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Online FIFA gamer Spencer Owen leverages following to raise funds for The Movember Foundation.
Sports philanthropy does not always look how we imagine. Spencer Owen is a FIFA gamer with a popular YouTube channel and creator of the professional eSports team Hashtag United. Owen’s love of soccer sparked his FIFA video game hobby, and as he vlogged about it, his subscriber base grew. He has built a massive following on social media, accumulating over 3 million followers across his personal accounts. Owen brings together online gamers to talk and play FIFA, and recently, established the Wembley Cup, a real life soccer game for online players. This November, Owen identified an opportunity to leverage his gaming community for good. This month is widely known as Movember, or Mustache November and originated as a way to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. Men grow out their facial hair and donate to The Movember Foundation. On November 25, Owen kicked off a 24 hour charity stream on his YouTube channel to raise money for The Movember Foundation. The marathon streaming has brought in $52,000 and counting for men’s health initiatives. Sports proves time and again to be a unifier, and Owen’s campaign is yet another example of its power to unite and mobilize. He has used modern technology and a love of soccer to bring online gamers together in the name of charity. Click here for more details.
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Manchester City announces the return of Cityzens Giving, a global charity initiative to support youth soccer programs worldwide.
Manchester City announced the return of Cityzens Giving, a global charity initiative, aimed at funding community football projects run by young people around the world. Aptly named, Manchester City is providing its fans and young people an opportunity to engage with the football club in a meaningful way to make a difference across the globe. City Football Group and its partners have committed 400,000 pounds, which will go to giving fans an opportunity to support six community football projects in six cities around the world. According to Beyond Sport, “the projects have been created to tackle pressing issues affecting young people in their city including substance abuse, unemployment and disability inclusion.” Community leaders in Manchester, New York City, Melbourne, Mexico City, Beijing, and Bandung lead the project efforts. Fans of City Football Group’s clubs (Manchester City, New York City FC, and Melbourne City FC) decide how projects are funded by voting on the project that most inspires them. City Football Group Chief Executive, Ferran Soriano said: “Our Cityzens Giving initiative, now in its third year, gives our fans around the world the chance to empower young people through the universal language of football. We are proud to support young community football leaders doing inspiring work in their communities and are delighted that so many fans have chosen to participate.” According to Beyond Sport, this year’s projects are:
What makes this initiative such a compelling and innovative one is that the clubs engage their fans for social good. The decision power transitions to the fans with the seed money coming from the ownership group. As a result, it builds fan affinity and a deeper relationship beyond just wins and losses. Click here and here for more details. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban taps his foundation to fund research on HGH and ACL recovery.
Billionaire Mark Cuban has his hands, and money, in a lot of projects. He’s a genius investor and avid sports fan, and he has recently taken an interest in how he can help athletes who suffer from ACL injuries. Always the innovator, Cuban has spent $1 million from his personal foundation to fund research on whether human growth hormone (HGH) can speed athletes’ recovery from serious injuries. As an NBA owner, Cuban has some personal stake in the study results, but more than 200,000 Americans tear their ACLs every year, so it could have major implications for medicine. Cuban was approached by physiologist and athletic trainer Christopher Mendias to back research on the benefits of HGH. Cuban jumped on board, explaining, “Working together could lead us from the path of demonizing HGH and even testosterone towards a complete understanding. It could allow us to make a data-based decision rather than the emotional decision we are currently making.” The timing of Cuban’s investment comes as the NFL begins to explore the effects of medical marijuana on their athletes’ injuries and pain management. As technology advances and our knowledge of historically banned substances evolves, we may begin to see loosened regulations across professional sports leagues. Cuban’s foundation is making a noteworthy move to support an issue that directly impacts athletes everywhere. Click here for more details. Professional athletes align with causes and charities to help make a difference in the community.
