RYAN SHECKLER STARTING YOUNG
If you’re a cougar with teenaged kids, then most likely you know who Ryan Sheckler is…he’s become a star in his own right by parlaying his skateboarding skills into a multimillion dollar career which includes the MTV reality show: Life of Ryan. But the young buck isnt just about skateboards and tattoos; he’s already giving back to the community and has just announced the Ryan Sheckler Celebrity Golf Tournement (July 29, 2008, Trump Golf Course, Palos Verdes, CA). Pretty amazing coming from a 19-year-old! (Who says you cant be young, rich and generous? (a-hem Lebron).

The X Games champ will host his first celebrity golf tournament for charity as part of the mission of his non-profit organization, The Sheckler Foundation. Kids got pull: celebrities such as Jerry O’Connell, Dean Cain, Kevin Federline, Brody Jenner and athletes, Mia Hamm, Bode Miller, Carey Hart, Travis Pastrana, and Dave Mirra have all agreed to tee off alongside Ryan to raise money for various charities. “I’ve always had a desire to help the kids who support me in my career and may not have had the same opportunities that I did,” Sheckler explained, “I have reached a point where I have the ability to give back, and I’m honored to have such a great response for this tournament from my professional colleagues and friends.” Charities benefiting from this contest include Wings for Life, a charity that funds scientific research into spinal cord injuries; Road 2 Recovery, which provides financial assistance to seriously injured motocross and supercross athletes and their families; The Athlete Recovery Fund, an organization which provides financial support for injured BMX, FMX, and Skateboard athletes, and Boarding for Breast Cancer, a non-profit youth focused organization that works to create awareness about the disease.

DOUG FLUTIE DOES IT BECAUSE HE WANTS TO

Doug Flutie held his ninth annual Doug Flutie, Jr. Celebrity Golf Classic last week, to raise money for autism. Doug and his wife established their foundation in 1998 to honor their son, Doug Jr., who was diagnosed with autism. The foundation raises money through events such as the golf tournament. “We do it because we want to do it, and it’s our life, and it’s for Dougie,” Doug said, “It’s not that big of an effort for us because it’s that important to us. We’ve been able to increase our grants year after year. Initially, the first year or two when we were giving grants, we were going through the paperwork, and we were reading the grant applications and giving them out. And then all of a sudden you get out there and you visit some of these schools that start up or a camp that starts up and you realize the impact you’re having, and that’s pretty special.” (Source)

SAY IT AINT SO ZO?

A $50,000 lawsuit was filed this month by the Wynn in Las Vegas…this time, Charles Barkley wasn’t named, but it does claim that Alonzo Mourning Charities, Inc. used the convention and meeting space for a fundraiser during the All-Star Week and hasn’t paid the bill. Now, I’m gonna give Zo a break until we learn more details…I’ve dealt with more than my fair share of inept ‘foundation or PR company’ employees in the past, so, not ripping on his admin peeps (just yet) but from my experience, many of the athletes foundations are run by twenty-something blond admin girls getting paid ten-bucks an hour and have no idea what they are doing-again, not saying this is the case at Zo’s Foundation…just saying I’ve seen this glitch in action before.

CARDBOARD BALLERS

Ok, so when did our ballers turn into cardboard? The NBA Nation Tour event made a stop at Pier 17 in New York over the weekend, but I’m wondering if, in fact, any ‘real life’ babes were there? Granted, the cut outs of Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are eerily lifelike and I wouldn’t mind a few of ‘em adorning my house…but come on, we at least need a pulse.

And it seems the trend is not limited to cardboard, according to the photo-cap for the above photo…’Milwaukee Bucks first round draft pick Joe Alexander rests next to a sculpture of a security guard on June 27, 2008 at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, Wisconsin.’ Huh? What? Why? The Bucks can’t hire a real guard?

