We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Philip McDonald, M.D., also known as Dr. X in the sports medicine field, has joined the GO Sleeves family. Dr. X is the newest addition to our Sports Advisory Board, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team.

Dr. X's journey in medicine is a story of dedication and excellence. He earned his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed a specialized fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology at the prestigious Duke University Medical Center. His passion for sports medicine radiology has set a high standard in the care and performance of professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB in over 40 states. He runs a teleradiology practice, PrimeTime Radiology LLC, which serves top athletes in major leagues across over 40 states.

Beyond medicine, Dr. X’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to the sports industry. He is the proud owner of the LA Ignite, a TBL basketball team. This venture is set to invigorate the Los Angeles basketball scene with skill, passion, and a fresh vision for the sport. The Los Angeles Ignite represents a team and a movement towards a more integrated and impactful approach to sports.

Dr. X's involvement with GO Sleeves goes beyond advisory capacities. He is also a new investor, demonstrating his belief and commitment to the potential of GO Sleeves. His vast experience in pro sports medicine and his discerning eye make him a valuable asset in our mission to keep every body in motion. Together, we look forward to the journey ahead and the positive impact we're set to make in the world of sports. Welcome, Dr. X – here's to a future of success and groundbreaking achievements!

Learn more about Dr. X in our interview below.

Darren: Well, it's good to have you here. And I want to focus on this creative intersection you have of your formal background and then getting into sports because that's just been a remarkable, extraordinary journey. But let's start with your traditional background. I know you're the chief medical officer for Parker Health. How did that journey begin? And how'd you get there first?

Dr. X: Parker Health was something that I was interested in investing in. I met someone named Vinny Lopez. He is on the Forbes 30 under 30 list and is the CEO and founder of Parker Health. A pastor friend of mine introduced us in church. After meeting, I  thought that some people might be interested in investing in his biotech engineering company that deals with electronic health medical records and things of that nature. After hearing enough about the company, I decided to invest myself.  I offered my expertise as the chief medical officer, and they took me up on it. And the rest is history!

Darren: Right on. And you have this unique background. You’ve taken your medical background and turned it into a little bit of an influencer role and created some expert content on professional athletes and some of the things they go through from a health and safety perspective. So how did that come about?

Dr. X: Ah, that was in 2010. I was really into fantasy sports, so I contacted NBA TV. I was a radiology resident, had already graduated from medical school in 2006, and had a significant interest in sports. So I emailed them they should have a physician on air to discuss the player’s injuries. They responded within three hours, saying, “You know, we had someone in the past, but he likes your sports experience, and we would like to use you. Why don't you come down?” So I shot a pilot video or episode of what I could do for them, and they offered the role to me, and I was their medical analyst a month later. So I was talking about Stephen Curry's multiple ankle injuries, Kobe Bryant's Achilles injury, they would call me for those kinds of reports.

It was a bit of a downer because I was only on air. After all, these guys are getting hurt, you know? But, I was able to break down the injuries in layperson’s terms, and the audience appreciated how I was able to educate them at the same time while giving them valuable information for their fantasy team or just their favorite player’s statuses. just knowing how they're doing, the outcome, and the long-term and short-term effects for these players going forward. There was Blake Griffin around that time. He was a rookie, and he had a patellar tendon rupture, I think with a fracture as well. Greg Oden did a similar thing. I did that from 2010 to 2015 and still have great connections at Turner Sports. They don't do the fantasy sports show anymore, so as a result, they only call me if there's a major injury or update, something like what happened to Kobe.

Darren: Now, it's an interesting bridge because, as an investor and advisor for GO Sleeves, instead of talking about the health and safety of players, you get to impact the health and safety of athletes. 

Dr X: Absolutely. The same thing happened with Parker Health. I put my money where my mouth is or where my interest is. I believe in the product and invested in it, and that's exactly how I feel about GO Sleeves. It's a great testament, not only by using my talents and medical knowledge to say, “Okay, this is a feasible and viable product.” But I'm also personally invested in the company and want to tell people about it. different in that I'm an investor and an expert. And I know something good and something valuable when I see it.