Professional athletes and teams are some of the most recognizable figures around the world. While constantly in the limelight, these athletes build up a national and international fan base, with millions of supporters following their every move. Athletes try to focus on results on the field or the court, until a cause becomes personal. These individuals have an incredible platform to engage a legion of fans and followers to support causes, and this concept is just scratching the surface in terms of its potential. The New York Times recently ran a column focusing on the causes close to athletes and high-profile individuals and how they leveraged this to impact a community. For example, Jay Fishman became the CEO of Travelers in 2004. However, in 2014, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mr. Fishman said, “I came a little tongue and cheek to one of two conclusions, either because I was being punished for something I did in a previous life that was horrible or alternatively because I could make a difference.” Since Travelers is a lead sponsor at a PGA golf tournament, the idea was born to raise money for ALS related causes at the event. Almost $2.8 million was raised at the PGA event, and coupling that with $20 million that Mr. Fishman personally gave for research and potential treatments. The pairing of sports and charity became a platform for the brand that everyone could rally around. Charitable organizations love being associated with sports teams for the brand lift and recognition that is received. Sports fans are more inclined to give to causes linked to their favorite teams or players. According to Alisha Greenberg, founder of Rounding Third, which tracks sports philanthropy efforts, “A lot of motivation comes from the owners. If an owner is philanthropic or passionate, they will be a stronger community advocate.” “We do focus on youth, which is our sweet spot,” said Kathy Behrens, the president of social responsibility and player programs at the N.B.A., which runs the NBA Fit program. “We really try to find organizations that share our values, have excellent programming and good metrics in place, and we try to help them to do their jobs.” Because sports attract so much attention, teams and leagues receive dozens of pitches for partnership each year. The organizations need to be strategic in who they work with in order to maximize philanthropic efforts and to create a win-win relationship." Click here for more details. Following the Rio Olympics, gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman becomes spokesperson for Reebok’s body positive campaign.
The 2016 Olympics are long over, but the Final Five, America’s powerhouse women’s gymnastics team, is still making waves. Simone Biles is promoting her new autobiography, Lauren Hernandez just won Dancing With the Stars, and Gabby Douglas is preparing to judge Miss America 2017. The leader of the pack, veteran Aly Raisman, is using her platform to promote messages of self-love and acceptance. Recently, Raisman joined Reebok’s #PerfectNever campaign to advocate for body positive messages for young women everywhere. Raisman recounts being shamed for her muscular physique and confesses to being insecure about her body as a girl. At 22, she has finally realized that the very thing that made her feel insecure has made her one of the best gymnasts in the world. Now, she is using her own story as a way to talk to other young women about their insecurities. Olympic athletes are a bit different than other professional athletes in that they do not have a steady stream of income, especially in less popular sports like gymnastics. Still, while they may not have the resources to start foundations or donate thousands to charity, they can often utilize their fame to bring attention to important causes. Raisman has always supported younger gymnasts, lending her time to different gyms around the country. Now, she is spreading her uplifting message to a wider audience with the help of Reebok. Philanthropy involves donating one’s time, talent, or treasure to address social issues, and Raisman demonstrates that lending her name and face to a cause can have huge impact. Click here for more details. Germany Hosts the Laureus Sport for Good Summit.
Laureus used its global network to bring together over 100 partners to collaborate, exchange ideas, address challenges, and converse around the idea of sport as a catalyst for global development. Each Sport for Good program that Laureus supports was represented at the summit. The goal was to bring together the leaders in global development to deepen their understanding of sport as a driver of youth development. Topics that were addressed included obesity, racism, gun violence, to child marriage. According to the Laureus Foundation, a reoccurring focus was the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their connection to Sport for Good. Created by the United Nations, SDGs are a roadmap to success and prosperity for all inhabitants of our world. Within the roadmap are goals and objectives that nations and industry sectors are trying to achieve in the next decade plus. Laureus Sport for Good also refocuses its mission and vision to align with six key SDGs:
With the leaders in social innovation and youth development in the room, these exercises served as a helpful reminder to align with the SDGs. As a result, these leaders can work towards a common goal in conjunction with one another. If these six goals can be achieved, many of the social issues our world faces today will be positively impacted. Click here for more details. The NBA plans to step off the court and make a measurable impact on social-justice issues throughout the season.
Colin Kaepernick was the athlete who brought social justice to the forefront of the sports community. Although Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul made a stirring speech at the ESPYs around social issues, Kaepernick took it a step further by kneeling during the national anthem. While this spurred conversation and raised awareness for the issues, NBA players have planned to take action over symbolism. Bleacher Report interviewed over a dozen athletes in the past month to dive deeper into the issues. “I’m past the gestures,” New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony told Bleacher Report. “I’m past that. It’s all about creating things now and putting things in motion. So, that’s what I’m on. I’m trying to get guys on board with that and help them understand that—enough of the gesturing and talking and all of that stuff—we need to start putting things in place.” While Kaepernick laid the groundwork, NBA players have begun to take action, even without much media fanfare.
Adam Silver, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, said it best in reference to NBA players’ actions. He surmised that these basketball players’ views are, “We’ve moved past that stage already. … We will be judged by the substantive actions we’re taking in our communities.” The NBA is known as a leader in the social responsibility forefront. It’s a commitment from the top down – both at the league level and at the individual teams. The ownership, league office, and NBA superstars truly buy into the idea that they are leaders in the community and that action can repair relationships in the community and help heal the wounds of community members. Click here for more details. Trail Blazers’ guard opens first CJ McCollum Dream Center at a Boys and Girls Club in Northeast Portland.