MICHAEL PHELPS MAKE ME YELPS

Love going to Michael Phelps, who set a new world record of 4:05.25 after winning the final of the 400-meter individual medley during the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

MEN’S U.S. OLYMPIC BASKETBALL TEAM
Monday, we got our starting line-up for the Men’s U.S. Olympic Basketball team that hopes to capture the gold medal in Beijing in August. Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams, Tayshaun Prince.

JASON KIDD

I’m gonna break down some of these beasts and their charity work for ya…yesterday, I mentioned that I’ve seen Jason Kidd at just about every charity gig you can imagine. To name a few- the ‘Showdown in Chinatown event,’ The Pro Team Sports Challenge’, and now Kidd’s headed off to Vegas for the Ante Up For Africa Poker tournement: “Role model is something that comes with my job description. It’s a given that kids will look up to you.” Kidd’s Foundation-oddly named the Jason Kidd Foundation, provided funds for children’s medical research and to charities supporting the needs and interests of children…he also launched the “Assists for Kidds” program, which asks fans to make donations to charity for every one of his assists, while he himself has pledged $100 per assist. He also holds the usual youth basketball camps and charity golf tournaments every summer. To me, Kidd is one of the mighty-mighty-fine good guys out there. I’ve seen him in action at the Pro Team challenge, and I can tell you he was more focused on winning the event for his teams’ chosen charity than he was in the silicon-how’d-they-find-out-about-this-event-girls traipsing around the pool. *The Pro Team Sports Challenge will be broadcast this weekend, Saturday and Sunday on FoxSportsNet.

CHRIS PAUL
What can I possibly say about Chris Paul and his charity work that hasn’t been said? Chris and his family created the CP3 Foundation in partnership with the Winston-Salem Foundation to feed hungry families, support worthy causes and provide scholarships. We’ve seen him getting down and dirty in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans-helping rebuild and clean-up the mess left behind by Hurricane Katrina. He passes out thousands of Thanksgiving turkeys every year-with a sincere smile on his face and in 2006 Chris won the NBA’s Community Assist Award, which garnered an additional $5,000 for his CP3 Foundation and applauded him for his emphasis on community involvement, service, and his donation of food baskets and bikes for underprivileged children in Oklahoma City and New Orleans.

In April 2008, Men’s Vogue ran a great piece on Chris Paul; which-in part- exemplifies his heart, soul, passion and past that have made him the mighty-mighty-sexy-good-guy he is today. Excerpt: Paul was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he developed into a high-scoring high-school point guard. In 2002, the day after Paul signed his letter of intent to play college basketball at Wake Forest, his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, was murdered in his driveway. A few nights later, Paul took the court and scored 61 points — his grandfather’s age when he died — before taking himself out of the game and weeping on the bench. He now runs the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship Fund, which sends deserving high-school grads to Wake Forest. And if that didnt give you goosebumps, you’re on the wrong blog.

DWIGHT HOWARD

I dare anyone to find something negative written about Dwight Howard. (And I ain’t talking about his hoops skills-although I’m willing to bet there’s not much you can rip on there either). Hot-stuff, along with his parents, established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation in 2004 to empower kids to reach their highest potential- he’s given out scholarships for students who want to attend his alma mater, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy in Atlanta Georgia and provides grants to Lovell Elementary School and Memorial Middle School in Orlando Florida. He’s personally donated money for the Katrina Hurricane relief efforts, and helped to build a playground at the Boca Club Apartments in Orlando. And to top this sundae with a plump cherry- Dwight has faith. When he’s home in Atlanta, he attends the Fellowship of Faith Church and donates his time to the youth programs at the church. Needless to say, it’ll be a cold day in hell when you read anything about Howard getting a DUI, arrested for gun possession or accidentally picking up a stranger who later beats and robs him. Dwight Howard is more than a mighty-fine-man, he’s a stellar example for all of us to look up to.

