“I’ve always said ‘Life is about Moments’ and this was one of the greatest moments of my life! To be able to carry the torch as one of only 22 Americans chosen by Coca-Cola, sponsors of the Olympics since 1928, and to have my family running alongside of me was a HUGE honor! PS: I was wearing my MLL/Warrior shooting shirt underneath my uniform and my Warrior socks and NB shoes for good luck!”
Steinfeld was chosen by Coca-Cola to carry the Olympic Flame in recognition of his personal and professional dedication to promoting a healthy lifestyle and for empowering civic engagement in communities.
The Olympic flame was lit in Greece and was sent to England on May 18 for a 70-day Olympic Torch Relay across the United Kingdom. The flame continues its journey until it arrives at the Olympic Stadium in London when the final torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony on July 27, marking the official start of the summer games.
During the summer of 1998, Jake “Body By Jake” Steinfeld was inspired to start a professional outdoor lacrosse league after reading a magazine article about the growth of the sport of lacrosse. Steinfeld sought out a contributor to the article, Owner and President of Warrior Lacrosse Dave Morrow, a leading lacrosse equipment manufacturer, to discuss formation of such a league.
In February 1999 Steinfeld and Morrow joined forces with Steinfeld’s friend and business associate Tim Robertson, Chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises and former CEO of the Family Channel, to form Major League Lacrosse, LLC, a Virginia limited liability company. In 2003, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. came on board as a Founding Member of Major League Lacrosse, as well as an Anchor Level League Sponsor.
Major League Lacrosse began play in 2001 to capitalize on the growing demand for world-class field lacrosse driven by dramatic growth in the U.S. lacrosse market. MLL was praised and heralded for its on-field play, regarded as the best ever seen. With a year-on-year attendance increase, Major League Lacrosse has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports.
Steinfeld is the author of Take a Shot!, the incredible true story of how three unlikely partners—world-famous fitness icon Jake Steinfeld, former Princeton University lacrosse star Dave Morrow, and son of a TV preacher Tim Robertson—broke all the rules and beat all the odds to create Major League Lacrosse. Take a Shot! will be released on August 15, 2012 and is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.