Derrick Rose Helps Japan
It often feels like we only get to see the selfish side of professional sports. Whether it is an athlete holding out for more money, an athlete making demands because he is not being catered to well enough, or a league locking out its players because the ownership group does not feel like it is getting its fair share of billions in profits, it seems like there is a lot of selfishness in professional sports. However, that is not really the case. Though much of the focus on sports is geared towards the selfish acts, there are numerous unselfish acts of charity and kindness that do not get the press they deserve. Maybe it is a meet and greet with underprivileged children, maybe it is going out of the way to help rebuild a section of a community, or maybe it is bringing attention to a dire situation through a charitable act with a twist. The latter is exactly what a few of the NBA’s stars are doing this weekend, led by MVP favorite Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
Prior to this weekends’ games, Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers, Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, and others agreed to give $1,000 to Direct Relief International for every point they score in designated games throughout the weekend. The proceeds from the weekend will go to Direct Relief’s Japan Relief and Recovery Fund which is helping victims from the recent earthquake and tsunamis in Japan. The potential to raise a substantial amount of money is there given the amount of NBA stars participating in the event. Derrick Rose alone scored 24 points in Friday night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. That is already $24,000 going to help the people of Japan. It would not be surprising to see these NBA stars raise over $150,000 this weekend.
It would be great if we saw even more acts like this from our professional sports stars. Charity work is a big part of professional sports that does not get the front and center coverage it deserves. Our sports stars are paid a large amount of money for games that many sports fans would play for free, so it is always nice to hear when they give back. I for one would like to see more events like this. It does not have to be a major catastrophe similar to what occurred in Japan. It can be for any situation or group that a sports star feels the need to assist. Imagine Tom Brady giving $5,000 for every touchdown he throws during a random game in October to his favorite charity, or think about Tiger Woods giving $1,000 for every birdie putt he sinks in a weekend tournament in July to a group of people struck by a recent tragedy. It would draw more attention to the unselfish side of sports while creating a draw for fans. I know Indianapolis Colt fans are not big on Tom Brady. However, I think all except the harshest of his critics might cheer for him during that one random game in October. The NBA and its stars are showing their true colors this weekend. This noble act should be applauded by all, sports fan or not. For the official list of NBA players contributing and which games to watch, click here.
Thank you Derrick Rose and others for your contributions. If you’d like to donate to the Japan relief efforts just text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10. Everyone who donates to this cause is a Sports Collision Man-Crush.
Help Japan poster by James White
[...] Yesterday, Sports Collision reported about an event taking place this past weekend in the NBA in which certain players would be donating $1,000 for every point they scored in specific games to Japan via Direct Relief International. Well the games have been played and the final tallies are in. Take a look: [...]
March 28th, 2011 at 12:00 pm