Bubba Thumper steps to the podium of the press hall at Wolfie Farms Stadium of Denver, and a hush falls over the crowd that had moments earlier been buzzing with anticipation. The call for a press conference featuring the former star defensive tackle was unexpected; although generally he had come to be known for his welcoming grin, Thumper had been relatively difficult to find for reporters the past season, so the call from the Yeti front office had been welcomed across the media scene.
“Pleasure to see everybody today,” Thumper began, flashing his signature goofy grin for the cameras present. “We—that is me, my wife Camila, and the Colorado Yeti organization—have some big announcements for you today, so I hope everybody brought an extra pen”. The audience chuckled, relieved to have such a warm and inviting individual back at the microphone.
“First, Camila and I—wave to the people Camila—would like to announce the founding of a chain of restaurants: Bubba Thump’s Grub, a world kitchen experience”. Camila Thumper, a small Hispanic woman, stepped forward as her husband spoke, raising her hand to greet the audience’s eyes as they turned to her. “I met Camila when I first moved to New York, and fell in love with not only her cooking, but everything about her,” Bubba said, his grin wider than the press had ever seen it. “She and I decided, as my football career was reaching an end, that we wanted to tackle a new challenge, and the idea of Bubba Thump’s Grub was born. Construction is already completed for a location here in Denver and should soon be complete for a location in Manhattan; we are also in talks to bring a restaurant to San Antonio, as well as a handful of other cities across the league, and are hopeful to engage in discussions with the rest of the league’s cities as our brainchild gains steam. Camila will be managing each and every kitchen we establish, and I—well, I’ll be trotting the globe, adding to the menu”.
“With that taken care of,” Bubba continues, Camila returning to the background as he does, “I also have an announcement to make on behalf of myself and the Colorado Yeti organization. We have reached a mutual agreement, with the foundation of this new chain of eateries, that the Colorado Yeti are interested in partnering with us, and that moving forward, Wolfie Farms Stadium will now be known as B.T.G. Field. Bubba Thump’s Grub will maintain a small location within the stadium itself, and Camila and I will be working closely with the organization to diversify concessions to more fully reflect the diversity of the International Simulation Football League. Camila and I are excited for this opportunity to partner with the organization that allowed me to build my football legacy, and we look forward to working with the front office to make B.T.G. Field the most hospitable field in the league”.
“Thank you for your time today,” Bubba concludes, still grinning from his excitement. “If anybody has questions for the panel here today, we are happy to field those at this time”.
I sit across from Bubba Thumper, my old friend from college, now a football legend, in the recently completed structure that will soon be home to Bubba Thump’s Grub in Denver. He smiles proudly as he looks around the space, and specifically at his wife, Camila, running around directing traffic as vendors prepare different stations for the restaurant’s swiftly-approaching grand opening. “Football has been my life for something like twenty years now,” Bubba says as he finally turns his attention back to me, his goofy grin never wavering for a moment, “but that chapter of my life was always going to come to an end eventually, and I always wondered what the next chapter would be. I can’t say I ever imagined anything like this, but…actually living in the moment, this is everything I want, I think”.
I have to admit as my eyes meet his that I don’t think Bubba could be happier than he seems to be in this moment; not since Colorado’s Ultimus seven seasons ago have I seen so much joy in his face. Just looking at him brings a smile to my face; there’s something about the fact that he’s found a life worth living after football that I can’t help but be excited about. But, of course, Bubba Thump’s Grub can’t be the whole of his plan, so, as casually as I can, I ask about what else is on his agenda.
Bubba pauses for a moment, thinking through the question before giving his reply. “I think, obviously, Camila and I would love to start a family someday soon,” he begins, his smile returning to his face as he considers the possibility. “We’ll have to get the restaurant off the ground first, of course; this is a major endeavor, and we want to see it succeed, so we’re going to make sure to dedicate the time we need to making that happen. But, one of these days, hopefully not too far from now, the Thumpers will find the time to settle in and build a family, I’m sure”.
This thought directly brought to mind my next question; from what I knew of Bubba, he loved the sport he had dedicated half his life to, so I asked what his next step in football would be. “Well…to be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” he replied, scrunching his face as he thought about it. “I thought about investing in team ownership, but if I go that route I’ll have to wait until we’ve expanded Bubba Thump’s Grub as far as we want to. I’m not sure whether I’d want to invest with Peter in the Silverbacks or Micycle in the Yeti, but I suppose I’ve got plenty of time to make that decision. As for me personally…I think my time in the game is done. I’ve accomplished just about everything I wanted to, so I don’t feel any need to go back and coach, and I think playing amateur ball feels a bit unfair. When we have children, maybe they play, maybe they don’t; if they do, I’m right there with them to support them, and if not, that’d be fine too. Football is something special, for sure, but it ain’t everything. I mean, just look around us, man. This is special too”.