Darren: Yeah, man. And that's what I appreciated about going through the process with you, just the questions, diligence, and type of conversations we were having. And who better to educate than medical professionals like yourself that believe in the product. You have just an incredible depth of background and understanding of reputable products backed by science that can make a difference in athlete’s lives. 

Dr X: Yeah, absolutely. I have been excited for the NFL season and watching the players that you guys already have GO Sleeves, because that is huge.

Darren: Totally, we have over 40 NFL players who use GO Sleeves and K-Recover Cream during games or after games for recovery. And I think what's most interesting is again, going back to your background with athletes, we are actively trying to prevent injury from happening in the first place, and to help guys be more proactive about taking care of their bodies through mitigating inflammation, tightness and fatigue. And that's one of the common bonds that we all share in this team, wanting to be on the front end to help athletes take care of their bodies and do a better job at recovery. 

Dr X: Yeah, I'm enjoying being on the preventative side of things, but it's also the rehab side. We will be able to help people recover from injury or maintain their new normal, their new baseline of functioning, and make them feel like they've never been injured before. You know, giving them that support that they need.

Darren: Absolutely! We're happy to have you along for the ride and appreciate the kind of network you bring along. And then talk briefly about what you're building and launching here in the next few months.

Dr X: I recently purchased a basketball team, the LA Ignite, a TBL Basketball Team. And that's something that I'm excited about. It's a pro league that it's a showcase League where players who are left in limbo between G League, the NBA, and playing overseas can showcase their talents between March and June. And to do it in a big city like LA, where I live and where I have great connections and a great network, is amazing. I chose the name Ignite because I have a ministry called Ignite LA. And ignite LA that ignites the community to continue doing what they're doing or inspire others to become involved in helping others. Something that we plan on doing when we do start the season is giving away care packages to the homeless, and giving these care packages to our fans so when they have something on their person, when they're getting off the exit, or they're traveling, walking on the street, in their book bag, they're able to hand it out to the homeless people. So we're just empowering people to learn how to serve their community and enabling them to return to it. 

Being a part of the big market is a blessing because we have the Lakers, we have the Clippers, we have the NHL LA Kings, the Dodgers, the Angels, we have the LA Galaxy soccer team, the Chargers and Rams, and all these other teams in LA that can join forces with their already established community service initiatives. It's going to be fun, it's going to be something that's motivating, and just be helping hands to what's already out there. So, we're excited to start our inaugural season in March of 2024. There are about 50 teams currently in the TBL between America and Canada. And it's only growing. The leagues will be joining forces, so there's all this opportunity. There are a lot of players that we can help, and a lot of data that we can obtain while helping players, which shows me that it's a viable product. We're also using a big statistics module, and the NBA will also start using it soon. And so you're like, it's a different ecosystem but overlapping. It's a showcase league, so there is a lot of overlap. And hopefully, it will lead to more visibility as players from our league get pulled into the NBA. So I'm excited about that part of it. I also just built an in-home studio for my show, “The X-Rayted Sports Network, “ which you've also seen.

Darren: It's a fantastic studio. I can't wait for you to get it out there!

Dr. X: We just shot a couple of pilots last year and will get it out there. We're accumulating as much content as possible to establish a good infrastructure. It's a labor of love and a labor of fun. But we're going to use the studio as a platform to launch many projects we're working on, whether it be the basketball team, interviewing guests and spotlighting their charity, and giving viewers what they want to hear. Our tagline is about how we go beyond the surface X-ray into sports. Some players have joked that I had the X-ray vision because I am a physician, radiologist, and sports medicine physician. And so, hence the name Dr. X as my moniker. That's what we love to do, to go beyond the surface. And full circle that is what GO Sleeves does, backed by actual research and medical science. It's not just a compression sleeve, but it's Kinesiology Tape embedded in a sleeve, which can get the players the added benefit of what kinesiology tape is used for, along with the compression. We're not just throwing colorful sleeves on people that are just really fashion statements. So yes, there are going to be a lot of good things on launching that we're able to use those platforms to get the word further out there and just build our network.

