How Philly athletes are stepping up to help during the coronavirus crisis

Citizen Sports: Truthful Champs

In a world without sports, players step upwardly

Apr. 08, 2020

It'south been 28 days since the NBA season was suspended. 672 hours since the last tipoff. Soon later March 11, the NHL season was as well suspended. Then MLB Opening Twenty-four hours was postponed. NCAA canceled its March Madness tournament. And now, the Tokyo Olympics are pushed to 2021.

If you're not a sports fan, this means very fiddling to y'all. Merely to those of u.s. who care if a brawl is in or out of bounds, the loss is profound. Sports is a fabric of daily life for millions of Americans.

The spectacle and the scale make it extraordinary. But the consistency makes it ordinary.

This combination makes sporting events an exquisite venue for communal healing. Call up of George W. Bush-league's opening pitch at Yankee Stadium after nine/11. Retrieve of rival stadiums singing the Boston's team anthem, "Sweet Caroline," after the Boston Marathon bombing.

But in the wake of Covid-nineteen, sports have been suspended. And In the face of this pandemic, it's non the teams, but the players themselves who have been leading the way in embracing their office as cultural leaders.

Here, nosotros round up the contributions fabricated by our local athletes, and celebrate the impact these players have chosen to brand off the field.

RELATED: How You tin can assistance during the coronavirus pandemic

Eagles ???? Ertz starts a trend

• On March 20, Eagles tight stop Zach and soccer superstar Julie Ertz donated $100,000 to Philabundance. The Ertz play was the showtime domino for other Eagles teammates. The next day, Eagles center (and Citizen columnist) Jason and Kylie Kelce donated $100,000 to Philabundance. And 2 days later, Connor and Laura Barwin, former Eagles linebacker and new front-role assistant (and Citizen columnist, too!), donated $25,000.
• In other Eagles news, Rubber Rodney McLeod is looking to make full the Malcolm Jenkins-sized pigsty in our hearts past donating $25,000 to support the Schoolhouse District'southward Take hold of and Go Entrada, and Carson Wentz'south A01 Foundation allocated $100,000 to a new "Love from the Crumb" initiative in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

76ers ???? Embiid rights a incorrect

• • On March 24, news bankrupt that the Sixers arrangement would inquire salaried employees to accept reductions of upwardly to xx percent. Later on that day, 76ers center Joel Embiid pledged $500,000 to Covid-19 medical relief, and promised to help Sixers employees affected by these pay cuts. The fierce public backfire, along with Embiid's response, caused the Sixers ownership to rescind their decision the next day. Embiid lauded the reversal, while also updating his Twitter handle to Joel "Do a 180" Embiid.
    • Since this moment, Sixers ownership has been working hard to reverse class, by:
      • Donating funds to purchase 10,000 Chromebook computers for the School District of Philadelphia
      • Making a six-effigy donation to Philabundance to provide 20,000 boxes of food
      • Donating to RWJBarnabas Health's Emergency Response Fund, a network of contained healthcare providers in New Jersey, to purchase personal protective equipment for hospital workers
      • Making meaning donations to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Cooper University Health in NJ
      • Teaming up with Embiid, to contribute $i.3 1000000 to Embiid'southward idea to fund antibody testing for surface area health workers
    • Now, the Sixers ability to admit a mistake and demonstrate learnings to make meaning contributions to our region's Covid-19 response should be celebrated. Simply perchance it's but me who tin can't shake these moves as PR-repair, like an aerosol spray trying to mask a previous odor. Someone should tell Josh Harris nigh Poo-Pourri, the scent you spray earlier you get…
    • …Especially considering the Fightin' Phils showed u.s.a. how to do it, by establishing a $1 million fund for afflicted game-day employees a week earlier the Sixers fiasco.

76ers ???? Ben Simmons puts in the fourth dimension

• 76ers betoken guard Ben Simmons has modeled a unique approach to athlete leadership. Instead of altruistic funds, Simmons has dedicated research to highlight two organizations at the forefront of the Covid-nineteen response: PHL Covid-19 Response and Philabundance. He launched The Philly Pledge as a platform and social media campaign to directly funding. Mayor Jim Kenney applauded Simmons for "using his influence, voice, resources and compassion," and for "amplifying the important message to Philadelphians to come up together to aid Philadelphians in this unprecedented fourth dimension." Past April 2, The Philly Pledge had generated over i,700 donations, and raised over $350,000.

• The Philly Pledge has also become an umbrella for other Philly athletes, including: Flyers captain Claude Giroux, Flyers goalie Carter Hart, Phillies First Baseman Rhys Hoskins, Phillies Right Fielder Bryce Harper, and the aforementioned Sixers ownership. It's almost like Simmons tin can come across the entire court, and direct brawl motion, like some sort of player in a long-forgotten sport.

76ers, Phillies ⚾️ Splitting the bill

• Two newer Philadelphia stars are contributing to multiple communities. Phillies Correct Fielder Bryce Harper and his wife Kayla Harper, "[in] partnership with Straight Relief and 3 Foursquare in Las Vegas, and Philabundance in Philadelphia…has committed $500,000 to help those in most immediate need." (Las Vegas is where the Harpers reside, and Philadelphia is where Harper is in year 2 of a xiii-year contract.) Sixers Forrard Al Horford is altruistic $500,000 in relief assist in his home country of the Dominican Commonwealth, but also in every U.Southward. region he's played in, including Michigan (Mustangs), Florida (Gators), Atlanta (Hawks), Boston (Celtics), and Philadelphia (76ers).

Teams Stepping Upwards

• One could've forgiven Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie for laying low after the postponement of this year's Eagles Autism Challenge. Instead, Lurie pledged $1 million to plant a new Covid-19 Immunology Defense Fund at Penn Medicine. Perelman School of Medicine Dean J. Larry Jameson said, "This generous support will let our squad to rapidly expand its efforts to learn more almost how to treat and forbid Covid-19." Autism, coronavirus, another Super Bowl ring—sentinel out, Lurie's on burn!
• In addition to all the Sixers contributions, the Flyers appear on Apr 6 a $250,000 donation to Philabundance.

Players accept the fluidity to act quickly, but organizations have the capital letter for greater bear upon. Thanks to our players early and effective contributions, teams are at present stepping into their role as leaders. Even without games, we applaud the way sports are creating a new forum for communal healing.

And these these athletes have been finding other light ways to keep themselves occupied, and united states of america wholly tickled:

• In his public service announcement for social distancing, Eagles Eye Jason Kelce and co-star babe Wyatt finds a way to troll Dallas
• Eagles Receiver DeSean Jackson competed in a EA Madden Charity Tournament, losing to eventual winner Chargers Safety Derwin James in the second round. For his participation, Jackson earned a $5,000 donation from Electronic Arts and the NFL Foundation to a clemency of his choosing.
• With nothing else to exercise, 76ers Rookie Guard Matisse Thybulle started a TikTok account, and merely like you'd expect from a young person, he's lit.
• Speaking of things y'all'd await, former Eagles Wide Receiver Terrell Owens joined a social media workout challenge, past referencing his infamous 2004 driveway workout, and issuing a Covid-19 driveway challenge.
• When not sharing campaigns to relieve Philly restaurants, Eagles Kicker Jake Elliot is mastering ridiculous home-mini-golf pull a fast one on shots.

Header: Zach and Julie Ertz, Ertz Family Foundation

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/philly-athletes-helping-coronavirus/

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