CHRIS BOSH
Of course, not much ‘community’ news available on Chris Bosh, but according to his foundation website-Bosh is okay by me. Each year he runs a Chris Bosh Foundation Book Club where over 2000 kids get involved to read as much as possible during hoops season. Throughout 2007 Chris supported and initiated a variety of community events including a holiday party for more than 300 kids, his first annual basketball tournament, homework and book clubs…he’s the Read To Achieve spokesman for the Raptors and has attended a ton of Raptors community events including the Raptors Foundation Court Launch, Sick Kids Hospital visit and KingPin Bowling Challenge. During the month of February Chris promoted Black History Month by hosting in school trivia contests and provides youth the opportunity to come to games throughout the season.

CARLOS BOOZER

By now you’ve must have heard of Boozer’s Buddies right? Boozer and his wife established the foundation to support families affected by Sickle Cell Disease. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms, and Boozer was inspired after his 17-month-old son, Carmani, was diagnosed with has sickle cell anemia (who later underwent a successful bone marrow transplant). “You think of yourself as a father, brother, son, a basketball player, all these things,” Carlos said. “Now I realize I’m so much more than that, I’m an advocate. I want to raise money, help kids who can’t help themselves. This is the beginning of a long story for us, and this is just Part One.”

CARMELO ANTHONY

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Carmelo Anthony is a good-guy. I don’t care about his DUI-he made a mistake, which he’s owned up to, so get over it already. Im not condoning drinking and driving, but if the media would report the good things Melo’s been involved with, you may change your opinion. And again, I’m not gonna address some asinine video-game-much-to-do-about-nothing or overblown 7-Eleven BS that some of you have latched onto in efforts to bring Melo down. My point is finding about finding a balance…and when Melo is interacting with kids and kicking down some hefty cash (under the media radar) to improve the lives of needy kids-its easy to read his face and you just know in your heart he’s doing it outta love. Simple as that.

As for the rest of Team USA-Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, Deron Williams, and Tayshaun Prince…well, lets see, D-Wade is always out there in the community- not sure if its sincerity or contract work, but regardless, he’s always smiling and licking those juicy lips of his…Lebron James-hypocrite…Michael Redd is a a devout Christian who bought a church building for his father’s ministry as the first purchase after signing with the NBA-I’d say he’s one of the good-guys out there-check out his Foundation…Deron Williams: His Point of Hope Foundation helps people with cancer…he holds charity golf events…and is hot….Tayshaun Prince…can’t give him love just yet…had a nasty run in with some of his peeps in Carson, so by proxy he’s a bit tainted for this Motor City gal.

The USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team will be profiled in a five-part documentary series, “Road To Redemption presented by NIKE”. The series, produced by NBA Entertainment, will debut with a special one-hour episode that will air Wednesday, July 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

SHOWDOWN IN CHINATOWN WITH STEVE NASH
A few NBA good-guys like Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Raja Bell, and Leandro Barbosa hooked up with some of the best soccer players on earth- Thierry Henry, Claudio Reyna, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Jozy Altidore, Juan Pablo Angel, and Gregg Berhalter for the ‘Showdown in Chinatown’ charity soccer game yesterday in NY. (Side note: Mad Props to Jason Kidd, who has popped up at just about every charity event imaginable during the off-season.)

The ‘Showdown’ was born from the beautiful humanitarian mind of Steve Nash, who spends most of his off-season showcasing the soccer skills that were passed down from his famous soccer-playing dad. Nash co-hosted the event along with buddy Claudio Reyna, who moved to MLS’s New York Red Bulls after making a name for himself in parts of the world where soccer is a religion. Following the game, the hotties held a private auction in SoHo to benefit their respective foundations. “Football and my foundation are two of my big passions,” said Nash, “And the chance to bring together guys like Thierry and Jason and Claudio. And the best part is that it (was) free to anyone who wanted to come watch us.”

