When one thinks grooming, one doesn’t usually think baseball, but Head & Shoulders is changing all that. They’ve just partnered with MLB for their Season of the Whiff campaign. For every strikeout (Whiff), Head & Shoulders will donate $1 to MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program.
Male Standard had the chance to speak with Troy Polamalu at the Head & Shoulders Whiff-a-Thon event, where Troy was supporting “Mane Man” C.J. Wilson, his Angels teammate Josh Hamilton and the “Season of the Whiff” campaign.
Join us for part one as we interview Troy Polamalu and learn about what drives him to be the best and we talk a little grooming too!
MaleStandard.com interview with Troy Polamalu
Victor: First of all, thank you for the time. We’re big fans of yours at MaleStandard.com. We have a website where we help men become the best version of themselves, so we ask all of the guys what’s your Male Standard? What’s your motto? What do you live by, what helps you drive and push?
Troy Polamalu: I would say, just be yourself. I guess, maybe, cliché as that sounds or easy, identify with yourself, who you want to be. A lot of people who are not confident in themselves or have no identity are always trying to look for inspiration from other people. When the truth is really within them and finding themselves.
Victor: You were one of the first people who was the face of men’s grooming when it was fairly, taboo. Was that a unique experience? Have you noticed how things have changed since those commercials?
Troy Polamalu: I’m not really privy or aware to information about how I’m outside of the football realm in my life so far. One of my friends said my grandmother would have never have known you if it wasn’t for Head and Shoulders commercials. In that aspect, yeah, things have changed but it’s been a really great partnership for both of us. We’ve done things like the wax figure. The Guinness Book of World Records for hair insurance. Things are pretty amazing in the sense that I envisioned playing football my whole life. I have to pinch myself when I’m on a commercial shoot and there’s a camera and fifty people behind the camera and you’re the guy in front of it. Those are the things where I kind of question myself what I’m doing.
Victor: Would you say that you have any type of morning ritual or grooming routine that you follow?
Troy Polamalu: I definitely have to comb my hair in the shower. Not when it’s dry, it’s too hard of a mess. I found that conditioning and combing the conditioner through your hair in the shower is the best thing.
Victor: Something more in terms of the passion, I read an interview that you did where you talk about as parents, a lot of times we want to give our kids everything we didn’t have but a lot of times what that does is it makes our kids lack some values. Growing up, I’m first generation here from Mexico, we didn’t have a lot growing up and I think that really helped with my drive and passion to succeed. How do you instill that in a kid, when maybe you can give them everything they want?
Troy Polamalu: That’s a good question. I think the more important things, though, are to have a faith foundation. I think from that, if you have a general understanding on the foundation of faith that your family has, that’s where all your values should be. It should be centered around it. Of course you have different people who are raised in different areas. You have southern hospitality, LA, you’ve got bread basket people who are a little different than people in Boston versus people in Philadelphia. You have those innate things that are just different idiosyncrasies within cultures but you should definitely have a value based on faith.
Victor: I have a lot Samoan friends and “respect” is a big thing in the culture. It’s also important in the Latino culture. How would you say that respect and respecting others has helped you in you career?
Troy Polamalu: I don’t think the mentality should be how it can further your career. I think it’s just a general welfare of love for mankind. It’s not only respecting. I think it’s easy to be cordial and talk to people that can do things for you. Respect is also how you act when you’re away from your wife, for example, or when you’re away from your parents. When you make good decisions and you act properly, that’s a sign of respect for your parents. There’s different forms of it and to value true and authentic respect has got to be more holistically approached in your entire life rather than just, what people refer to as, the cordial meeting. It’s very respectful but how do you act when nobody is around. How do you treat your wife when you’re not around your wife or your parents.
Victor: I’ve always respected how humble you are. How do you stay humble and balance that with the drive to win and be the best?
Troy Polamalu: I honestly would say that I’m not a humble person. I know people that are authentically humble. Humility and pride are something that I struggle with but there are people that are authentically humble that I know and I’m far from that.
Victor: Troy, thank you so much.
Season of the #Whiff
For every strikeout across MLB during the 2013 season, Head & Shoulders with Old Spice will make a $1 donation to MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities.
- Witness a strikeout (WHIFF) by your favorite MLB Club’s Pitching Staff
- Tweet about the #WHIFF along with your MLB club’s twitter Handle (i.e, @Angels, @Dodgers)
- The MLB club with the most tweets each month will earn $10,000 for their local RBI chapters!
