Spring Break
"General"-ly Speaking: Pro Athletes Finally Step up to the Plate
Joshua P. Gaccione
Issue date: 9/14/05 Section: Sports
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On the East coast, Duke University Athletic Department supported a week of events, which featured a "Stuff the Bus" event in which students crammed as many bodies into a bus as possible to help raise funds for the Hurricane Relief Efforts.
However, this is not only a collegiate effort. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in their general charity funds for hurricane victims. The Boston Red Sox went so far as to have players walk the track of the field with their ball caps outstretched taking donations from spectators.
The National Football League is also sponsoring the NFL Hurricane Relief Weekend kicking off with telethons on Saturday and Sunday, and closing with two Monday Night Football matchups, including the displaced New Orleans Saints who will play their home game at Giants stadium 'hosting' the incumbent New York Football Giants.
Other professional athletes are getting in on the act as well. Serena Williams is donating a cool grand for every ace she has for the rest of the year. Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts who are originally from areas in the south affected by Katrina actually assisted hands-on in humanitarian efforts. Even "Mr. Me" himself, Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks donated almost one million dollars to relief efforts.
Do these voluntary acts of kindness, by a mere fraction of the seemingly unappreciative sporting world, mean I'm willing to forget about the "I am not a role model" Charles Barkleys, or the "I just need to feed family" Latrelle Sprewells of the world? Absolutely not. Nor will it sway the opinions of most of the blue-collar, nine to five working fans who can't afford to take their families to the sporting events anyway. It is nice; however, to actually have something positive to say about the overpaid premadonnas who we seemingly let control our lives. I'd say "keep it up," but unfortunately when New Orleans is ultimately rebuilt it will take another 'disaster' for the sporting world to come on back down to earth.
However, this is not only a collegiate effort. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in their general charity funds for hurricane victims. The Boston Red Sox went so far as to have players walk the track of the field with their ball caps outstretched taking donations from spectators.
The National Football League is also sponsoring the NFL Hurricane Relief Weekend kicking off with telethons on Saturday and Sunday, and closing with two Monday Night Football matchups, including the displaced New Orleans Saints who will play their home game at Giants stadium 'hosting' the incumbent New York Football Giants.
Other professional athletes are getting in on the act as well. Serena Williams is donating a cool grand for every ace she has for the rest of the year. Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts who are originally from areas in the south affected by Katrina actually assisted hands-on in humanitarian efforts. Even "Mr. Me" himself, Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks donated almost one million dollars to relief efforts.
Do these voluntary acts of kindness, by a mere fraction of the seemingly unappreciative sporting world, mean I'm willing to forget about the "I am not a role model" Charles Barkleys, or the "I just need to feed family" Latrelle Sprewells of the world? Absolutely not. Nor will it sway the opinions of most of the blue-collar, nine to five working fans who can't afford to take their families to the sporting events anyway. It is nice; however, to actually have something positive to say about the overpaid premadonnas who we seemingly let control our lives. I'd say "keep it up," but unfortunately when New Orleans is ultimately rebuilt it will take another 'disaster' for the sporting world to come on back down to earth.