Darren: Agreed and I can't wait to partner up with you on the TBL side with The Ignite and be able to work with the athletes and the data. There will be a lot of creative opportunity space there to work in once things get rolling. And I also love how all your paths come together somehow. You know, like the TBL on that team, it is an opportunity to invest in your sports passion, but I love how it's also creating a footprint for the work you're doing in terms of social good and taking care of people. It's nice to build a platform where you can put the mission and values behind it. And it's very, very similar to what we're trying to do with GO Sleeves. It’s just a platform to help people be more aware of taking care of themselves and being at their peak. And it doesn't matter what the top end of what people can do is. That’s where we want you to be, whatever that is, if that's just getting out and walking three blocks, then let's do that. But whatever your top end is, that's where we want you to be. And I think that's always where things go better when there's a platform where there's a bigger story, there's a mission and some values behind it. And the platform is just that vehicle to enable it. And so I love that everything you do seems to be about that mission and those core values. It’s one of the reasons we vibe so well!

Dr. X: Yeah, same here, brother. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Yeah, I try to be intentional about all of my plans. And I don't want to be that guy who just comes up with a flash of bright ideas and then doesn't follow through on them. And then there's like a whole graveyard of ideas that are never realized, so I kind of grew and, you know, I always felt like okay, I know I have a lot of ideas. I have a lot of things I'm excited about, but even as a young man, I need to get through medical school because that's what's going to pay the bills. That's what was going to give me the flexibility. I even chose radiology precisely because of that. I knew it would provide me with the ability, income, and respect to walk into any room. But ultimately, I want to utilize my talents and maximize my talents. And so I knew I had to check that box. And, now I'm just checking different boxes and maximizing my talents while maintaining what I have already done. You can be successful, but if you don't continue to be successful and build the framework, it will be impossible to level up. You don't want to be stagnant, like a pool of water, you want to be like a river, that's constantly feeding everybody around you.

Darren: Well, you couldn’t have found a better partner to do this with! You and Sheléa had the same commitment to philanthropy and serving your community, so you guys are quite the partnership! And like you said, the passion is there and it's great to see, so congratulations. You know, a lot of people don't find that in a partner, so it’s really amazing to experience.

Dr. X: I know. And I'm just so blessed to have a supportive spouse that actually is excited about things that I'm excited about! My hobbies and interests, even if it's not 100% her passion, she still finds joy in seeing me happy, and then finding ways to contribute and make it practical for her to contribute. And not just, you know, just being a cheerleader, but just like having real interests, having real enthusiasm, giving me advice, being supportive or giving me even the latitude to fail, because none of this stuff is guaranteed to be successful. But sometimes you have to give yourself the latitude to fail because otherwise, he will never try anything. So just having a supportive spouse that is there to support you, regardless of whether there's success or failure ultimately, it helps to have that support coming home, you know, because we know there's going to be doubters, but it's great to have your spouse by your side through it all.

Darren: Amen, brother. I can't agree with that more. I'm fortunate to have a similar backing.

Dr. X: Yeah, yeah. And it's essential, it's important to have that. It was great meeting your wife, Michelle, recently. Seeing how you guys interact and how you guys are supportive of each other that's amazing. It takes effort to do these things to walk the tightrope on your own. So you know, that special partner becomes almost like an extra safety net for you. And it doesn't mean you don't fall, but the net will keep you from destroying yourself. I'm just excited. I know the way we're setting things up, there will never really be “failure.” It’s more about just learning and improving. I just think, at this point, it's a win-win with the people we're surrounding ourselves with. I love your experience in the industry, which gave me confidence in investing in GO Sleeves, and I appreciate that you can provide all the nitty-gritty information that we need to be confident and move forward. 

Darren: I appreciate you! When you have people with the right mindset, and you know that there will be setbacks, you don't expect perfection, but the quicker you can learn and pivot based on that, the more you get stuff done.  Roy and I, and everybody else on this team, know that everything's a learning opportunity. And it's always going to be as supportive as we can be. You know, then you don't start to manifest those downward spirals. So far so good.