits," he explained. "We try to be heroes for everyone. We want to be the best version of ourselves. But there also going to be a human part of us that just can sometimes."

The 2016 World Series rain delay provides a perfect illustration of these principles in action. Despite going 0-for-4 through nine innings, Zobrist entered that crucial 10th inning with unshaken confidence, embodying the champion mindset he now teaches.

"A champion is somebody who recognizes that just because you failed before doesn mean you going to fail in the next moment," he reflected. "You ready. You believe. You have to have faith that you going to turn it around."

The rain delay itself became a teaching moment in mental reset, as the Cubs used that unexpected pause to refocus their collective mindset rather than dwelling on individual struggles.

"Instead of just fooling around on our phones, one of our guys was like, 'Hey, we need to get our heads together, get our hearts together. We have to have each other backs. This game is tied and we the best team. Everybody in the stadium knows it. We know it,'" Zobrist recalled.

Champion Forward currently works with approximately 100 ambassadors across the Nashville area, with ambitious plans to expand that network to 1,000 trained advocates by 2030.

However, Zobrist vision extends beyond sports into broader life applications, recognizing that emotional intelligence skills developed through athletics can benefit young people throughout their personal and professional lives.

"My hope is that the value of this work spreads beyond sports into families and relationships and other careers," he said. "I seen amazing things happen when a kid and an adult confront hard truths together."

The program success stories often involve transformative conversations that strengthen relationships while building resilience, creating lasting impact that transcends athletic achievement.