Living up to a legend’s name is no easy task, and no matter where EJ Smith goes on a football field, he’s looked at a bit differently than most.

That’s because the Texas A&M running back, who hopes to be drafted later this month, is the son of Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

Smith worked primarily as a backup in college, but at the very least, he did get a workout with his dad’s former Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.

But there was a time in high school, the Hall of Famer said, that his son began to feel the pressure of living up to the likes of his father.

“He came to me one day, he asked the question, ‘How do I deal with all the pressure?’ And I was wondering the type of pressure he was under. He said, ‘Just the pressure of living up to what everybody expects and everything else,’” Smith recalled in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

“And I broke it down pretty simply. I just asked the one fundamental question. I said, ‘What is everyone saying?’ ‘Everyone expected me to be this and everyone expected me to be that and do this and do that.’ I said, ‘What are your expectations? Are your expectations any different than what they want for you?’ And he said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Where’s the pressure?’

“Here’s the thing – you gotta run your race, and you gotta disregard what other people are saying. Because you have whatever ability you have, you have to be yourself. And you have to work at being yourself and work at what you need to do to hone your craft. Just go play the game. Put your blinders on. Run your race. You like the horses at the Kentucky Derby. And then when the blinders come off, you may look up one day and find yourself in the damn Super Bowl. You never know.

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“But stay the course, disregard all the noise out there ’cause it is noise. And they’re not playing. They’re trying to put their stuff on you and their expectations on you. But if their expectations are different than yours, it don’t matter. Just go meet every expectation that you’re trying to meet. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

Smith said he and EJ talk about “everything under the sun,” making it clear that his top role in life is being a father. That, along with other personal experiences, is why he joined Narcan’s “Ready to Rescue” initiative to stop overdoses during the current opioid epidemic.

Smith’s sister-in-law had a “couple of overdose episodes” while on pain medication for chemo for colon cancer treatment. Smith also noted that his former teammates have had issues with opioids, and friends have even lost children. Although the circumstances are unfortunate, the recent partnership is a natural fit for Smith.

“I think that’s what makes it such a natural way to talk about it. There’s dealing with someone that you lost, or even growing up and seeing cousins, getting hooked on hardcore drugs, and then seeing them wean themselves off of it, going through that whole entire process of not understanding that there’s mechanisms out there that people can go to get help,” Smith said, adding his concern for the “rampant” run of fentanyl.

“Anybody is subject to get caught up in something at any point in time anywhere, and not even realize it. And so when that happens, you want to make sure that the people that are closest to you or around you have access to something like the Narcan nasal spray.

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The Smith family, of course, is hoping they get good news during the draft. But Smith has one more piece of advice for his son on how to deal with the pressure of waiting for a call.

“I told him on draft day, go play golf, go hang out, don’t even look at the damn TV,” he said. “Let your agent call you and say, ‘Hey man, we got something.’ Don’t even worry about draft day.”

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Often called “a tradition unlike any other,” the Masters golf tournament has a non-traditional media partner this year.

For the first time, Amazon Prime Video will stream two hours of early round live coverage from Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday and Friday (10 a.m. Pacific) ahead of ESPN’s telecasts on cable and its streaming platform. CBS will carry the final two rounds over the weekend as it has since 1956, while the network’s streaming platform Paramount+ will have two hours of early coverage on those days.

Amazon’s piece of the Masters came after years of talks the company conducted with Augusta National while building its portfolio of live sports events which include the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package, the NBA and NASCAR in the U.S. and Champions League Soccer and Wimbledon tennis in international markets.

Live sports rights are expensive — Amazon did not disclose what it’s paying for the Masters — but the biggest events guarantee large audiences, making them less risky than high-priced investments in scripted movies and TV series.

The Masters is the favorite week of golf enthusiasts and, similar to the Super Bowl, attracts casual fans as well. Last year, the final round on Sunday averaged 12.7 million viewers on CBS according to Nielsen, the highest since 2018.

The audience level peaked in the 7 p.m. Eastern half hour when 19.5 million viewers watched Rory McIlroy win his first green jacket after topping Justin Rose in a playoff following 18 holes. The triumph was a highly emotional conclusion to the ongoing drama of McIlroy’s pursuit of a career grand slam with victories at all four of golf’s major tournaments.

Augusta National takes special care to preserve the timeless experience of watching the best golfers in the world come together on the legendary course that first hosted the event in 1934. On-site fans, or patrons as they are called, are not permitted to have mobile phones.

