Professional sports teams and individual athletes are in a unique position to give back to their communities. Their visibility, fame, and wealth enable them to make strategic philanthropic donations and to inspire others to do the same.
There are many ways that sports teams use their positioning for charitable purposes. Here are some of the most interesting recent examples.
- Partnering with Companies to Drive Interest in Charitable Foundations
Many sports teams have created entire foundations devoted to philanthropic activities. For example, the New York Giants established the Giants Foundation, which is devoted to improving the New York region’s overall health and empowering local community youth.
The alternative investment platform Yieldstreet recently partnered with the Giant’s Foundation to help drive philanthropic efforts directly to the foundation. For every field goal that the team scores, Yieldstreet will automatically make a donation.
This is also a great opportunity for both the New York Giants and Yieldstreet to encourage financial literacy among the general population. Yieldstreet’s aim is to highlight opportunities to build wealth by providing alternative investment opportunities to generate passive income.
- Donations to Hospitals, Orphanages and Educational Foundations
Babe Ruth, perhaps the most famous baseball player in history, was well known for his philanthropic streak. He rose to greatness after spending most of his childhood in an orphanage. Upon his death, he left almost $60,000 to his foundation that was intended to benefit underprivileged children. While this amount might seem small in today’s market, it was significant at the time.
Similarly, Ty Cobb established a hospital in his hometown of Royston, Georgia, by donating $100,000. He also created an educational fund, the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation, that has given millions of dollars in academic scholarships to Georgia students in need.
- Donations to Charities that Help Specific Classes of People
In 1988, Jim Brown established the Amer-I-Can Foundation to assist people in meeting their full potential. Its focus is on individuals who have found themselves in difficult positions, such as ex-gang members and prison inmates.
Similarly, tennis professional Arthur Ashe started a charity for people who had contracted AIDS. Called the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, it supported medical researchers in their search for a cure from the virus.
LeBron James started the LeBron James Family Foundation with his mother, Gloria. She was a single mother who supported LeBron throughout his early career. The foundation aims to encourage underprivileged children through educational initiatives. It has provided support for hundreds of children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, including university scholarships and support to ensure children have the transportation they need to get to school.
- Promoting the Local Economy
Sports teams often generate money through ticket sales to their home games and sports tournaments. Naturally, the earnings often generate overflow to local businesses who are able to support the team through partnerships and promotions. This assists small businesses that underlie the economy and benefit from having famous stadiums and sports players nearby.
Hotels, car rental agencies, and restaurants tend to benefit from professional sports teams that play in the area.
- Endorsing Youth Development
Oftentimes, sports teams will collaborate with organizations in rural areas to promote sports participation and involvement. For example, The PGA Tour established The First Tee, which promotes golf in elementary schools and at golf courses. The First Tee provides local children with inexpensive or free lessons to promote the sport among youth.
Other major sports leagues – including the NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL – promote their sports to elementary, middle, and high schools in areas that are identified as having low sports participation.
It is not uncommon for their players to visit schools to give students uplifting speeches on the importance of staying active, remaining focused on their education, and staying away from negative influences. These players sometimes even meet one-on-one with students or in small groups to share their own experiences to inspire students to academic and athletic greatness.
- Promoting Volunteerism
Due to the sheer size of the crowds that appear at professional sports games and tournaments, sports clubs often reach out for volunteers to assist in their organizations.
For example, clubs may reach out to community groups such as the Boy or Girl Scouts, providing volunteers to support their activities during a game or tournament. This is a great way to encourage community involvement and activity.
Volunteers may be asked to assist with overflow parking, serving concessions, or advising fans on their seat locations. In turn, members of these organizations may get to meet some of their favorite sports players or gain some public recognition during the game for their club or community association.
