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But not every publication or media outlet truly shows the complete person that is a professional athlete. Usually, the only facet seen is the athletics. Using their unique access to the lives of professional athletes, OT taps into the other side of the story, the positive stories of charity and goodwill that go largely unnoticed.
"As you well know, we live in a world where access is king," said McNeil. "And if you're controlling the access, you can tell the positive stories that don't get told. We're going to tell them in a matter of fact, professional type of way to get the facts out there, so the professional athletes can read it and benefit from it."
With relevance and a good hold on its readers through niche-oriented content, OT and McNeil have plans for the future, including three or four possible OT spin-offs. An increased web presence could also be in store, but all additional projects are merely in the planning process for now.
"There could potentially be some programming with the magazine, but I think we're going to stay on course. And, as hard as it is, to continue to deliver that timeless content and timeless information, there are always new professional athletes coming into the different leagues and associations everyday, and they're going to need that information. Our goal is to build a community of people who want to share information. I think that our web presence will be much larger. We'll have a few more publications, whether in print or digital format, but I see us being around for a while."
McNeil is also dedicated to having a magazine whose past content remains relevant several years down the line. When an athlete picks up the first and second issues of Overtime, they should be able to find nuggets of information still applicable to the current day and age. It's all part of McNeil's effort to help in the total development and growth of the athlete. With the great fame and financial earnings these gifted individuals command comes a responsibility to be a role model and help better their communities.
"My charge is kind of to make the world a better place, and hopefully we've done some of that," said McNeil. "When it's all said and done, you want to have a positive impact on the world and the people around you, and that's what gets me up in the morning. Is it easy? It's not always easy. I wasn't the most talented guy on the team, but I hated to lose, and I still do. But there's a difference now. I don't fear failure. I think my biggest fear is doing my best, and that's one of the biggest motivating factors that I have."
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