“We had it completely wrong in terms of the excitement,” Reyna said. “We knew people were going to come out, but we just couldn’t believe it when we showed.” Uh-you didn’t know people were gonna come out? Actually, Reyna makes a good point. While my West Coast eyes had to search hard for info on this event, I’m wondering how much pre-event pumping up there was on the East Coast? This event could have sold more tickets than David Beckham has for the Galaxy- but seeing as it was Steve Nash holding the reins, it doesn’t surprise me that it was a free event. Thanks to the great fans who filmed the event and posted something fresh to look at on YouTube…if it weren’t for them, footage from this event may have gone by the wayside…the only stone in my shoe today is that I didn’t get my ass on a plane to NY to cover this event myself (a-hem, sponsors pa-leeze). Nash’s side won the 60-minute game, 9-4, while Thierry Henry entertained the crowd by juggling the ball for 20 yards at a time and balancing it on his head-stuff we only see in Reebok commercials…There’s a handful of post-related items…all the same standard wording…and maybe five images from the event making the rounds. And the ‘selling point’ of the story this morning is that Henry said he likes America-media translation? Henry may be following in the footsteps of Beckham and come to the states. “Why not?” he said Wednesday night, “I love America. I love it here. And whenever I come here, I feel free. Hopefully, one day. You never know what’s going to happen. But at the moment, I’m still over there.” But you were here yesterday Thierry, and we thank you for that. We thank you for adding an extra-bit of oomph to the most beautiful game to roll through NY in a long, long time. (And on a side note here-gotta call out a playa for a sham of a show…Baron Davis. While he also took part in this little shindig he gets no love from me-I ain’t buying his ‘charity efforts’ for one second. He may be one of the most charismatic and loved ballers around, but I’ve seen his dark side, his thug of a posse and his overbearing need to have his ego fed. In my book, he ain’t one of the good-guys until he clears up some dirty baggage that’s attached to his reputation.)

NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS MEET SPECIAL OLYMPIANS

Yesterday, NBA Cares held a Special Olympics Clinic at John Jay College in NY. A few NBA ‘draft prospects’ such as Brook Lopez (L), O.J. Mayo (R), Robin Lopez, Russell Westbrook, Jerryd Bayless and Michael Beasley made the kids happy.

And in efforts to justify running this fab-photo of Michael Beasley, I found an auction by Topps who sponsored the McDonalds All American High School Basketball Games. Up for bids is a basketball signed by team members including Beasley. The exclusive Topps Vault eBay auctions features a limited number of Topps McDonald’s All-American High School “The Rock” Basketballs signed by the Boy’s East team, the Boy’s West team, and the Girls teams. 85% of the proceeds from the auctions will go to the Ronald McDonald House charities, so bid away my friends, bid away.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

BOWLING FOR DREAMS

Last Saturday in Las Vegas, celebrity athletes meshed with celebrities for the 8th annual Sports Dream Bowl at the Red Rock Resort. The babes lined up to bowl for a benefit for the Sports Dream Foundation’s Urban Youth Scholarship Fund. NFL legend, Warren Moon hosted the event, which delivered some great eye-candy to guests who were able to watch the ‘red-caret’ arrivals…Tony Parker-Longoria was there with his arm-charm, Carson and Jordon Palmer of the Cincinnati Bengals, NFL legend Jerry Rice, Junior Seau, Brandon Jacobs, Tony Gonzalez, Robert Horry of the San Longoria Spurs, Brian Brohm of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Ross and Brandon Jacobs of the NY Giants…”Everyone involved loves the fun of the event, but also cares tremendously about the cause. As athletes and celebrities, we have all benefited from the support of others, and we are honored to pass along the positive impact by contributing to these outstanding students,” said Moon. “Many of our recipients will be the first in their family to attend college. Their personal stories and achievements are incredibly inspiring.” Moons been kicking in cash for college grants since 1989, and six of the scholarship winners joined the festivities…

DUSTED OFF AND READY FOR AUCTION

I love that John McEnroe is doing this…but I’m pretty sure the value lies in the fact that it was painted by Andy Warhol…Flashback 1986…John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neal were happily married when they attended a charity auction and bid about $30k to have Warhol paint the couple’s portrait based on a Polaroid of the two. Flash forward 2008…McEnroe is selling the portrait via a Sotheby’s auction in London next week…the piece is expected to fetch about $687,000…which I sincerely hope they get, because all proceeds are earmarked for Habitat for Humanity.

