From Shanghai to the NFL: Rams rookie eager to make the grade

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Nov 20, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Texas Longhorns place kicker Cameron Dicker (17) punts the ball during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

With Mark and Haig recording their last face-to-face show before some summer travel (0:36), news is coming through that the World University Games in Chengdu will be postponed for a second time (2:03) [UPDATE: Markโ€™s sources were right, as both those Games and the Asian Games in Hangzhou have now both been postponed]. The decision was mostly because of COVID โ€” what isnโ€™t these days? โ€” but Russia was stripped of its 2023 hosting rights, so thereโ€™s a gap on the calendar (3:43). Meanwhile, far fewer weightlifters will perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics, meaning a big hit to Chinaโ€™s gold medal hopes (6:00). Plus, Eileen Gu heads back to the U.S. after three months in China, with the most polarizing athlete in the U.S.-China sphere prompting yet more praise and criticism in equal measures (8:45).

Our guest on the show spent the first decade of his life in Shanghai; this week,ย Cameron Dickerย signed with the world champions LA Rams in the NFL. Dicker the Kicker, as heโ€™s known, joins us from Dallas, where heโ€™s going through some offseason training reps (14:26). Dicker explains how his family ended up in China (14:53), shares some stories from his Chinese experience (15:25), and recalls some not-so-fond memories playing football in China (15:55).

After moving to the U.S. for the first time, age 11, did he feel like he was starting too late or he was still young enough to adapt (17:17)? Dicker explains how he transformed from being a soccer player to a kicker and punter for the University of Texas (18:31), but at what point did he first realize he had a shot at making an NFL roster (22:00)? Perhaps surprisingly, his China experience came up repeatedly during his NFL draft interviews (22:46), and Dicker explains how his time abroad has helped him become a better athlete (24:13).

Kickers donโ€™t often get drafted, but the newly-signed Dicker says heโ€™s using that snub as motivation for the future (25:50). He explains how heโ€™s getting ready for his first training camp with the Rams (26:40), lays out his expectations for his rookie year (28:50), reveals whether he thinks he has a better shot in the league as a kicker or as a punter (29:38), and learns for the first time that the Rams have been designated as โ€œChinaโ€™s teamโ€, prompting dreams of a return trip to Shanghai one day (30:24).