This week I want to take time out to have a look at the things our teams around the A-League do to lend a helping hand to their communities. This is an aspect that many of us take for granted about our teams because we must admit that we have become a bit desensitized to the community efforts of professional sports teams. Nevertheless, it is an integral part of the community involvement of most, if not all, of the clubs competing in the A-League. There are many, many examples we could take look at but I've only got so much room.
The Cincinnati Riverhawks have worked in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House and continually strive to include the local youth community with the standard camp activities that most teams participate in. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Midwest, the Indiana Blast spends time and money by involving themselves with MS research and treatment. Need I mention the constant evangelical work that the Charlotte Eagles participate in?
Too many times we like to look for the news that announces scandals or controversy meanwhile the clubs around the A-League keep themselves busy by trying to be a good member of their community. Most of the time in traditional sports players seem to do this kind of work merely out of obligation but in a lot of cases at this level it's done out of a genuine enthusiasm to be a part of a player's adopted community. As silly or hokey as that may sound for several players around the league it's true. Many have kids of their own or know someone who has dealt with certain problems. Donating their time and energy to help a kid play soccer or sit and talk with someone in a certain condition comes naturally for many of those among the ranks of players and staff around the league.
I'm not trying to say that some athletes in other sports don't earnestly participate in donating their time and efforts to charity but one has to agree that it seems a bit different coming from someone who makes far less than the cost of building a new hospital. Heck, some of the players are lucky if they could afford a bed and a roof over their heads yet you'll see them enthusiastically interacting with the people they meet. At the same time, throughout the A-League there's a general feeling that a player gets a bit of a "reality check" from interacting with these people.
This is all before the discussion of being a role model even enters the equation. As I've said before there are many players throughout this league that supplement their incomes by running camps or coaching youth teams in their area. What this does is create a bond between young kids and the men and women who play professionally. Hopefully a handful of those kids will become fans and continue to play well past the days that their mom or dad is taking them to practice. Who knows, maybe there's another Landon Donovan or Clint Mathis playing right now for an A-League player's team?
What it comes down to is community service and the ability of a club to show that it is an important and friendly member of a municipality that people think kindly of. For instance, currently the Charleston Battery have been participating in such things as helping Habitat for Humanity build homes for those without and they've also been seen loitering around local grocery stores encouraging folks to donate school supplies for needy students. Of course a perk is offered, namely a voucher to get in to a Battery game. Andrew Bell says that the team is usually "out at least once a week in the community". This is just an illustration of the kinds of things going on in A-League communities all over the country.
There are many more stories and I'd love to chronicle them all so if you've spotted your local A-League team participating in community service let me know and I'll make sure to mention it in a future column. I think this is a very undervalued side of our league that speaks highly of the players and organizations that we support. Even if a team has trouble meeting payroll or other difficulties in the day to day running of the team there's almost always an effort made to lend a helping hand to their local communities. We should be grateful for that and encourage their efforts because they aren't just our teams or clubs they're our friends and neighbors.
Okay enough happy, sunshine day stuff, where's the controversy?
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