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| Wednesday, February 20 To each their own, readers say ESPN.com |
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I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't put my mark to any formal contract with the town I grew up in, stipulating that I tithe X percent of my good fortune, should I ever amass one, to its prosperity. That, friends and neighbors, is what Uncle Sam, in the form of the IRS, does for each and every one of us (and I don't hear a lot of people singing the tax man's praises come April 15th). "You callous, insensitive bastard," I can hear you say, "have you no heart or conscience? These people were there for you when you were young and troubled." B-------. Take off the nostalgia-tinted glasses and look at your own childhood: Did "the community" go out of its way to support you in particular with any "special service or favor," or did you need to bust your ass to get where you could on your own merits? The people who qualify as supportive, in that "special service or favor" kind of way, are family and friends, and that community would certainly be thanked (and deservedly so). To suggest that mere success carries with it an obligation to community altruism is ludicrous. You don't hear the cries for financially successful persons from well-to-do communities being harped on to "give back."
Some people say that hard work is it's own reward. The suggestion that hard work leading to success then has a causal relationship toward "owing" something to someone who had nothing to do with that success is a disincentive. Making it out of a bad situation and being successful don't mean an athlete has to pay off someone else's Liberal conscience.
Those people who cry for others to "give back" ought to look at their own pocketbooks and free hours, and maybe think about leading by example, instead of leeching off of someone who got where they are through their own efforts.
Rafer Brox Brooklyn, N.Y.
Certainly, there should be no added pressure on athletes to contribute back to their community -- anymore than the rest of us. This pressure is exerted unfairly and disproportionately on athletes, especially African-American athletes. Given the state of our country with a weak (at best) social safety net, the government is unwilling to step forward in a serious manner in support for life-necessities such as health care, housing, or education (to name a few), thus it should fall equally on all that can contribute to the improvement of these provisions as best as they can. Certainly professional athletes are automatically expected to do this because of their riches and place in the spotlight, however, professional athletes make up an extremely small proportion of the population. Most wealthy people are not in the spotlight to give their money away. This is not an excuse to shy away from one's social responsibility and they should (but won't) be held equally responsible as professional athletes. Finally, it is not always a matter of "throwing money at the problem" that does the best good. People (rich and poor) need to recognize their own individual assets and collective assets as a community in order to empower themselves and enact positive change. Apathy does not help anyone. Matt Kretzmann Minneapolis
I don't begrudge these people the right to make as much money as they can. I know I wouldn't turn down a 10-year, $250 million contract extension from my boss, if offered. But I do feel it is fair to expect these individuals, upon whom so much fame, wealth and adulation is heaped, to acknowledge their good fortune humbly, and to give what they can to those in need ... sincerely from their heart. Maybe Mr. Wiley is right about the communities from whence these athletes come not being especially deserving of any such donations. But it is also likely that there was one teacher, one coach, one program or one organization along the way that reached out to these individuals during their formative years and helped them get their chance to become so successful. If not, surely there is no shortage of other worthy causes outside such hopeless communities that could sincerely benefit from thoughtful, charitable contributions. If nothing else, I would think that those athletes tainted with contempt & bitterness for the communities from which they escaped would at least be compelled to donate to educational (or other) programs that might help alleviate some of the hopelessness and suffering they witnessed growing up.
There are plenty of good reasons for these athletes to give, though I would definitely agree that external pressure or obligation to do so should not be one of them. They should do it because they are blessed with plenty, because they have a compassionate heart, and because it is right.
Tripp Solomon Atlanta
I don't think the question is "Why would I give back to a community that didn't help me, took advantage of me, or exploited me?" I think the question is "What can I do to ease the burden on families that are in the same situation I was in?" Rags to riches athletes must feel more pressure to contribute to their communities than other athletes because the impoverished communities truly need the assistance. The thought must occur to an athlete -- at least it would to me -- of 'How can I buy another sports car when other people are barely making it?' This pressure should not just be applied to athletes, but anyone, whether they grew up poor or not, who has been successful. As a country, part of the American Dream is to leave your children better off than you were, to make their lives a degree easier. This thought can be extended to a greater 'family' of people, the community. Stephen Dancey Waltham, Mass.
It is unfair to expect athletes to give back to the community from which they came. Many times it is the community that an athlete grew up in that is not proud of his achievements but rather bitter, envious and slanderous of him. 'Money' represents one's blood, sweat, tears and most of all one's TIME. To just throw a check here or there is not good management. It a community/organization is worthy of it, then great. But the old 'hood shouldn't get to cash in on the internal ambition of another. Neither should parents, teachers or any other entity that touched the life of a "hero."
