Post athletes who made a positive contribution to society

[taterguy]

I'll start:

[GOPisEvil]

1. Roberto Clemente

[tabasco]

37. Truly.

Clemente was a great human being.

[AnnieBW]

57. I remember when he died

I was a little kid in Pittsburgh at the time. The Steelers were playing in their first playoff game EVER on New Years Eve. My parents and I were down at our neighbors' house watching the game, and it came on the news. Everybody was just stunned.

Then again, I may be mis-remember it. I was pretty young.

[NorCalDem]

2. I'll list the Big one

Jackie Robinson

[sniffa]

3. o.j. simpson

he made court tv mandatory for standard cabLe.

[mondo joe]

4. Here's another.

[taterguy]

5. Three plane crash references out of five posts

How strange

[NeedleCast]

15. Greatest. Movie. Ever.

[RL3AO]

6. Too many to name. The ones who help society don't get teevee time

but the small percentage who screw up get days of coverage.

[Mojambo]

7. Lance Armstrong.

Whether he cheated or not (and I think he did) he's done some good stuff on the cancer front.

[wuushew]

11. Lance's new riding rival: President Bush

7-time Tour champion bikes with fellow Texan, old friend at ranch


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8975240/

[Mojambo]

13. Completely irrelevant to the point

But thanks for sharing.

[GOPisEvil]

14. He's trying to get increased funding for cancer research.

I wouldn't make more of it than that.

[taterguy]

12. I gained a lot of respect for Lance after reading his book

I picked it up on a whim after it was mentioned in some forgettable movie. I liked that he gave his nurses as much credit for his recovery as his doctors, and some of his very enlightened thoughts about religion.

I also do appreciate the money he's raised for cancer along with setting the example that it doesn't have to be a death sentence.

[MessiahRp]

59. So did Dupree. ;-)

Funny how Lance Armstrong now is the symbol of inspiration in comedies (You, Me and Dupree, Dodgeball)

Rp

[spanone]

8. Arnold Palmer, Arthur Ashe

[SoxFan]

9. Buck O'Neil

He did more than anyone to keep the legacy of the Negro leagues alive in the public consciousness.

[Mojambo]

17. A MASSIVE crime that he's not in the HoF. n/t

[tridim]

10. Tony Hawk

And Picabo Street

[blondeatlast]

23. Tony Hawk is a nice guy, too. He takes being a role model seriously. nt

[mondo joe]

16. OMG.... The Greatest

[blondeatlast]

24. Self-delete, wrong spot. But great minds do think alike! nt

[ecstatic]

18. Umm... who is that? nt

[taterguy]

19. Paul Wellstone

[blondeatlast]

20. Guess from what team? The inimatable, unbelievable Steve Nash, outspoken liberal, etc.

Nash, 32, is just a nice guy. He recently used endorsement money to help pay for a new pediatric cardiology ward in a Paraguayan hospital. That's beyond admirable. Over the past few years, his popularity has exploded. His ego could have swelled—everyone else's does. But he still just wants to pass the ball.

I'm a lucky guy to be living in Phoenix. The sun. The golf. And I get to watch Nash act like a magician on the court. Can't top that. And who knows? Maybe he'll inspire a whole new generation of kids to pass out of double teams the way he does. Like Nash, maybe they'll be selfless off the court too. That would be even better.

He's selfless on the court--and isn't that a fine contribution to society?

He's an outspoken liberal in this very red area, too!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1187353,00.html

[mondo joe]

21. Another

[blondeatlast]

25. Ah--you beat me to it with the same pic! nt

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

22. pat tillman

[Jax]

26. "Athletes for Hope" link

several of these have been mentioned above.

http://www.athletesforhope.org/foat.html

Alyce

[blondeatlast]

27. Althea Gibson

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. The Big Diesel

http://www.shaqsfamilychallenge.com/publicsite/index.aspx

[MessiahRp]

29. Vick's teammate, Warrick Dunn.

He's helped 52 single mothers by buying them homes and his foundation does a ton of good.

http://www.usaweekend.com/05_issues/050925/050925mcc.html

That's the football star Atlanta fans need to latch onto.

Rp

[blondeatlast]

30. Definitely a very good guy. nt

[pookieblue]

54. agreed

it's so sad that so much focus is placed on the negative role models that the ones like Dunn are overlooked.

Dunn is a good guy.

[theHandpuppet]

31. Jesse Owens!

Lest we forget.

Also Branch Rickey...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branch_Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known for two things: breaking baseball's color barrier by signing the African-American player Jackie Robinson, and later drafting the first Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente; and creating the framework to the modern minor league farm system....

Branch Rickey Stadium in his hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio -- the stadium was once home to the team which became the Detroit Lions -- is in danger of being demolished to make way for an industrial park. Keith Olbermann, are you reading this thread???? (I hope.)

[alfredo]

32. Major Taylor

Major Taylor was an African American bicycle racer. He broke many racial barriers.

Here's his story

http://www.franklininstitute.org/pieces/silverman/taylor.htm

[BlooInBloo]

33. ROFLMAO!!! Over/Under 50: percentage of those named in this thread...

.... who were drunks, wife-beaters, or something else unsavory?

:rofl:

[SoxFan]

34. Some more good guys

Curt Schilling, who is active in raising money for Lou Gehrig's Disease/ALS and cancer research


Tim Wakefield, perhaps the most community-minded athlete in the majors


Doug Flutie, who provides services for low-income kids with autism


Jim Kelly, who started a foundation to fight globoid cell leukodystrophy

[bigwillq]

35. Billie Jean King (nt)

[Madspirit]

36. Billie, Doug, Lance, Babe, Earl, Martina...

First let me say how much I hate sports. I hate sports a lot. BORING. That said, I still have an opinion:

Billie Jean King is the coolest and I'm old enough to remember her match against Bobby Riggs...isn't that his name?... I was hanging on the East Coast at the time and watched it with the woman's soccer team from Swarthmore College. THAT was fun.

