1. 8/21/16, 11:16 AMMom's a Genius: Local NBA mom opens The Pro Shop in Detroit, a sports and convenient mart - WXYZ.com
Page 1 of 2http://www.wxyz.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/moms-…mom-opens-the-pro-shop-in-detroit-a-sports-and-convenient-mart
Mom's&a&Genius:&Local&NBA
mom&opens&The&Pro&Shop&in
Detroit,&a&sports&and&convenient
mart
BY:&JoAnne Purtan, Whitney Amann
POSTED:&4:30 PM, Jul 20, 2016
UPDATED:&1:22 PM, Jul 21, 2016
DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) - A Detroit mom of three professional basketball players opens a
"sports and convenient mart" in the Northwest Activities Center.
The Pro Shop was opened last year by Sylvia Crawford, a local Detroit mom. This is the
latest venture by her and her husband's company "Going Pro", a sports management
company they started in 2005 when their oldest son was being recruited by college
basketball teams.
You can find everything at The Pro Shop from healthy food choices to workout clothing and
gear showing off your favorite teams.
Sylvia knows a thing or two about sports.
"I have three sons...all of them are athletes," she says. And they are all big time basketball
players.
Her oldest son Joe played at the University of Kentucky before being drafted by the LA
Lakers and going on to play a season with the New York Knicks. Her middle son Jordan
played at Xavier University before playing with both the Boston Celtics and Golden State
Warriors. Her youngest son Jalen has also played throughout college and is helping his
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WEATHER % TRAFFIC4 % ALL&SECTIONS 70°!

2. 8/21/16, 11:16 AMMom's a Genius: Local NBA mom opens The Pro Shop in Detroit, a sports and convenient mart - WXYZ.com
Page 2 of 2http://www.wxyz.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/moms-…mom-opens-the-pro-shop-in-detroit-a-sports-and-convenient-mart
mom this summer at the pro shop while he is home.
"This is a neighborhood in northwest Detroit that my husband, myself, and all of my
children...this is where we were raised in northwest Detroit," explains Sylvia after being
asked why she chose this location to open her store. "One thing that we feel very strongly
about is we want to be a part of the revitalization of the city of Detroit, and so one of the
things that we are focusing on is neighborhood revitalization. So, that is one of the reasons
that we started this business in our neighborhood."
Besides operating her store and managing her son's careers, she manages sporting events
and provides marketing help. Her game plan continues to evolve.
"There's a lot of young people who sometimes become disappointed once they get to that
point where they can no longer play the game," says Sylvia.
Her business goal is to teach kids that sports is business that includes a lot more than just
playing.
"We're going to bring the sports career camp here and so young people who normally come
to camp and just play are going to also learn about the careers in sports."
The Pro Shop is located in the basement of the Northwest Activities Center in Detroit.
You can visit the Going Pro website for more information on Sylvia's services for
management, camps, consulting, and more.
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