Professional Soccer Player C.J. Sapong Uses Food to Heal

Professional Soccer Player C.J. Sapong Uses Food to Heal

Not only does C.J. Sapong play forward on the field, but he’s also scoring goals for his community. As a Major League Soccer player and philanthropist, C.J. is an inspiration to athletes and humanitarians alike. We wanted to learn more about what motivated him to start his nonprofit, Sacred Seeds, and how playing soccer has affected his outlook on life. – KH

As a professional soccer player, what type of life lessons have you learned?

The most valuable lesson that I’ve learned as a professional soccer player is the importance of responding to adversity. It’s easy to be affected by the changing state of life. I learned to respond to the lows in a way that retained my positive mental state. I also know how stay grounded when faced with the highs, which allows me to continue to find balance throughout my career on and off the field.

What is your experience working with Black Players for Change? 

Working with Black Players for Change has been a humbling and very enlightening experience. As someone who has already been exploring ways to positively impact those around me, I’ve been excited to be a part of the development of an organization that will surely be effectuating the change that we wish to see in our world.

Tell us about Sacred Seeds.

Sacred Seeds is a nonprofit that utilizes sustainable agriculture in urban areas to nourish, educate, and empower underserved individuals and communities.

What was the inspiration behind Sacred Seeds?

I was inspired to start Sacred Seeds when I sustained a debilitating injury in 2014. I suffered from a herniated disc in my lower back and a bulging disc in my neck, which led to a nutrient deficiency in my C3 and C4 cervical nerve ending. A variety of ailments followed, which made me recognize that I couldn’t play soccer forever. Facing that reality pushed me to find ways to heal myself through food as well as provide impact, fulfillment, and purpose off the field as well.

Visit www.thesacredseeds.org to learn more

 

What does kindness mean to you? 

To me, kindness is an innate feeling and understanding of how you would like to be treated, ways you find happiness, and how you move through the world in a way that permeates and omits that same frequency.

What does it mean to be a kind human?

To be a kind human means to understand that at the end of the day, we are all the same species and we all ultimately want the same thing, which is to connect, to love, and to be loved.

Name three kind humans in your life that have positively affected you and why?

Three kind humans that have positively affected me … I would say number one, my mom, simply just because she’s my mom and does all the mom things. She has always shown me a way to look at the world that allows me to see the silver linings and understand that through faith, things are always in working order. I will also say my first-grade teacher, Ms. Fujisaki. She really inspired me to try to learn outside of school and not look at my education as a chore. That’s something that has really stuck with me. She also suggested one of my favorite books, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. And I will say, my fiancée, Abigail Gomez, simply for showing me that there is beauty and magic to being kind. Even going through trials and tribulations, she’s found a way to continue to be humble and continue to be kind. That’s something that I am glad that I get to experience with her for the rest of my life.

Do you have any positive words of advice to share with the Kindhumans community?

I could find many positive words. I think I’m just going to stick with “be the change that you wish to see.” I believe as we go through life, we find ourselves pointing the finger a lot and sometimes becoming a victim of some sort. I think if we can empower ourselves to do what we need to do on the inside and within our own experience, as opposed to expecting it to change on the outside, we slowly will find our true salvation and use that to lead by example to those around us.