A reason to cry
On March 29, 2025, the ‘Road to LA28’ program officially began in Accra, at the University of Ghana Rugby Field. There, nearly 100 hopefuls gathered, all fighting for the opportunity to be selected as part of a 50-player pool that would train and work towards representing Ghana on the Olympic stage.
Anticipation and excitement filled the air, as Asamoah, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones (all of the Vikings), Paulson Adebo (New York Giants), 2007 Super Bowl winner Joseph Addai, retired NFL defensive end Ziggy Ansah, and Jude Adjei-Barimah (once of college football side Bowling Green) watched on with keen interest.
Asamoah, 25, explained why he and his fellow American football stars are so engrossed in the project.
“I’m from here, and I want to be part of something special — helping the sport grow, and more importantly, seeing Ghana compete at the Olympics in LA28,” he said.
“I think I might cry to see that happen.”
Asamoah’s Ghanaian parents moved to the United States in 2000 in search of better opportunities, and shortly after their arrival, he was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was subsequently raised in Columbus, Ohio, along with his four siblings. The Asamoah family grew up with strong ties to football — the round ball version that version Americans prefer to call ‘soccer’, just to be clear.
That initial learning towards the ‘beautiful game’ was perhaps no great surprise, as it is by far the most popular sport in the African Nation.
The attraction was not to last, though, as young Brian soon weaned himself off the spherical ball and switched his interest to the egg-shaped one when his brother, Dominik, took up American football at Fairmont State University.
From there, the younger Asamoah’s trajectory kicked off, ultimately culminating in his ascent to the peak of gridiron.