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Good Guys In Sports - Athletes Who Give
Back
April 21, 2002
Courtesy of: On
The Wall
Story by: James Bisson
Ask any sports fan, particularly a jaded
one, to define the term "professional
athlete", and you will likely get myriad
responses.
Delinquents. Jerks. Spoiled brats. Overpaid
whiners. Ungrateful bastards. Notice a trend?
Although die-hard fans continue to flock
to sporting events in droves, the general
consensus is that athletes are, by nature,
just a collection of pompous asses driving
Benzes and snubbing autograph seekers.
What shapes spectator thinking is simple:
read any headline from any newspaper on
any day of the week, and you're sure to
find something shedding a negative light
on the crazy, mixed up world of Fun and
Games.
"Arizona lineman charged with DUI"
"New Jersey defenseman suspended 14
games for failing league drug policy"
"Boston outfielder pummels heckler
in post-game scuffle"
Perhaps the most disturbing part of the
seediness of professional sport is that
children still idolize pro athletes with
a passion tantamount to hero worship. Heroes
are not supposed to smoke up, cheat on their
wives, trash hotel rooms, or throw temper
tantrums in the public eye.
Yet, for all the bad press given to athletes,
there is at least one publication that focuses
the positive aspects of superstardom, and
rewards professional athletes for their
diligence and dedication to making a difference.
Each year, The Sporting News magazine hands
out its "Good Guy" awards, giving
the public an opportunity to find out which
athletes go beyond what is expected of them,
and contribute both time and money to worthwhile
causes. While The Sporting News lists several
athletes from each major professional sport,
we will be focusing on four men in particular
who have shown that there are still heroes
in the sports world.
o Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia 76ers,
NBA
On the court, "Mount Mutombo"
is known for his insane shot-blocking and
rebounding skills, and his trademark "Get
your weak-ass layups out of my HOUSE!"
finger-wagging. But back in his native Kinshasa,
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
he is god-like in stature for far more than
his basketball prowess. Mutombo has devoted
his time and money - $3.5 million thus far
- to help rebuild an almost non-existent
health care system in his native country.
Mutombo, whose mother Biamba died as a
result of the Congo's poor medical infrastructure,
has pledged another $7 to $10 million to
a Biamba Mutombo Hospital project, slated
to be completed in 2004. His influence on
the Congolese is so profound, when he returns
home to Kinshasa, people sleep in front
of his hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse
of him.
The Congo is as close to hell on earth
as you will find; life expectancy sits near
43 years, 35% of children do not reach the
age of five, and most Congolese live on
less than a dollar a day. Mutombo has made
it his life's mission to fix the system.
Realizing he has the financial ability
to make a difference, "Mount Mutombo"
has opened his heart; and in doing so, has
opened the eyes of the world.
o Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (retired),
MLB
What Ripken will be most remembered for
during his career is an incredible consecutive-games
streak - 2,632 games - and a love for the
game that few players in history could match.
Now in retirement, it is Ripken's time to
give back to the game that gave him so much.
Ripken has contributed over $11 million
to fund a baseball complex in his hometown
of Aberdeen, Maryland. The complex will
include housing for 400 players and coaches.
In addition, Ripken and his wife Kelly
have contributed or helped raise $1.2 million
towards the Baltimore Reads Ripken Learning
Center, which is devoted to eliminating
adult illiteracy.
o Will Shields, Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
You will never hear Will Shields' name
mentioned when discussing the greatest players
in the NFL today. But when it comes to giving
to the community, Shields is All-Pro.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Pro Bowl guard
and his "Will to Succeed" campaign
help deliver thousands of books and computers
to needy schoolchildren in Kansas City and
throughout the state of Missouri.
Shields also provides glasses and absorbs
dental and medical costs for underprivileged
children in the city, as well as visits
and tutors at a local public school. Shields'
contributions range far beyond giving money;
his greatest donation to his community is
his time. And time is something he donates
in abundance.
o Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL
Even casual hockey fans are familiar with
Mario le Magnifique's fight with Hodgkin's
Disease which sidelined him for part of
the 1992-93 NHL season. Miraculously, Lemieux
returned to action the night of his last
radiation treatment, and went on to win
the scoring title that season.
But Lemieux's contributions to cancer research
since battling the disease are what truly
set him apart from everyone else. Last February,
Mario donated $5 million to the Pittsburgh
Medical Center Health System, helping to
establish the Mario Lemieux Center for Patient
Care and Research. In addition, Lemieux's
annual celebrity golf tournament raises
hundreds of thousands of dollars towards
research for Hodgkin's Disease.
Lemieux also makes a point of sharing his
time with other Hodgkin's victims, particularly
children. For a man who had been maligned
in media circles for not being "friendly
enough", Lemieux has transformed into
as compassionate an athlete as you will
find.
Recognizing the efforts of every athlete
who gives time and money to charities, communities
and worthwhile causes would take much more
space than I'm given. But the above four
examples should serve as reminders that
some athletes do indeed remember where they
came from.
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