College football, Crisis Management, NBA teams, NFL, Olympics

Charity Trailblazer? Bloom Forgoes Gold For A Wish of a Lifetime…

The last year has seen more athletes embrace issues for social change and cause marketing as part of their platform than perhaps any other period. Is it because smart business minded athletes and the representatives see what is going on at the fan level with the economy and have more of a sense to give back? Maybe. Is it because there are causes that athletes have always felt compelled to embrace because of a personal connection and now have more vehicles to do so? Could be. Is it because brands and leagues have made a much bigger outward push to tie to social responsibility that hospitality and other areas for ROI? Also possible. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which is the cause…the effect is a positive impact directly on the lives of millions in a time where that impact needs to be felt most. The impressive thing about the public outreach by those of influence in sports is the breadth and depth of the programs, from cancer awareness to childhood obesity and single parenting issues.

However even with all the engagement, every once in a while a new imitative jumps forward. Case in point was Wednesday’s announcement that winter Olympian Jeremy Bloom was retiring. Bloom, who created a bit of a controversy during a two sport career when he petitioned the NCAA for football eligibility after being ruled ineligible because of monies received from skiing endorsements, announced that he would not look to qualify for the Vancouver Games at a point when he was skiing and training the hardest in his life. Instead he has chosen to devote more time to the philanthropic passion he has developed in Denver. Working with kids or education? Not exactly. The charity Bloom has developed and will implement is Wish of a Lifetime, a group which works with the elderly to improve the quality of their lives and grant wishes, Make a Wish Style, to seniors. It is a clear departure from the way many athletes have looked at philanthropy. Yes, many devote time and effort to causes that effect adults, especially with poverty or health-related issues. However few have embraced the passionate support of seniors, a group which is growing both in need and numbers as the American population matures at the fastest rate ever. Is it a version of “The Bucket List” as one person pointed out? Perhaps. However what it really is is the attempt by a world class athlete to identify with a cause that he or she sees as maybe not the trendiest but as the place or the niche where he can make the most difference since that area is underserved. In many ways it is not much different that the efforts someone like former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo started with Malaria awareness in Africa. At the time little was known or addressed amongst the population in the Western World about Malaria, but today, largely through Mutombo’s work, the issue of Malaria awareness is a very high priority.

Bloom’s choice for dedication does come from a personal connection to his grandmother and seeing the issues she and her friends have had and finding a way to assist them. It is ironic that the elder issue hasn’t been addressed more amongst athletes; since many athletes have had a senior, at least one senior, impact them in some way. Regardless, it is a novel and valiant effort by Bloom, and if he is able to pout the dedication into his charity work that he did in both football and skiing, could have a profound, trailblazing positive effect on the lives of seniors not just in North America, but around the world.