CAMILO VILLEGAS: DOUBLE WHAMMY

On Tuesday, June 17, our Columbian kitten, Camilo Villegas crawled his way to victory at the Telus World Skins golf tournament in British Columbia…he’s now got an additional $230,000 to add to his list of prize money…but, just when we’re getting used to the idea of Villegas winning one…he’s gone and done it again- just one week later. “I was a little nervous,” he said. “It’s good to feel the nerves, a little shaky. It’s good for myself.” Villegas made two birdie putts in a three-hole playoff and along with his partner Bubba Watson to win the rain-delayed CVS Caremark Charity Classic on Tuesday. “It’s all about charity,” said Bubba Watson, who donated $10,000 of his winning check back to the tournament. “I know it helps Rhode Island a lot.” No word on whether or not Villegas is gonna send some cash to his Foundation…because although I know he’s established one in Columbia-there is nary a peep of info available about it-so Camilo, wake-up and email Delinda information about your Foundation already-how long you gonna make this girl wait?

ATHLEBRITY NBA DRAFT PICK: JERRYD BAYLESS
While some of our off-season ballers are busy playing in charity soccer games with Steve Nash or performing their ‘NBA Cares’ duties, a plethora of fresh-blood is waiting for their entry in the NBA via that-oh-so-long-and-boring NBA Draft process. In efforts to help you weed out the good from the bad (pun intended), I think I may have found a future-charity-diamond-in-the-rough. Jerryd Bayless, formerly of the Arizona Wildcats, has created quite a buzz- with predictions calling for him to be selected either fourth or fifth in the Draft. We have yet to see how this sexy youngster will adjust to life with the big boys- whether he’ll let the fame and fortune take him down faster than a drunk baller in a Vegas club, or if he’ll take a similar path as Chris Paul and give love to the community- my intuition says he’s headed for the mighty-mighty-sexy-good-guys category.

In a 2005 GOAZCATS.com article, the writer’s first impression of Bayless: “To my pleasant surprise, he turned out to be the polar opposite of what I expected. He was — and remains to this day — humble, polite, dignified, respectful, caring, selfless, charming and witty. Basically, Jerryd Bayless is the exact kind of person people want to call their friend, the kind of guy parents hope their kids hang around with because of his positive nature and the good upbringing by his own parents.” And wouldn’t ya know it-Bayless gave credit to his parents, “I am a reflection of my mom in ways and my dad in ways,” he said. “And, yes, they have made it easier for me to succeed.” No argument coming from his former AAU coach either, “Jerryd is a class act. It comes from being around quality people and having good parents.” Sweetness is already off to a great start-on June 19, Bayless teamed up with Feed the Children to provide 400 Phoenix families with boxes of food, love and personal care items. “Arizona and I have a special connection and commitment to bettering the lives of Arizonans, “ he said, “I am privileged to be able to help out the community before I start this next phase of my life in the NBA and in a new city…it will always be a priority for me to assist young people and their families to ensure that opportunities are available. This is just the beginning of what I intend to be a long-term commitment to helping those less fortunate in the Arizona area.” Let’s cross our fingers and hope this future NBA star continues to makes us all proud and we don’t find him among the posts in Deadspin…

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

YAO MING BUILDING SCHOOLS AFTER EARTHQUAKE

Yao has been a very busy ‘relief-effort-bee’…the Houston Rockets star held a fundraiser last Thursday for his Yao Ming Foundation. More than 100 people attended, including teammate/humanitarian Dikembe Mutombo…the little shin-dig raised about $150,000 dollars to help earthquake victims in his native China. Yao began his relief efforts by making an initial, personal commitment of $2M after the May 12 quake, and the first initiative of Yao’s Foundation is earthquake relief efforts that focus on rebuilding earthquake-resistant, high-quality schools. “It is very hard to put into words how difficult it is to see this kind of destruction,” said Yao. “My thoughts and actions are now focused on helping to rebuild the schools that were destroyed in this tragedy and I hope that others around the world will join in our efforts.” If you wanna join Yao in his efforts to help, please visit his Foundation for more info.