I am the wife of a retired NFL player. I have seen firsthand how if ANYONE is going to be successful at ANYTHING they must one day grab the bull by the horns to create their own happy ending. Thank God for the Rec. Center and the Boys Club for providing some 'tools' for success, but it is the individual alone who decides to make the tools work for him. Athletes get more pressure to give back than other successful people from that same community. Whatever happened to just being glad for people and leaving them the heck alone?
Mrs. Erica Rocker Atlanta
I feel that athletes should not be pressured into giving back to the community. It should be their own decision to give back. It has to be from the heart. I admire players like Warrick Dunn from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for donating houses to the low-income. That is true heart and sincerity at its finest. I think if players were not pressured into giving, we would find that players would want to contribute more to communities and charitable organizations. People need to acknowledge more on what has been given vs. what has not been given. Edward Sanchez Hillsboro, Ore.
At first, I was upset and disturbed by the first paragraph of the attachment story, but as I read more, I fully began to open my mind to the subject. I, too, am from the inner-city of Queens, New York and finished high school in a small southern town in Louisiana. I personally feel that we all have a responsibility to give back from where we came from. Furthermore, I believe athletes may have more to give financially, but we all can provide something, whether it's tutoring people in math, science, computers or reading, it all helps to improve our community. I believe that all people should nurture the most valuable assets in and remember giving is apart of LIFE. Don J. Donahue Dallas
Your question is one that dogs every black person that achieves any degree of success: what do I owe? I think the answer is different for athletes than for most successful black professionals. I think it's great for any individual to choose to give something to help whatever community they identify with, however, I think you're only morally obligated to do so if you felt advantaged by your membership in the community in your pursuit of success. In other words since I'm a lawyer and went to two Ivy League schools because my parents and many people that look like them marched in rallies and took over buildings at campuses and kept me out of trouble so I could do my homework, whatever success I have I owe in large part to the efforts of others. I feel obligated. Athletes, however, make a better argument that aside from their mother or one or two coaches that took an interest in them, an individual athlete's success is more an individual achievement than a product of the community's effort. I say that if your success was a drain on the community system, you removed resources from the community (like I did), you're obligated. If you're closer to self-made, like many athletes are, I hope you choose to help, but if not, so be it. E.J. Boyd New York
I think the pressure given athletes to make donations is highly unfair, especially those from poor communities. What a person does with their money is the business of nobody's but theirs and their families. Did anyone ever heap guilt onto Larry Bird for not giving back to the farm country where he grew up? Why, then, should somebody like Kobe Bryant get it for not giving back to inner cities when he was raised in suburban Philly and Italy, for the most part? It is nothing but pettiness for those who don't have much to talk bad of those who made it and don't give back. It is a very easy thing to sit back and say we'd give millions, since most of us won't ever come close to making the money that athletes of today make. Mike Eldridge Detroit
Let me also say that it is not up to the athletes to provide hope to the community. That should be provided by the parents at home to train their child in the right way. I have two small children of my own and you better believe that they will not depending on any athletes to help them out. It is up to me and my wife to provide our kids with a sense of hope. And that goes with whether someone gives to our community or not. Let me further say that I am a musician and singer and if I ever hit it big, I will give back as I see fit and not when someone says I'm not doing enough. And that makes me no better or no worse than anyone else. Edward Cunningham Bellflower, Calif.
I think that athletes, along with celebrities and other "rich" folk, should give back to the communities or a charity in some shape or form. There is no way possible for those athletes, superstar or not, to spend all that money. After all the taxes and lawyers and whoever they have to pay, there is always something extra. They can take some of that money and give back to their respective communities or a charity that touches their heart. Cars, jewelry, houses, and clothes don't make the person. It's what is inside that counts. The young cats today want to spend thousands of dollars to "Bling, Bling" or to shine. If you blow out your knee or if you get released, how you do look pawning that big medallion to pay rent? Put that extra money to some good use and help those who need a little help.
Someone told me that where they built Reliant Stadium, there used to be homeless people there. Now the homeless live in boxes AROUND the stadium. Where do they get their help? The city doesn't care about them. They want their new team. I'm happy that the Texans are back, but there are more important things than football.
Terence Norfolk, Va.
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