But the folks running Augusta National are not Luddites. The Masters web site and app — developed by longtime tournament sponsor IBM — provides video of every shot. This year, the digital platform added a video vault that provides access to final round shots from 1968 to 2025.

Augusta National has tight control over the site and its content. But expanding coverage on Amazon recognizes the need to reach new generations of fans who are streaming-first in their viewing habits.

“Younger audiences have different expectations of how sports should be consumed,” said Tim Hanlon, chief executive of The Vertere Group a media industry consulting and advisory firm. “They are accustomed to flexibility, immediacy, and platform ubiquity. By those standards, the Masters has often appeared restrained, even stubbornly so.”

The TV deals for the Masters are known for having controlling restrictions. The networks carrying the tournament are limited to four commercial minutes per hour to enhance the viewing experience.

Amazon is adhering to those same rules in its presentation, while adding the data-driven analysis it has used in other sports coverage. Jared Stacy, vice president of global live sports production for Amazon, said in a recent interview that his team will maintain the understated tone of the Masters.

“I think we see the world a lot in the same way of really being respectful of the tradition of what the Masters is, but also being willing to innovate,” Stacy said.

Amazon has been careful to make longtime sports fans comfortable as more events move to Prime Video. The hiring of veteran sportscaster Al Michaels to handle “Thursday Night Football” immediately created a comfort zone for NFL viewers.

Stacy is applying the same formula to the Masters as Amazon has tapped golf legend Jack Nicklaus for guest commentary, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of his last victory at the event. Terry Gannon, a familiar face from the Golf Channel, will lead the coverage.

Amazon is expanding on the feature that has become the most popular element of the Masters web site by providing a continuous feed of the action throughout the weekend at Amen Corner, the famously challenging stretch of holes at Augusta National. It will provide hardcore golf fans with advanced stats and golf swing analysis.

As part of the buildup to the Masters coverage, Prime Video debuted “Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait” on March 30, a documentary on the popular golfer’s journey to his 2025 win. Additional programming matters to sports media partners as evidenced by the shout-out the project received from Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley at his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.

“This film exemplifies Amazon’s dedication to bringing premium golf content to audiences worldwide,” Ridley said. “We look forward to a long relationship with Prime Video.”

While the limitations Augusta National has put on its coverage have helped make the Masters a distinctive sporting event, the rabid golf fan believes more is better.

“The mystique isn’t threatened by having more eyeballs on it,” said Bo McBrayer, co-host of the BettingPros golf podcast. “I wish I could watch every golfer hit every shot on demand, even more so at the Masters.”

The aftermath of Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest continues to unfold, as many are concerned about the 15-time major winner, while also condemning using a motor vehicle in an inebriated state.

Caitlyn Jenner, the Olympic gold-medal-winning decathlete and media personality, made an appearance on OutKick’s “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” where she was asked her opinions on Woods’ situation.

Woods’ DUI arrest resulted in charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while he drove impaired.

“I look at Tiger and I saw what happened and I just think he needs to get humble,” Jenner said to Lahren. “Go to a recovery place, recover, clean himself up, and get back to being Tiger.”

Woods released a statement after his arrest and entering a not guilty plea, saying he understood the severity of the situation. He also noted that he would be stepping away from golf to “seek treatment.”

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As a result, Woods is not in the field at this week’s Masters Tournament. He admitted to law enforcement at the scene of his rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Fla. that he was “hoping to” be at Augusta National Golf Club this week.

While Woods seeks treatment, Jenner said people will be rooting for the legendary golfer to get back healthy.

“People love a comeback story. And what a comeback that could be if he could do that,” Jenner said. “He’s had so many health issues over the years, and injuries and back pain, and this and that. It’s a vicious cycle downhill, but you can [come back]. But it has to be done professionally. You have to go to a place that can help you out.”

A judge granted Woods’ request to receive treatment outside the country.

“I think Tiger’s a good person. He’s not a bad person. He’s a great person,” Jenner added. “And he wants to do good. He just has to get his life straightened out and get back to doing what he loves is playing golf.

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“So, yeah, I wish him nothing but the best. He’s not a bad person. He’s a good person. It’s just that I think he’s in a bad place because of all the pain and everything that he’s been through. Yeah. And I wish them the best, but he needs professional help to do that.”

This arrest marked Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and falling asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.

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