<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Torrey Smith on barriers preventing youth access to sports"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">BALTIMORE ― You've probably heard of Torrey Smith the football player.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">He was a surehanded receiver for the Ravens, instrumental in carrying Baltimore to a Super Bowl title in early 2013. He later won a second NFL crown with the Eagles in February 2018.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Have you heard of Torrey Smith the baseball player?</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Baseball was Smith’s best sport. He quit because it cost too much.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">“I was super competitive,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports. “And then when I got to high school, once I started really understanding what dollars meant, I was like, ‘Man, you can't keep doing this.’</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">"The (baseball) teams were like, ‘Oh, no, we'll pay for you to play.' But endless weekends, fall and spring, where you're on someone else's dime … I felt embarrassed to always have to be with someone else's parent, knowing that my folks really couldn't help much.”</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Smith’s life was at a crossroads, like those of the kids he now interacts with through <a target="_blank" href="https://www.level82.org/about" data-t-l=":b|e|k|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a" rel="noopener">Level 182</a>, an organization he founded to empower families and community in Baltimore.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Smith chose football, which ultimately led him to a scholarship at the University of Maryland and an eight-year NFL career.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">His circumstance, though, really made the choice for him.</p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:440px" fetchpriority="high" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/05/26/USAT/73863009007-usatsi-8295680.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/05/26/USAT/73863009007-usatsi-8295680.jpg?width=1320&height=880&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="Former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. He now helps children and families in the Baltimore community through sports."/></figure><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Smith’s life in rural Virginia constantly shifted from shelters to hotels or other temporary housing situations. His mother, Monica, was in an abusive marriage, their home threatened by drug abuse and physical violence.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Sports became his outlet, a place he could go to escape. Kids not only...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/05/26/torrey-smith-core-values-youth-sports-economic-status/73853535007/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
