After leading his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to victory for the second time during this years Super Bowl, we caught up with our Swiss Roots spokesperson, Ben Roethlisberger for the first time since his trip to Switzerland three years ago. Considered a superhero by many, we asked Ben who he looks up to—and a bunch of other questions about why it's fun being "Big Ben."
Who was you favourite super hero as a kid-and why?
My favorite superhero growing up was superman, because he could do anything!
A lot of people look up to you now-who do you look up to?
I always have looked up to my Dad and still do.
You did some singing in a Superbowl ad last year-- if you weren't playing
football, what else would you be doing?
Well I would love to play in the NBA (National Basketball League), but realistically I would probably be a teacher or coach.
You are 2nd generation Swiss and you visited Switzerland for the first time a few years ago-- before that, what sort of picture did you have of the country?
I didn’t know much about Switzerland but I knew that it was a beautiful country.
What was the most striking thing about your trip? What was the most fun?
The whole country is so beautiful. The mountains were spectacular. We loved going to see the small towns and see all the sites that Switzerland has to offer – the dairy farms and making cheese; blowing the alphorns, all of it was fun. Being able to share it with my family was the great I got my dog (Bernese Mountain Dog) from there so that was the best part. He is a constant reminder of the great trip that I took to Switzerland with my family.
Hollywood comes a-calling with several movie offers, your pick would be:
a) A comedy/buddy movie with Vince Vaughn.
b) A sci-fi action movie with VIn Diesel- you're the Bad Guy.
c) A spy thriller with Natalie Portman.
Any action movie with guns and fast cars, I would probably take the spy thriller.
What do you do to relax or unwind?
I love to play golf; go fishing, hunting and spend time on the water boating.
The best thing about being in the NFL is ________?
All the kids that look up to me. It is inspiring to see all of the younger fans at the games and around town. I was one of those kids who loved sports and looked up to the pros and now I get to play the game that I love…its great.
Quarterbacks have more fun because _________ ?
We always have the ball and everyone wants to be us.
Any advice for the young people out there?
Don’t ever give up on your dreams, and never give up.
Read more about Ben Roethlisberger and his trip to Switzerland here.
