Wow Pete.
That is awesome. Kudos to you. There is no better feeling than to help some one with no strings attached.
Thank You for sharing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticePete
Because of the youth and wealth in professional sports we tend to focus on them as examples of what is wrong with our society. Athletes are no different than any other segment in our society. There are freaks and flakes in every profession. I have had the opportunity to work with a number of sports celebrities and superstars. Most of the charitable work they do will never be written about because they CHOOSE to keep it private.
I arranged for a terminally ill 11 year old boy to meet with his hero about 25 years ago. When Coach Ditka met the boy a reporter came over. He asked the reporter to leave. The reporter replied it was great PR and a story would be a tear jerker. Ditka was furious, but controlled. The reporter left. Ditka got on both knees and had a conversation in whispers with the boy. I thanked the Coach for making time. He told me there were no thanks required. Wouldn't anyone take time to help a child in need?
The boy's parent' asked him what he and the coach had talked about. The boy said it was a secret. The coach had his secretary call me and made arrangements for the boy to come to a practice. They gave him a jersey and a ball autographed by the team. There was no press about any of this.
The boy was buried wearing his jersey and with his autographed ball.
My point is that the good most people do is rarely made public. All we hear about are the bad things. It isn't news when we do what we should do. It is news when we don't. Maybe that is the way it should be. I have told very few people about this particular incident. Usually it comes up when people are talking about spoiled professionals in sports. Make no mistake about it, there are losers and jerks in every profession. Just try to remember it is the losers and jerks that make headlines. |