Monday is a National Holiday honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It would seem a perfect time…NFL in full postseason, NBA and NHL gearing up for All-Star, college sports pushing ahead, the Olympics on the horizon, the holidays in the distance…for a brand or an organization to take ownership of the weekend, especially in the area of community service and philanthropy. Yes, the NBA does do a good job of playing during the day and looking at projects that serve the spirit of Dr. King well. Yes, some NFL teams like the 48ers are doing community service events Monday. However, as brands look to be more community oriented and find opportunities to partner on community programs that give back, there remains no national push. Maybe it should not be the professional teams or leagues, who would find it hard to muster full support on a Monday in January. Maybe it should be the NCAA or High Schools that should find a brand to turn the day into one where young athletes and coaches each give back in their community. Maybe it should be the announcement of a mentoring program by each or any of the leagues, with some kind of tie to Dr. King's spirit. Maybe it should be MLS, coming off their draft and meetings last week, or the PBR, who just started, or tennis or golf, both looking for more diversity. It just seems like with the issues of elite athletes today, and the obvious need for brands to connect to the community, that this mid-January weekend would be a prime spot to reflect, connect and reenergize the spirit and influence that athletes can have, especially young people looking for role models on any level.
Some good reads…The Washington Post's John Feinstein had a great profile of Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett…the Bam Goods blog had a good profile of the Cubs program to retain season subs…Fanhouse had a look at the decade of the blog…and missed from last week was the New York Times profile of Stan Kroenke…