Speaking of Dikembe Mutombo…he was featured in the June issue of ‘Icon Magazine’. I highly recommend reading “Netting His Dream,” it’s a phenomenal article which accurately portrays why he is one of the most sincere and ethical humanitarian ‘athletes’ you could ever hope for…and I gotta say it-Dikemebe is looking pretty hot in the photo spread…sorry kids, I may have shifted my focus towards athletes and their chairty work, but my libido is still honed in on mighty-mighty-fine-sexy-men.

ETO’O FOR THE KIDS

Barcelona and Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o brought skills and smiles to grateful African school children during a soccer clinic on the outskirts of Nairobi today. As part of his ‘OMO 10 out of 10 Nationwide Soccer for Life Skills’ program, the three-time African Player of the Year is making the rounds and is expected to meet a total of about 400 kids from around the area to teach them basic soccer lessons…

BRENDAN HAYWOOD YA COME TO MY TOWN?

Back in May, Washington Wizards hottie Brendan Haywood inadvertently caused some hefty donations to be made to the Cavaliers Youth Fund after he (rightly) called Lebron James a ‘crybaby’ for complaining about hard fouls. Haywood’s ‘crybaby’ comments sparked those wonderful Papa Johns t-shirts and ensuing .23 pizza sales and a $10k donation to the Cav’s Youth Fund…so dude’s okay in my book…especially after this weekend when hot-stuff was hooping it up with the kids during the Kia Motors Performance Challenge as part of the NBA Nation Tour…because sometimes the off-season can be a beautiful thing.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

LEWIS HAMILTON’S SLEEPING BAG FOR CHARITY?

Felipe Massa may have won the French Grand Prix on Sunday after Lewis Hamilton battled with extra penalty points which caused him to finish in eleventh place…but I’d much rather talk about Lewis Hamilton’s sleeping bag…a bunch of smart kids from the Maple Court Primary School in the UK were encouraged by the school to stage a charity auction. The kids fired off a bunch of letters asking for donations, and viola- they are now is possession of the F1-babes sleeping bag. “We got it from Mercedes Benz,” said an eleven-year old student. Hamilton’s downy-piece of heaven goes on the auction block July 16th. (SentinelUK)

GEORGE MARTIN: $2 MILLION DOLLAR MAN
George Martin spent his entire football career with the NY Giants (1975-1988) and missed only six games during those 14 years…so its no surprise that the ex-defensive end completed his 3,003-mile trek across the US with a massive smile across his face. “I feel like a million bucks,” Martin said. “Other than a blister that I have on my left foot, I’m in great shape.” The big guy burned through 24 pairs of shoes and lost 40 pounds before finishing his walk on Saturday in San Diego-and Im sure that smile also had to do with the fact that he raised more than $2 million along the way for sick 9/11 rescue workers.

Martin began his walk on September 16 to draw attention to the plight of rescue and recovery workers who developed respiratory problems after working in the ruins of the World Trade Center. “These heroes need our collective support,” Martin said in a statement. “Many who answered our nation’s call for help now cannot even walk up the steps in their own homes due to severe respiratory and other ailments. Some are dying. They deserve our help.” For more info on this mighty-mighty-good-man, please visit ‘A Journey For 911.’

