The philanthropic landscape has completely changed since sports athletes started using their followers and popularity to raise awareness about certain core issues. Sports has immediately transitioned into various aspects of society and now is the leading financier for a plethora of different charity foundations. This increase in social responsibility amongst athletes is truly a beautiful aspect of humanity as these athletes are using their finances, media coverage and general awareness to help society as a whole.
Athletes are one of the highest paid professionals in the world and their weekly turnover is much more than what most people earn in a year. It is no surprise that many of the people listed in the top 100 Richest Men in The World are actually athletes. This catalyst in philanthropy has really paved the way for many different athletes who have their hearts set on helping other people. Take Dimitar Berbatov as an example, he is a former footballer who used to play for Manchester United and was considered to be one of the most lethal strikers in the football world. He set up and financed many different charity organizations in Belgium and has donated staggering amounts of money to various philanthropic causes.
While Armani Rade Williams is another sports icon who used his position to spread a positive message. He is an autistic professional stock racing car driver who used sports a platform to spread awareness about autism. Armani Rade Williams was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was two and grew up with a love and passion for cars. Athletes from every possible sport are aligning their goals with charity organizations to spread positive messages and promote the well-being of society.
To further enunciate the impact sports philanthropy has had on our society, here’s a list of the top charitable foundations which have been founded by athletes.
Athletes for Hope
One of the most inspiring charitable organization is the Athletes for hope. This foundation was founded to assist, educate and help athletes in their philanthropic efforts. Athletes for hope built its foundations in 2007 by an extensive list of renowned athletes. This list includes Muhamad Ali, Tony Hawks and many other sports personalities who have taken the role of inspiring others.
LiveStrong Campaign
This foundation was founded by Lance Armstrong and is renowned all around the world for its charitable cause. The main mission of this organization was to raise awareness for cancer patients and how deadly this disease really is. He founded this organization with the mission to inspire other cancer patients and has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.
Jeff Gordon Foundation
The name Jeff Gordon and NASCAR are synonymous to each other as this famous personality was one of the best racers of all time. Jeff Gordon founded this organization to fund pediatric research and support children suffering from various forms of cancer.
These three organizations are just a glimpse into the thousands of charitable foundations which have been founded by sports personalities. These athletes have proved to the world that even being the pebble that creates the ripple for positive change, is enough to transform peoples lives.
Oscar Shepherd is a Creative Graphics Designer by his profession. He also use to write his opinions on multiple topics in order to guide people through his experience and also to spread his opinion so that people can share their thoughts and are also open for a discussion.