How Yardbarker got Marshawn Lynch to open up back in 2008

Quick Yardbarker history lesson. Back in the day, we were known mostly for our roster of athlete bloggers. In its heyday, YB had over 100 athlete bloggers. Some famous, some not so famous. Video was a major component of the athlete blogging program. We gave athletes cameras and encouraged them to post video to their blogs, on or about anything. But when the opportunity presented itself, we would film athletes ourselves. The Super Bowl was perfect for this. 

The Super Bowl, or more specifically, the week of the Super Bowl is an experience. Non-stop parties, the biggest of which take place at huge venues Friday and Saturday night and are hosted by A-list celebrities and athletes.  

In 2008, Yardbarker threw it's first Super Bowl party...at a local Hooters...on a Tuesday afternoon. Humble beginnings, my friends. 

Most athletes don't even arrive to the Super Bowl setting until Thursday, but a few of our athlete bloggers were going to be in town early. Donovan McNabb and Dontrelle Willis, to name a few, and of course Marshawn Lynch (his old Yardbarker blog here). 

At the time, Marshawn was with the Bills and wasn't the marquee name that he is today. He was definitely a character though, even if it took him some time to warm up.

Within five minutes of arriving, Marshawn wanted to leave. Hooters had carved off a section of the restaurant for crowd control purposes. It worked, but also made some of the athletes feel like they were on display. Annoying for the dudes like Marshawn who were oblivious to their own star power and just wanted to have a drink, take down some wings and enjoy the scenery. 

Dewey Hammond, our editorial lead and on air correspondent at the time, had a knack for connecting with athletes and celebrities, and a persistence to keep at it until he found a common bond. 

Dewey's first attempts to keep Marshawn from bolting were swings and misses. He set up a station to blog and offered to introduce him to other athletes and girls at the party. Marshawn wasn't interested. Oddly enough, Marshawn's shyness prevented most introductions. He didn't think anyone would know who he was or would want to talk to him. 

It took some trial and error, but Dewey eventually stumbled onto something. Marshawn loved "The Wire". Dewey happened to know a producer of the show and said something like, "Marshawn, I'm going to get you on The Wire." Granted, the show had just finished taping its final season, something that both Marshawn and Dewey briefly acknowledged, but seemed eagerly willing to brush off as they plotted Marshawn's season six cameo over drinks. 

Fifteen minutes later, Marshawn went from the quietest dude at the party to the life of it. He went from being too shy to meet other athletes to wanting to be in every video we shot. "Yo Camera-man Jeff! Get me and Dewey from... THE YARD. HAHAHA. MARSHAWN AND DEWEY IN THE YARD!" he'd yell as I walked by...or was interviewing another athlete...which all but ruined said interview. Then again, it didn't take a genius, even back then, to know that you're better off with Marshawn on camera than virtually anything else you can possibly shoot. 

Bonus video with Marshawn Lynch. Always spell check your blog.