ASTON VILLA GATHERS ACORNS

Premier League club Aston Villa didn’t seem bothered when their multimillion- dollar deal with an Internet gaming company expired. Instead, they opted to enter into sponsorship deal to promote the work of Acorns children’s hospices by advertising the hospice on their jerseys. “Yes, the shirts have monetary value, but they also have emotional value to fans and this is something to give back to them,” said Duncan Riddle, the club’s head of community relations. Villa, owned by American Randy Lerner, is the first Premier League club to shun a lucrative sponsorship deal. “Real credit must go to Aston Villa for being the first Premier League club to use their shirt sponsorship to highlight their charity partnership with Acorns,” Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said. “I am sure that Acorns’ association with Aston Villa will be a great help in raising awareness and funds for the excellent work they undertake.” Acorns look after 600 children and families and run three 10-bed units across central England. (Aston Villa Acorns)

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

As I look at the photos of Javon Walker partying it up at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, I can’t help but feel sick to my stomach. One minute he’s having fun, the next he’s left as road kill. In case you missed the news from Sin City, early Monday morning, the Oakland Raider was beaten, robbed and left unconscious on a Las Vegas street after a night of partying…then I come across news of Arizona Cardinal J.J. Arrington getting arrested after a fight at a nightclub in Rocky Mount, N.C…Titans linebacker Ryan Fowler denies taking performance-enhancing drugs after he was linked to convicted steroids dealer David Jacobs, who was found dead with a female companion in his Plano, Texas, home earlier this month…Sadia Morrison, the Bronx woman who was involved in the Las Vegas brawl that police say NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones’ incited, was found dead last week behind a Bronx building…Barry Bonds has pleaded not guilty to 15 felony charges of lying to a federal grand jury about his performance-enhancing drug use…and now The New York Times, citing an unidentified lawyer briefed on the issue, reported that Greg Anderson’s wife received a “target letter” from federal prosecutors in November, shortly after Bonds was indicted on perjury charges, advising her that she could be charged with conspiring to commit a crime against the federal government…

Day after day, as I sit here and post pretty pictures of our sexy athletes doing good things, I find it incredibly frustrating to NOT come across more coverage of the celebrity athletes who have made good role models. The general public flocks to sites like Deadspin or Perez Hilton in efforts to get their daily dose of dirt while ‘journalists’ chase down leads on TomKat sightings or the latest news on the birth from a celebrity who-shouldn’t-be-having-kids-and-why-do-we-care-anyway?

There is a very dirty and dark side to sports. I’ve seen and heard things I wouldn’t wish upon any sports fan- my bubble has burst and I’ve had just about enough of the scandals, steroids, rapes, party’s gone wrong, affairs, fights, drug dealing hoopsters, gun toting ballers, etc. Since the release of the Mitchell Report, ‘Game of Shadows’, ensuing testimony from Clemens and his side-kick-personal trainer, Brian McNamee, we’ve been given a front row seat to that circus, but hidden within the text, testimony and ‘archived’ news stories, there is a much larger issue which is not being addressed in the sports section. And the dark side I’m referring to isn’t steroids and baseball. This isn’t about who, what, where, when or why some athletes birthed a scandal that has forever tainted America’s favorite past time. Its about the victims of the cover-up, scandal and ongoing injustice done to women who have fallen prey to athletes who have been empowered by society, the media, steroids and yes-even some teams-that don’t want anyone to know how deep and dirty the secrets go. No one wants to say the dirty word, but I will. It’s called ‘rape.’ With the world focused on tainted home-run records, asterisks, and the integrity of the sports world, I think its high time people are aware that the integrity of many women has been stolen from them. Because believe me, its happening, has happened, and will continue to happen unless someone addresses the issue.

One example comes from Camp Clemens. In October of 2001, Brian McNamee, while employed by the Yankees, was caught having sex with a woman in Florida at the team hotel. According to police reports, she had allegedly been given a near lethal dose of GHB (aka the ‘date-rape’ drug) and McNamee held onto her until a hotel employee noticed she was incapacitated and asked him to stop. Other players watched as McNamee ‘raped’ this woman, but because she was having an affair with a married Yankees employee, she didn’t press charges. A few months later, the Yankees quietly let McNamee go, but Clemens and Pettitte kept using him as their personal trainer. Stories of infidelity are rampant in the sports world, yet I have the utmost respect for this woman, whoever she is, and despite the fact that she was having an affair with a ‘married’ Yankee. To add insult to injury- Clemens and Pettitte-knowing McNamee’s propensity for violence-kept him on their payroll, while the Yankees washed their hands of it by taking McNamee off their payroll, but still kept him linked to the team by proxy. I’m sure this woman was given a hefty-lump of hush money and sent packing. But hush money doesn’t restore dignity or self respect. Money doesn’t make the nightmares go away or heal the humiliation. Money can’t give this woman what McNamee took from her by force and without consent.

