From the NBA to the NHL, players across the board are coming together to do their part by raising money and awareness for COVID-19 relief.
Some of the biggest names in sports have stepped up and committed to helping out in their community. Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews donated $100,000 through his foundation, the Jonathan Toews Foundation, to the Chicago Community COVID-19 response fund.
Some athletes have even gone as far as donating money to help arena workers. These workers would otherwise go without a paycheck since all sports games have been canceled or postponed.
In an Instagram post, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love committed to donating $100,000 to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse arena workers who have been impacted by the suspension of the NBA season. Urging others to join him, Love wrote, “I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities.”
Other NBA players have joined the effort in helping arena workers and have matched that same donation. Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and teammate Khris Middleton pledged to make the same donation each. New Orleans Pelicans Rookie Zion Williamson announced via social media that he would be covering the salaries of Smoothie King Center arena workers for 30 days.
With athletes looking for more ways to make a difference, other than making private donations, sports agency Octagon has set up a fundraising tool that allows sports fans to donate to The Center for Disaster Philanthropy and become eligible to win an item signed by the athlete they chose.
Some of the athletes on the site include Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Former Red Sox player David Ortiz and WNBA player Kristi Toliver. After donating, fans are eligible to win items like signed jerseys, signed swimsuits and even a signed skateboard from retired professional skateboarder Tony Hawk.
Expanding the ways in which athletes are helping, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry hosted a COVID-19 question-and-answer session with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Instagram live.
Professional athletes are doing their part in making sure that fans are staying updated and arena workers have financial support during the COVID-19 crisis.
