Cameron Lynch: Lynch against the world
Cameron Lynch grew up in Artesia, California. Growing up, one of his biggest problems were that the odds were always stacked him, with him being only six foot tall. Coming from California, he overcame all obstacles against him as he eventually played football at Syracuse, then the NFL.
As an NFL player, the media attention and fame can often sway athletes away from the ‘normal’ people. However, this wasn’t the case when Cameron Lynch, a former linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now currently a free agent, was very humble with an animated personality.
When Lynch first entered the room, his outfit wasn’t that flashy but rather a more professional buttoned up shirt with jeans and a pair of black and gold Air Jordan 1. His humble options of clothing choice make it less intimidating for reporters to have a conversation with the athlete.
During the interview, Lynch shared his ambitions on what he wants to do after his NFL career. He expressed that he is planning to apply to grad schools for Specialized Journalism, which allows the student to cater their degrees to a specialized course. Lynch is hoping to become an interviewer/broadcaster one day as a possible career as he expressed to a reporter, “so how you’re interviewing me as a player, I want to do this for other players, other athletes, Olympians essentially.” Lynch had also stated that he’s done coverage at the Super Bowl and the next step for him would be the Olympics, specifically the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
His fuel for success in the industry first started when Lynch’s best friend criticized him for stuttering on camera. With practice, Lynch was able to grow accustomed to being in front of the camera. Eventually, he realized that he was getting pretty good at it to a point where he wants to take it to the next level.
Cameron Lynch believes that what separates him from other former athletes entering into the broadcasting profession is his experience. “In college, I had a show called Cam’s Cam. Cam’s Cam, I interviewed my teammates,” he says. It seemed as if Lynch had developed his passion for broadcasting at an early age. He also talks about how rather than doing it for the money, Lynch comes in and sees it as practice for him to also improve his passion.
When asked to recall one of Lynch’s favorite memories in the NFL, he remembered the specific game against the Washington Redskins. Lynch was going up against a rookie, Riley Bullough, for a linebacker spot for the Buccaneers. During the Redskins game, Lynch made a play where he hit a player and knocked the ball out. It was this play where Lynch knew he made the team and it was his best memory.
One of Lynch’s big secrets is the fact that he loves anime, specifically Naruto and One Punch Man. “I love it because it says who I am, I can relate to those characters like Naruto,” Lynch says. He believes that one thing both he and Naruto have in common is both have faith in themselves despite struggles and being outcasts. Despite his short height in comparison to others, his warrior-like mind and heart help him get to the NFL, just like how Naruto achieves his goal.
One of the things that scare Lynch most is the uncertainty of being an NFL free agent. However, a friend referred to a Naruto reference to how he’d always believe in himself no matter what. In fact, what turned out to be a bracelet that says ‘me’ on it that Lynch got from a Mexican hotel, became one of Lynch’s most prized possessions as he always refers to it to believe in himself whenever he’s feeling down.
His toughest challenge came after college, before his professional career. He went through the entire seven rounds of the NFL draft without hearing his name being called once. He was at home deciding on what to do as he applied to grad school but was yet to be accepted. It wasn’t until after he got signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent where he was eventually accepted. Speeding up to current time, he is going through this phase once again as he is still a free agent and is planning on applying to grad school at USC. The uncertainty of not knowing what will happen in the future is known as ‘the limbo period’ according to Lynch
Cameron Lynch, a humble yet animated person, is now currently a free agent. With his future in the NFL being uncertain and grad school at USC, it would certainly be interesting to see what he’s decided to do ahead of time. With Lynch facing so many problems in the past and overcoming them, it would certainly be no obstacle for what’s up next for Cameron Lynch.