In essence, my focus has shifted. Athlebrities is getting a face lift. Gone are the days of the simple objectification of our hotties. Mixed within the vortex of the complicated world of professional athletes, there are some really, really good men (and women) out there using their fame to raise money for good causes…donating countless hours and cash to bring awareness to starving kids in Africa, the still-Katrina-ravaged areas of New Orleans, the homeless people on our streets, children with AIDS, abused or neglected animals, autism, illiteracy, etc…the list is as endless as their generosity. I wanna hear the feel-good stories and I want you to feel inspired instead of reading about all the garbage…this doesn’t mean that you won’t find Camilo Villegas crawling across my posts, or information on Team Italy activities…but you will read more about the good guys and their charity events. You will read more about who, what, when and where these athletes will be in order to meet their fans and raise money for good causes.

Because really, isnt it time we replace the bad-guys on the pedestal with the ones who really deserve it?

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

BARKLEY ANTE’S UP FOR AFRICA

The 2008 Ante Up For Africa Poker Tournament at the World Series of Poker will be held on July 2 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event, which raises money and awareness for the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, raised more than $700,000 last year, and this year, you can expect them to raise even more…thanks in part to Sir Charles Barkley, who kept good on his “not gambling” promise during the Pro Team Sports Challenge despite the fact that the event was held, in part, at a casino. “We were at a casino and he said he was on the wagon,” said Jason Kidd, a participant in the Pro Team Challenge. “He’s strong. He didn’t gamble. I think Charles, once he decides not to do something, I think he’s pretty good at keeping his word.” Barkley has pledged to donate all of his winnings to one of the two designated charities if he wins the event in Vegas…Past celebrities, athletes and poker professionals giving some love to Darfur via the Ante Up For Africa Poker Tournament include: Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Cheryl Hines, Mekhi Phifer, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, Martin Sheen, Donnie Wahlberg, Montel Williams, Doyle Brunson, Annie Duke, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson, Jamie Gold, Phil Gordon, Barry Greenstein, Joe Hachem, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, and many others.

STEVE NASH CLEATS UP FOR CHARITY

Steve Nash is taking off his sneakers and putting on some cleats to take part in the “Showdown in Chinatown” celebrity soccer match for charity. The face-off, which includes New York Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna along with celebrity athletes from two of the most beautiful games in the world-soccer and basketball- takes place in New York City on June 25. Nash and Reyna will be joined by former Liverpool FC stars Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler as well as NBA players Raja Bell (R), Leandro Barbosa, Nate Robinson and David Lee.

LUOL DENG: WHAT A MIGHTY FINE MAN
His name should be familiar to you if you’ve been a regular reader of mine…Chicago Bull Luol Deng. Remember his name. He’s one of the good guys-right alongside Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Nash and Yao Ming-in terms of really, really making a difference in this world, but specifically for his work with the NineMillion.org campaign. Deng has been a staunch supporter of the cause, donating $50 for every basket he scored to the organization that helps more than nine million refugee children gain better access to education, technology and everything else we take for granted.

Today, Deng, who is a former refugee from Sudan, will receive the 2008 UN Refugee Agency’s Humanitarian of the Year Award at World Refugee Day in Washington, D.C. ”I am honored to receive the UNHCR’s ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ Award,” Deng said. “Giving back is important to me. The ninemillion.org campaign is a cause that is very close to my heart, and I am committed to helping refugees make a new life for themselves.”

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com