Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes Joins NFL Atlanta Falcons as Sponsor

Olympic gold medalist and Silver Spring native Domnique Dawes is one of four additions to the ownership group of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, according to an announcement Tuesday from team owner and president Arthur Blank.

“The unique opportunity Mr. Blank has afforded me allows me to increase my positive impact on members of the Atlanta community, a place close to my heart,” Dawes, 47, said in a statement posted on the Falcons website. “Having served as a global ambassador for the United States, I hope that my platform and influence as one of the few African-American women sponsors of the National Football League will have (a) broad impact throughout the NFL community and beyond.”

Dawes is the owner and CEO of Dominique Dawes Gymnastics and Ninja Academies in Clarksburg and Rockville, and a third location is expected to open in Columbia this year, according to the company’s website.

In creating her training academies, Dawes set out to change the sometimes toxic culture that athletes like her had trained in – and which had been the subject of controversy in recent years.

“What we preach here is what we teach here, in the sense that it’s about empowering your child,” Dawes told Bethesda Magazine in 2022. “We’re not in the business of tearing your child down for come up, so that you, as a parent, will have to pick up the pieces later. It’s not about getting your child to the top of a podium. It’s all about building a healthy culture and helping parents recognize the value of being in a positive and empowering environment.

Dawes joins the Falcons ownership group as a sponsor. She is a three-time Olympic gymnast and competed in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. In addition to being part of the 1996 gold medal-winning “Magnificent Seven” team, Dawes won two Olympic medals. team bronze in 1992 and 2000 and an individual bronze medal in 1996.

“What I accomplished in 1996, winning the first American team gold medal in gymnastics and being the first African American to win gold, in the city of Atlanta, gave me, to the greatest platform to continually inspire others,” she said. in his statement.

His role as a member of the Falcons ownership group was approved Tuesday by all 32 NFL owners at league meetings in Nashville, according to the Falcons. In addition to Dawes, former Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer, film and television producer Will Packer and venture capitalist Rashaun Williams have also joined the Falcons’ ownership group as limited partners, pending finalization of deals.

“Roz, Dominique, Will and Rashaun are impressive leaders who have made an impact in various businesses, while building success stories, making a difference in the world around them and positively impacting people in a positive way. which aligns very well with our core values. ” Blank said in a Falcons press release.

Dawes attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring before transferring and graduating from Gaithersburg High School. She graduated from the University of Maryland and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame in 2022. Last fall, she was elected to the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame, according to the Dawes Academies website.

She married her husband, Jeff Thompson, in 2013 and the couple have four children, the website says.

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