Beyond the World of Sports from Warrick Dunn to Roger Federer

Athletes today are more then just athletes they are professionals in the spot light. How an athlete conducts themselves outside of their respective sports has an effect on how the public looks up to them.

One just has to look at the dog fighting ring that Michael Vick was involved in or the pictures of Michael Phelps smoking from a bong to see how badly ones public image can be stained.

One of the best ways for an athlete to be a true champion is not just defined by their success in their sport, but by what they do with their fame and fortune to make the world a better place.

Not something that is always discussed in the sports world, but is of great importance is the philanthropic efforts made by the great athletes of the world today.

In the past athletes didn’t always have a life of glamour, the money wasn’t great for the amount of time an athlete had to make their mark and as soon as the body broke down, that was it.

Today in most professional sports, athletes are getting tremendous salaries to do what they do best.

Athletes are making enough money in annual salaries and endorsements to the point that even two to three successful seasons in any professional sport could set an athlete up for life.

Athletes today are also being looked up to by the youth and the choices athletes make and the way they conduct themselves has an impact on impressionable minds, no doubt.

Showing a child who looks up to you that helping out in the community on the local, national and international levels has positive effects and can be gratuitous can do a lot for the future and well being of society.

We’ll start by looking at the NFL and United Way joint program.

This is a good starting point because the NFL and United Way have done a tremendous job at promoting the ideas of getting involved and volunteering to help out in the community.

Ask any football fan what they think of when they here the words The United Way and many will think of the commercials featuring NFL players who are helping out in their community.

The NFL and United Way partnership has been in existence for 35 years now.

Currently the two are aiming to increase by one third the number of youth that are leading healthy safe lifestyles.

Bob Saunders is a player who is profiled on the main United Way website. He currently partakes in the offering of free football camps for youth who wouldn’t normally be able to afford these kinds of camps.

In addition, Saunders has been donating tickets and t-shirts to kids in the Indianapolis area since 2006 in addition to organizing and hosting events and outings for underprivileged youth.

One of the NFL’s best when it comes to philanthropic efforts is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back Warrick Dunn.

Warrick Dunn has created two of his own Charities and is a founding member of the Athletes for Hope organization as well.

Warrick Dunn’s Homes for the Holidays program is a program that was established to help struggling single parents purchase and furnish a home for their family.

Dunn provides the down payment for the house and companies in the areas where he works provide furniture and supplies to set the family up. So far Dunn has helped buy homes for close to 100 families with this charity.

Since forming The Warrick Dunn Foundation the foundation has received 5 million dollars in charitable donations.

The Athletes for Hope Organization is an organism that was founded by Warrick Dunn and 11 other well known athletes.

The foundation was designed to help other professional athletes get involved with a cause and to inspire people world wide to volunteer and support their community.

All that Warrick Dunn has done off the field has obviously provided him with much satisfaction and it sets a good example for the people who look up to him today.

Warrick Dunn will not only be remembered for the touchdowns he scored, but also the charitable efforts he made to make the world a better place.

Hopefully we as fans can look at these examples and realize the impact it can have on a community and even the world.

Of course Warrick Dunn and Bob Saunders aren’t going to fix all of the worlds problems by themselves. However, with the work of many people humanity can make the world a better place at all levels.

Take a cause that is close to your heart and think about what you would like to do to help.

Whether there were people in your family who were touched by cancer or your town’s youth programs are lacking funding, find a way to get in there and help.

Evaluate what you can donate, whether it is your time and expertise or your money, every little bit can help when many people are giving.

For example my work has a program with Centraide (the United Way) where I donate a portion of my pay check to the organization and I can even ask that it be used towards a specific cause.

Everybody with a full time job can afford to donate a little bit of money to an organization or cause of their choice. If you don’t have a full time job, maybe you can donate some of your time.

Although most of us will never reach the stardom of athletes like Warrick Dunn, Andre Agassi or Roger Federer, rest assured if we offer to help out in anyway with a cause that is dear to our heart we will be making a difference that will be remembered.