The NBA’s 2015 Most Improved Player, CJ McCollum, has continued to shine in the early days of the 2016 season. Averaging 22 points per game, McCollum continues to prove why he has earned the $106 million contract from the Portland Trail Blazers. The good fortune has not been lost on McCollum. A longtime advocate for literacy and writing programs, the journalism major recently made a major investment in the Portland community. Partnering with MODA Health and other local entities, McCollum opened the first of several Dream Centers, learning spaces equipped with computers, books, and other tools to inspire young children to explore their passions and dreams. McCollum, who is making a name for himself as a top guard in the league as well as off the court as a budding journalist and media personality, can now add philanthropist to his various titles. He has been a model for how young pro athletes should manage their finances, particularly when it comes to charitable giving. Soon after signing his first contract, McCollum established a donor-advised fund, which has allowed him to make annual charitable contributions to his fund with delayed payouts to organizations of his choice. This philanthropic vehicle is much more easily managed and requires much less oversight than a typical foundation. The stories of professional athlete foundations failing are, unfortunately, too many to count. McCollum’s choice to employ a donor-advised fund gave him the freedom to invest in various causes over his first four years in the league while working out his options for a major community investment. McCollum decided on the Dream Center at the Blazers Boys and Girls Club in Portland after meeting with local youth to hear about their ambitions and to ask them what they needed in order to pursue their goals. Rather than creating and investing in programs that the community may not need, McCollum and partners took time to talk with their beneficiaries and identify the gaps in service. For underserved youth, technology and even print reading material is not always readily accessible. McCollum’s Dream Center supplies these necessary learning tools, which will jump start young boys’ and girls’ success. Lastly, McCollum’s philanthropic investment is sustainable and scalable. Plans include several more Dream Centers in different communities around Oregon. McCollum explained, “Portland has made a long-term commitment to me, and I am excited to now do the same with the communities that have been so supportive of me on my way to achieving my dream of playing in the NBA.” He has recognized early in his career that giving back positively impacts all involved, and he is establishing himself and his family as life-long givers. McCollum will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the lives of many Portlanders, and he will surely continue to make news both on and off the basketball court. Click here for more details. New York Met Curtis Granderson fights hunger insecurity in Chicago and New York City.
One of the most powerful drivers of charitable giving is personal experience. Often, philanthropists draw on life experience when considering how and to whom to give. Curtis Granderson, outfielder for the New York Mets, has done exactly that. Having grown up in a food desert in Chicago, Granderson has made hunger relief a priority for his Grand Kids Foundation. He has coined this initiative Grand Giving – a month-long campaign leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Granderson spends November fundraising for his partners in New York City and Chicago with the collective goal of ending hunger in both cities. The holiday season is by and large the most charitable time of year. Donors readily donate to organizations close to their hearts, and hunger relief tends to be a popular cause, perhaps because the holidays are centered on shared meals. Granderson has capitalized on this trend by establishing the Grand Giving initiative, hosting back-to-back celebrity fundraising galas to benefit his grocery partners. A Night of Grand Giving is supplemented by various other donation streams like “Check Out to Help Out” and social media fundraising. Funds from the Grand Giving campaign supply Thanksgiving day meals, as well as access to meals all year round. In 2013, Granderson donated 30,000 meals, and in two years he increased donations to 500,000. This year, the goal is to supply 1 million meals to individuals in need, and Granderson is more than halfway there. He has spent the days following his fundraisers personally delivering and serving meals to families around the city. Granderson has established himself as one of MLB’s most generous athletes, solidifying that reputation by receiving the 2016 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player that best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and team contribution. Click here for more details. The Football Business Awards recognize the work football clubs undertake as a part of their social responsibility strategies.
Similar to the ESPN Humanitarian of the Year Awards, the international football community has built out an awards ceremony that recognizes the corporate social responsibility efforts of its clubs. The following are award winners: Best Football Community Scheme (Premier League) - Arsenal FC/The Arsenal Foundation Arsenal supports the local community and works with Save the Children on projects on an international level including Grassroots Soccer in Zimbabwe. Other nominees were:
Best Football Community Scheme (non-Premier League) – Albion in the Community Albion in the Community aims at improving the outlook and aspirations of young people in their backyards. The strategic focuses are health and wellbeing, education, and skills and training. The other nominees were:
Best Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme – Sunderland AFC/ The Foundation of Light The Foundation of Light focuses on their strategy to “Involve. Educate. Inspire.” The foundation changes the lives of children, young people and their families through community and education programs. They are tasked with raising over 4 million pounds every year to run their programs. The other nominees were:
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