If you ever have the opportunity to go to the National Women’s Soccer League offices in Manhattan, you will see one of Commissioner Jessica Berman’s favorite quotes as soon as you get off the elevator. It is from Nelson Mandela, which he used numerous times, about the ability for sport to unify, engage and change the world.
I thought about that quote numerous times over the past few days, as there were several instances of how sports can go bigger and the impact it can have. First was Monday in Washington when President Biden welcomed the defending NWSL champions, Gotham FC, to the White House. While it was a momentous occasion, the first NWSL champ to make the trip in well…ever…it was the impact that the trip had beyond the jersey handoff and the nice words that resonated with the Mandela quote. The President talked about how sports…regardless of gender…makes us think, inspire and grow together rather than apart, and how in his words, women (and girls) can be such amazing driving forces for change, more than men can be some time. Regardless of what side of the political aisle you are on, that thought, be the Leader of the Free World, sends a message that goes into the megaphone of media who amplified it, to reach young humans…boys and girls…who saw those images and heard those words and thought “Me too”…in a good way. I can get there and do amazing things and look who is telling me I can.
Then we go a few hours later to another bigger than sports stage…the United Nations General Assembly, where another organization always looking to aspire higher through sport, the Harlem Globetrotters, participated in a discussion about healthy eating, sustainable food sourcing and the importance of working together to fight the global epidemic of hunger with their partners at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (the FAO). While the live streamed discussion on stage was only a half hour, the impact that you could see the Globetrotters legendary brand had with diplomats, political figures, agency representatives and the like was unmistakable. These were not politicians or activists telling stories, they were athletes with real-life experiences dealing with hunger, or with hungry families, who made the narrative impactful because the veil of sports caught the attention of all. It was a welcome change at the top of a very busy UN General Assembly calendar this week that made people think, remember…and relate to an experience of sport that they were not expecting, and it will hopefully come up in their very busy minds when they see children, or basketball, or soccer, when they are far away from a chaotic week at the U.N.
The same probably occurred on Tuesday, as Sixers star Joel Embiid was at the U.N. talking to officials about the transformative work sports can do for emerging economies like those in Africa. Once again, the transformative presence and thoughts of athletes help bring people to watch and listen.
I was reminded of the Mandela quote during Monday’s U.N. event because there in the lobby of the General Assembly building was the statue of Nelson Mandela, hands raised high, probably watching from above, as these global citizens of sport addressed issues well beyond a game…issues that impact millions of lives and can make decisionmakers pause around their bickering and lobbying.
Now none of this is easy. We have seen many recent numbers that show Cause Marketing and Social Responsibility, when not tied to a brand campaign, is wavering because of the cost to implement and literally sustain a program, and in sports, it is easy to chase the buzz and leave the substance behind sometimes. We like being relevant. However that relevance is amplified when the opportunity to “Go big’ and use the power of sport to make people notice, be they POTUS or reps from countries far and wide. The power of the stage, of fame, of celebrity when married to cause has the ability to lift, as we saw this week when it is done well, just like President Mandela said.
