Sunday, March 08, 2009

Athletics and Service 2009

Greetings!

While a similar group existed last year, this year's Athletics and Service group will explore the relationship between professional athletes and the community service they engage in. Our primary consideration will be, "what motivates sports franchises to have community service departments or maintain relationships with charitable organizations?" 

Our perspectives are as follows:

1. Professional athletes are committed to community service. They dedicate time to service because it is an integral part of their career. They also consider service to be a return to their roots and they feel obligated to give back.   

2. Professional athletes make really poor decisions both within and outside of their sport. As a result, franchises maintain community service departments and relationships with charitable organizations in order to preserve the reputations of their athletes.

3. Service to one's community is essential to being a meaningful participant in society. Athletes are motivated and contribute to society for the same reasons that we all do. Their status as athletes is irrelevant.

In order to investigate these perspectives we will visit with the Director of Community Outreach for the New England Patriots, the Foundation Coordinator for the Boston Bruins and we will conduct street interviews. 

Does charitable work mask the violent behavior that is so prevalent during hockey games?

Does reforming someone like Randy Moss contribute to the integrity of the Patriots?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Today we met with the community outreach leader of the New England Patriots. She gave us an overview of the Players roles is the Boston community, and answered our questions about athletes in service

Players work for non profit organizations
Importance of player appearance
Players=heroes
Players take initiative
Rookie training program: how to conduct themselves
• Make them aware of expectations
• Prepare for media
Players are really good leaders
See important of service
Create programs for players
The foundation was first initiative created after Kraft bought franchise
Fund raising foundation is the only mandatory event that players must attend
Non profits in new England
Broad focus, aiding the community “doors open to allow the community to reach out to us just as we reach out to the community”
Helps image, but mainly because causes benefit from service

write about pats game
• donation to college
• benefits pats and students
• up to 18000
kids café
• paired with shaws, every purchase helped the kids café services
reach out to corporate world
extremely important to all people involved with pats take foundation seriously
not just to make players look good
1st goal help community, because this is first goal makes everyone look good
makes players heroes
players seek help to get involved, makes them feel like role models
pro sports benefits social good
all NFL except one have a foundation
1 football with the right environment gets up to a thousand dollars
not optional, something that everyone does
not just sports, most companies have comm. Relations program
donations to people who do really have needs
patriots so desired, in new England
with economy non profit work becomes more necessary in society

Questions:
what percentage of players go to optional service?
• Some players like certain events other than others
• Some players have their own foundations
• Many don’t feel comfortable
• Good opportunity for players who aren’t starters
• Generally players come when they are available
Football based service?
• breadth as opposed to depth
Randy Moss?
• Doesn’t like doing events
• Can be awesome
• Doesn’t do well with media
• Doesn’t like to dress up
• For make a wish: very involved
Damage control?
• Comes form PR
• EX: player caught with drugs: kept and had to do rehab
• Players are not invincible
Any events the media doesn’t cover?
• Try not to
• Because it brings up appearance so much
Boston’s sports culture?
• Many other teams cannot do as much outreach because they do not have endowment
• Pats largest comm. relations program
Independent service?
• Some players have their own foundations, that pats support, but don’t endorse
• Must do a certain number of player appearances
• Community service awards: matt light two years ago
Minimum?
• Contracts have some sort of community outreach expectation

supp010 said...
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