NFL: Marshawn Lynch proves that Oakland is more than just a city to him

Marshawn Lynch has joined the ownership group of the Oakland Roots Sports Club of the USL Championship, which is the second division of U.S. men's soccer.

The team was founded in 2018 and has spent the past two seasons in the third tier of the United States' professional soccer system.

Oakland Roots and Marshawn Lynch have teamed up with a local company called Goalsetter to help their community by setting up financial literacy courses for the city's youth.

Marshawn Lynch talks about his new ownership venture with @oaklandrootssc and his continued fight for his transforming cityhttps://t.co/Z7X0AzR37I pic.twitter.com/y6I8n8muRZ

— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) April 16, 2021

Here's what Lynch had to say about his latest venture:

"Growing up in The Town, we always could count on the pro teams in this area, but with most of those ones that I grew up with gone, I knew the minute I heard about the opportunity to join Oakland Roots, it wasn't just something I wanted to do, it was something I had to do."

Marshawn Lynch not only wanted to ensure that Oakland has a professional sports team but also that the city's youth has a bright future.

---

What made Marshawn Lynch partner with Goalsetter?

Marshawn Lynch works with Oakland's youth

Growing up in Oakland, Lynch knows firsthand how hard it is for young kids to survive without guidance. That was one of the primary reasons why Oakland Roots and Lynch partnered with Goalsetter, a financial literacy app for K-12 age students.

Goalsetter teaches children financial literacy through games like quizzes. Marshawn Lynch knows that he needs to help teach students about financials because it's something they'll need to carry them throughout their lives.

Beast Mode to the boardroom: The inimitable Marshawn Lynch joins the ownership group of USL Championship's Oakland Roots(via @OaklandRootsSC) pic.twitter.com/kxMZqzn8yW

— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) April 16, 2021

Lynch had this to say about joining Goalsetter:

"Giving kids in my home town a pro soccer club and players to look up to and a team that this community and city can get hella excited about was something I had to get down with. Then you layer in the commitment they are making to this city through all our grassroots efforts, the partnership with Goalsetter, just reassured and told me that the organization isn't just talking about creating change, but really being about that action and making s*** happen."

Marshawn Lynch has a soft spot in his heart for Oakland. He retired from the NFL in 2015 but returned in 2017 to play for the Oakland Raiders after the team announced their plans to move to Las Vegas.

The bruising running back played a couple of seasons for his hometown franchise before retiring for a second time at the end of the 2018 NFL season. He came out of retirement again at the tail-end of the 2019 season to play for the Seattle Seahawks.

Lynch expressed his desire to sign with a Super Bowl contender in December 2020, indicating that he may be eyeing a return to the NFL.