Former Pro-Footballer Uses Athletic Training to Help Cannabis Businesses Grow
*By: Madison Alworth*
Matthew Nordgren followed in the pro football footsteps of his father, and now in retirement, he's drawn inspiration from his father's experience to launch a career in the cannabis business.
"The people who played with him at that time are suffering from all sorts of illnesses and pains, you name it," Nordgren said in an interview with Cheddar. "So it started to also become a passion in my family to try to help people my dad's age to try to deal with sleep and pain and all the things they are going through. A lot of personal reasons to be in it."
Nordgren's father George spent time in the NFL as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys. As Matthew explains it, the 70-year-old and his aging football friends are feeling the repercussions of playing a physically demanding sport for much of their career. And the younger Nordgren saw an opportunity there.
Himself a former player for the Philadelphia Eagles, he went on to a career in private equity and now is the founder and CEO of Arcadian Fund and Arcadian Capital Management, a venture capital firm in Los Angeles specializing in ancillary cannabis businesses. Among the company's investments is the publication "High Times," which is set [to go public](https://hightimes.com/news/high-times-pots-most-established-brand-going-public/) later this year. He said these kinds of secondary businesses sit better with the company's clients.
"Because we had a lot of assets that were highly regulated, highly publicized, our investor base and our current portfolio were assets that really didn't have a lot of comfort in the plant-touching side of the business. So we knew right away that 'High Times' and our background sort of led us to the ancillary side."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/matthew-nordgren-on-his-break-into-the-cannabis-industry)
After a seven-year hiatus, Nissan is returning to the Super Bowl action-packed, star-studded commercial. Allyson Witherspoon, Nissan's Chief Marketing Officer, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the concept of the ad campaign and how it gives clues into where the brand is heading next.
'Pixstory' is an integrity-based social media platform providing a space for healthy dialogue. It was designed to fight misinformation, hate speech, and other forms of toxicity. NBA champion and Pixstory brand ambassador, Dwight Howard, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Chris Spagnuolo, VP of Content, Champion Gaming, joins Cheddar Bets to break down the lessons learned from betting the NFL this season, and how to make money next season.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Sean Green, Co-Founder, of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, joins Cheddar Bets to discuss betting on the Big Game, and when to wait it out to buy the lines low.
Sponsored by BetMGM
After tennis player Peng Shuai made an explicit sexual assault allegation toward a former Chinese government official, she disappeared from the public eye. Her recent reappearance with the IOC alongside a Chinese Olympic committee official raised eyebrows and renewed concerns for her safety. Asian affairs expert Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss Peng Shuai's retraction and the various human rights controversies swirling at the Beijing games. "It's clear that the IOC was working with Beijing to make sure that she did not express herself freely," Chang said. "So really this is the IOC being complicit in these mechanisms of control over Peng."
Team USA is still searching for its first gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics that is held amid geopolitical tensions and a global pandemic. Cheddar News speaks with Stephen Cannella, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Sports Illustrated about the highlights and disappointments so far.
The opening ceremony of the 2022 winter Olympics has kicked off at the Beijing national stadium. 150,000 spectators are in attendance for the games inside the 'closed loop' system separating Olympic personnel from the public. Cheddar News spoke with Brian Cazenueve, Sports Illustrated contributor, to share the highlights you may have missed and much more.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a lawsuit against his old team along with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. Flores alleged that the league has been following racist practices in its hiring process. Former NFL quarterback and Sports Analyst and Commentator, Lester Ray Ricard Jr, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