I smiled as I joined him in looking around the space; this new adventure was, indeed, something special.
“Pleasure to see everybody today,” Thumper began, flashing his signature goofy grin for the cameras present. “We—that is me, my wife Camila, and the Colorado Yeti organization—have some big announcements for you today, so I hope everybody brought an extra pen”. The audience chuckled, relieved to have such a warm and inviting individual back at the microphone.
“First, Camila and I—wave to the people Camila—would like to announce the founding of a chain of restaurants: Bubba Thump’s Grub, a world kitchen experience”. Camila Thumper, a small Hispanic woman, stepped forward as her husband spoke, raising her hand to greet the audience’s eyes as they turned to her. “I met Camila when I first moved to New York, and fell in love with not only her cooking, but everything about her,” Bubba said, his grin wider than the press had ever seen it. “She and I decided, as my football career was reaching an end, that we wanted to tackle a new challenge, and the idea of Bubba Thump’s Grub was born. Construction is already completed for a location here in Denver and should soon be complete for a location in Manhattan; we are also in talks to bring a restaurant to San Antonio, as well as a handful of other cities across the league, and are hopeful to engage in discussions with the rest of the league’s cities as our brainchild gains steam. Camila will be managing each and every kitchen we establish, and I—well, I’ll be trotting the globe, adding to the menu”.
“With that taken care of,” Bubba continues, Camila returning to the background as he does, “I also have an announcement to make on behalf of myself and the Colorado Yeti organization. We have reached a mutual agreement, with the foundation of this new chain of eateries, that the Colorado Yeti are interested in partnering with us, and that moving forward, Wolfie Farms Stadium will now be known as B.T.G. Field. Bubba Thump’s Grub will maintain a small location within the stadium itself, and Camila and I will be working closely with the organization to diversify concessions to more fully reflect the diversity of the International Simulation Football League. Camila and I are excited for this opportunity to partner with the organization that allowed me to build my football legacy, and we look forward to working with the front office to make B.T.G. Field the most hospitable field in the league”.
“Thank you for your time today,” Bubba concludes, still grinning from his excitement. “If anybody has questions for the panel here today, we are happy to field those at this time”.
I sit across from Bubba Thumper, my old friend from college, now a football legend, in the recently completed structure that will soon be home to Bubba Thump’s Grub in Denver. He smiles proudly as he looks around the space, and specifically at his wife, Camila, running around directing traffic as vendors prepare different stations for the restaurant’s swiftly-approaching grand opening. “Football has been my life for something like twenty years now,” Bubba says as he finally turns his attention back to me, his goofy grin never wavering for a moment, “but that chapter of my life was always going to come to an end eventually, and I always wondered what the next chapter would be. I can’t say I ever imagined anything like this, but…actually living in the moment, this is everything I want, I think”.
I have to admit as my eyes meet his that I don’t think Bubba could be happier than he seems to be in this moment; not since Colorado’s Ultimus seven seasons ago have I seen so much joy in his face. Just looking at him brings a smile to my face; there’s something about the fact that he’s found a life worth living after football that I can’t help but be excited about. But, of course, Bubba Thump’s Grub can’t be the whole of his plan, so, as casually as I can, I ask about what else is on his agenda.
Bubba pauses for a moment, thinking through the question before giving his reply. “I think, obviously, Camila and I would love to start a family someday soon,” he begins, his smile returning to his face as he considers the possibility. “We’ll have to get the restaurant off the ground first, of course; this is a major endeavor, and we want to see it succeed, so we’re going to make sure to dedicate the time we need to making that happen. But, one of these days, hopefully not too far from now, the Thumpers will find the time to settle in and build a family, I’m sure”.
This thought directly brought to mind my next question; from what I knew of Bubba, he loved the sport he had dedicated half his life to, so I asked what his next step in football would be. “Well…to be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” he replied, scrunching his face as he thought about it. “I thought about investing in team ownership, but if I go that route I’ll have to wait until we’ve expanded Bubba Thump’s Grub as far as we want to. I’m not sure whether I’d want to invest with Peter in the Silverbacks or Micycle in the Yeti, but I suppose I’ve got plenty of time to make that decision. As for me personally…I think my time in the game is done. I’ve accomplished just about everything I wanted to, so I don’t feel any need to go back and coach, and I think playing amateur ball feels a bit unfair. When we have children, maybe they play, maybe they don’t; if they do, I’m right there with them to support them, and if not, that’d be fine too. Football is something special, for sure, but it ain’t everything. I mean, just look around us, man. This is special too”.
I smiled as I joined him in looking around the space; this new adventure was, indeed, something special.