College Soccer Player Evann Smith Helps Raise $80K for Black Lives Matter

Evann Smith is a soccer player at UC Santa Barbara, but she's making a much bigger impact off the field.

Smith and other college athletes created a GoFundMe fundraiser following the death of George Floyd to raise money for Black Lives Matter. According to Josh Peter of USA Today, the group had a goal of raising $1,000 but ended up getting almost $80,000 with participation from over 200 schools.

"It just blows my mind how much support was given to us, the athletic community, and to the Black Lives Matter movement," the freshman said.

The group went viral with multiple Twitter hashtags, encouraging athletes to walk, run, bike and/or swim 8.46 miles. This number references the amount of time—eight minutes and 46 seconds—Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of Floyd, an unarmed black man.

The death has spurred worldwide protests over several weeks against racial injustice and police brutality.

Other college athletes have followed Smith's lead to raise over $128,000 on GoFundMe, per Peter.