Athlete Donations and More

Through the years, there have always been stories of athletes and the leagues they are associated with doing various works for charity. Most of the time, it’s just a small collection of players who donate their time, money, or celebrity. Some athletes have even gone as far as creating their own charitable foundation during their tenures with their current franchise. In the economic world our current athletes live in, there is an even greater opportunity for our local sports heroes to give back to the community. Depending on the league the athlete is a member of, the average salaries have skyrocketed over the last 20 years to unbelievable amounts. The mass marketing machine of jersey sales, commercial appearances, and various forms of free agency have created a seemingly bottomless pit of riches for some athletes, whether they are great or not.

Now, I have nothing against players wanting to keep the money they have earned because on average, a professional athlete’s career is very short lived. But, if a player has been given the opportunity to make exorbitant amounts of money through maximizing their talents at playing a game, I think they should definitely be held accountable to give a little bit back to their community. In all reality, the community is what makes the player his or her money. Without the fans, the player would not have the vault of money at their disposal. Fans come in all shapes and sizes. There are fans that purchase season tickets, fly to away games, buy paraphernalia, and the list goes on. There are also fans that cannot afford to do all of these but still support the player by watching the games on television, listening on the radio, or following them on the internet.

The professional athlete becomes a hero in a lot of people’s lives. Someone they look up to, someone they respect, someone they follow as closely as a relative of their family. If the athlete chooses to utilize his fame for the betterment of society rather than personal gain via autograph sales, speaking engagements, etc, the player will maximize his stature and help further the community’s growth. I’m not asking players to go out of their way to make sure their name shows up in the spotlight going over every minute detail of their charitable donations, that’s not the goal. The goal is to make an impact in the people’s lives that help support the professional athlete. Not just any impact, but a profound one.

I ran across a small segment relating to this topic in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the other day written by Bernie Miklasz. That article touched me in a way that I think will help open the eyes of others out there. Here is the segment: Quote “Kudos to Kurt and Brenda Warner, who were in Wentzville on Friday to furnish a new home for a mother and her two children who were displaced in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. This was the 17th home built by Habitat For Humanity that’s been furnished by Warner’s First Things First Foundation, and the eighth in the St. Louis area. “It’s awesome to use God’s blessings to help people and make dreams come true,” Warner told Randy Karraker of KSLG (1380 AM). “And every time it feels so good, you can’t wait to do the next one.” End Quote.

How awesome is that? Not only has Kurt created his own charitable foundation, but he is actively supporting the needs of those in our communities with his own time, money, and efforts. We need more people like this in our communities, not just professional athletes. Everyone thinks that to make a difference, you have to have money to donate. That is most definitely not the case! Time is one of the most valuable commodities in this world we live in. If all you have is time to donate, you are very rich and you should be very proud to offer it. I hope after reading this post, you leave with an opening in your heart to seek out causes in your community that can benefit from the fruits you can offer. You don’t have to be a multi-millionaire to make a difference. You can be any ordinary citizen just offering time to help make the community a better place.

In closing, I think we should help promote the charitable foundation idea to our local sports heroes or community leaders and then we should also turn this around to ourselves. With money and time, our communities can tackle any need we face. Community centers, better school supplies, donations to charities, helping the local schools, creating scholarships, the list is endless. Start small, or start big, but just start. There is always a cause out there that is in dire need of help.

Citation: St. Louis Post-Disptach/Bernie Miklasz 4/12/08