Doug Flutie...actually I know nothing about his politics. I just know that not only was he a Heismann Trophy winner but also was offered a Rhodes scholarship from Oxford...so a rarity, brains and brawn...and he has an autistic son and does a lot with autism research.

Lance Armstrong...lives in my home, Austin. DID NOT DO DRUGS. Anyone who says he did just has some axe to grind. The man had cancer from his testicles to his brain and everywhere in-between and he beat it. All those type drugs...steroids, etc...are carcinogenic. He would NEVER risk that just for a race!! He is friends with George Bush; they bike together but he is a Democrat and he votes Democratic. He is still good friends with his ex, far-leftist, Sheryl Crow, too. He has said in interviews when people get confused about all the odd assortment of friends he has...from Robin Williams, liberal to GWB, that he just doesn't really care about politics. It's all about getting people invested in cancer research. What he went through...fighting that disease, I don't care who he's friends with. He is a great inspiration to cancer patients and their families.

Babe Ruth...just because...even though he was a womanizer he was a good-hearted sort and kind of a doofus...or maybe it's just John Goodman who is and I like him. All I know about Babe Ruth I learned from the movie with Goodman, about Ruth's life. Someone to party with but not be married to.

...and who's that guy, not a player...but a sport's figure, who says all the funny things...like deja vu all over again? He says some clever stuff...

Earl Campbell because the first thing he did when he got rich is to buy his mama a house.

Oh yeah, I did like Martina Navritalova. ...but she screwed her ex around badly. I didn't like that.

Bode Miller because he was raised by hippies and is a little hippie himself and was adorable in the winter Olympics.

John MacEnroe because I like to watch adults have tantrums.

Well, that's just about the sum total of all of my caring about sports.

...and see! None had to torture animals. That would be the work of a sick sociopathic sack of shit.

Lee

[H2O Man]

38. Ali.

The Champ is a great man.

[Madspirit]

41. I cannot believe I forgot Ali..

I am so ashamed. Yes, a truly great and brave man.

Lee

[H2O Man]

42. Bundini

used to say that Muhammad was "a supernatural man." He was right.

[ThomWV]

39. Mohammad Ali

[Sabriel]

40. Curtis Charles Flood

In 1970, he protested baseball's reserve clause, which essentially said players were owned by the teams and had to go where they were "sold." His refusal and protest opened the door for what would later become the free agency we have today.

Also, Pee Wee Reese, who supported teammate Jackie Robinson when it was so unpopular to do so.

[tabasco]

43. Mel Blount

Mr. Blount has dedicated his life to helping disadvanteged youths.

http://www.mbyh.org/



On a local level, Charlie Batch of the Steelers is going above and beyond with his work restoring parks & rec areas in Pittsburgh.

[lisa58]

44. Phil Rizzuto - rip

[Solly Mack]

45. Mildred Ella Didrikson

AKA

"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias

[TZ]

46. Darrell Green

Lots of work for disadvantaged/troubled youths.

[KittyWampus]

47. Shaquille ONeil and his ShaqFamilyChallenge. Helping fight childhood obesity

Shaq is committed to the fight against childhood obesity. That's why he created this online plan — to provide families with the tools,

[UTUSN]

48. Jesse OWEN. Jackie ROBINSON. Billie Jean KING. n/t

[Bluebear]

49. Chen Lu

True beauty in motion, certainly having brought joy to people, this is a positive contribution to society.

[SoxFan]

50. This Bush doesn't suck!

When Katrina left six NOLA high schools without a place for their sports teams to play, Reggie Bush stepped up and payed for the renovations to Tad Gormley Stadium out of his own pocket. Bush also used his status as a spokesman for Hummer to secure vehicles for the police department in suburban Slidell, and donated $56,000 to Holy Rosary School, a school for special needs students, allowing the school to keep its doors open.

[flvegan]

51. Ray Borque and Cam Neely, for starters

Roger Federer
David Beckham
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods

[rndmprsn]

52. lance armstrong

his cancer story is inspiring and his recent focus on healthcare and the candidates i think is a move in the right direction for someone who is responsibly using his spotlight

[HamdenRice]

53. Magic Johnson -- "came out" as HIV positive

and completely changed the way society looked at HIV/AIDS. He played in the Olympics as an openly HIV positive athlete. He's also done a huge amount of PSA work on the issue.

Maybe most important he just gave so many people hope that HIV could be a manageable illness.

He's also invested in the rebirth of Harlem and other African American communities.

[Mandate My Ass]

55. Arthur Ashe

He handled everything from racism to AIDS with incredible grace. Truly a great man, and athlete.

http://www.usta.com/misc_pages/custom.sps?iType=1927&icustompageid=5797

[AnnieBW]

56. Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles

Hard-working, scrappy second-baseman on the Orioles. Had heart surgery as a child, and does a lot of outreach to the Baltimore Children's hospital. Regularly hosts "Brian's Baseball Bash" for sick kids.
Oh, and he's GORGEOUS, too!

[Posteritatis]

58. Terry Fox.

(Let's try responding to the thread rather than creating my own by accident. D'urh.)

[salin]

60. Steve Smith

iirc, while in the NBA one year he gave a substantial portion of his paycheck to his alma mater, Michigan State - for a center to help struggling college students.