By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
October 10, 2017
Former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones traveled constantly playing for teams such as the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. The author of “The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey,” Jones’ latest project is the CNBC series “Adventure Capitalists.” Along with fellow investors — gymnast Shawn Johnson East, freestyle skier Jeremy Bloom — Jones tests out new inventions in the great outdoors, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to win money to work on their ideas.
“This is our hard-earned money that we are investing, so we want the best inventions,” says Jones. “It’s not just for show! We don’t want to lose money with our investments.”
Q. Did you travel much as a child?
A. Yes. Both my parents were military, so we traveled quite a bit when I was younger. I remember one time we lived in Okinawa. I still remember bits and pieces here. It was so beautiful.
Q. Do you pick up foreign languages easily?
A. Not really. I can speak Spanish pretty well. When I was younger, I could speak Japanese, but I have retained none of it, unfortunately. I can hear things in German and French and understand it, but by no stretch of my imagination can I speak French or German.
Q. You got to shoot in the Moab desert. What was that experience like?
A. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places that you could ever go. It’s a serene environment. I was lucky that we got to film there. I would return for a vacation in a heartbeat. There is so much to explore there.
Q. Do you prefer relaxed vacations or ones where you’re on the go?
A. I’m an outdoors kind of guy. I’m the type of person who rides mountain bikes, kayaks and hikes. I enjoy adventures. I like being in a juxtaposition of mountains and snow.
Q. Where have you enjoyed some tasty meals?
A. Thai street food is ridiculously good. The seafood in New Zealand is amazing. And in New York, you can get a little bit of everything, so that’s never a bad place to eat. I’ve had at least one good meal in every place that I’ve visited. In Bassano del Grappa (Italy), I had a piece of steak that you could cut with a spoon. It was the best steak in the world.
Q. Can you share some of your memories from your football years?
A. I remember playing some great games at Soldier Field. I think I picked off your quarterback a couple times. (Laughs) Soldier Field is one of those iconic places. Chicago Bears fans have always been great to me. And Chicago is such a great place to play. It’s also a great food city. I’ve never had a bad meal there.
Q. Which location for “Adventure Capitalists” stands out?
A. We were in the Canadian Rockies, which was phenomenal. That’s where Leonardo DiCaprio filmed “The Revenant.” The mountains were spectacular and the setting was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life. I would go back one day just to spend some time walking around and soaking it all in. One thing that’s so great about our show is that there is no limit to where we can go; people with great ideas live all over the world. I’m hoping that we get the chance to showcase more of their inventions.
Q. What is on your travel bucket list?
A. There are a lot of places I’d like to go to for the show and personally. Yellowstone would be amazing. Wyoming would be fun. The Catskills would also be phenomenal. I’d like to go into the Delta region. New Orleans. Mississippi. Internationally, I would like to visit Namibia. I could talk to you for hours about all the places I’d want to get to. I know I am lucky to have traveled so much already.
© 2017 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
