Athlebrities

Admittedly I love my blog, I really do. Call me arrogant, wistful, delusional, whatever, but Athlebrities is my baby. Born from a love of athletes…with the intent of spreading good news and charitable acts that go unnoticed…it’s been a long road, a long difficult road sifting through the who’s who of charity work, deciphering whether intent is based on ego or love…hoping that each reader think twice about blind-hero worship (unless of course its Drogba, Melo, Rafa or our Kitten)…in any case, I’m at a cross-road.

As much as I would like to say this has nothing to do with Tiger Woods, he does come into play here for one simple reason. He is a living breathing example of the industry which I’ve come to love, and hate. Here we have one of the world’s most beloved athletes and in less than two weeks he’s become media-fodder and placed into a wood-chipper ala Fargo. Not that he doesn’t deserve our anger over the sham of his image but….but….really?

It seems I can’t fight human nature. I can’t fight the insatiable public thirst for all things scandalous, negative, hurtful…Athlebrities has tried hard to get your attention…divert it towards something positive…yet gossip sites continue to suck the life out of my Little Train That Could, leaving my soul sad and my spirits damaged. Stella just can’t seem to get her groove back.

So as this year comes to an end, I wonder if…if I can find my groove again. I know its there…I can sense it…but it appears to be hibernating at the moment. I suppose the question is, does anybody really care what our hotties are doing off the field when it’s not scandalous? Judging by recent events, I tend to think not. Is the general public content with scandalous media created spoon-fed stories that do nothing except spread hate? I tend to think so.

A few years ago I predicted a trend towards an interest in athlete giving and yes, I stand by that as I count the number of sites attempting to do what I have. Don’t mistake this for arrogance-trust me I’m humble- I’m simply frustrated. Maybe someone should give me a larger platform? (a-hem NBA Cares)(photo above, Kyle Korver, NBAE via Getty Images)

In the meantime, I’m reevaluating which direction to take Athlebrities. Of course, I’d love your feedback, suggestions etc…so until next time kids, have a very happy and safe holiday season, I hope to be back soon.

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

Trail Blazers Annual Harvest Dinner

Close to 5,000 of Portland’s neediest people were the guests of honor at the Portland Trail Blazers Sixth Annual Harvest Dinner…just about everyone from the Blazers’ organization were on hand to serve up a traditional turkey dinner and distribute personal care packages, while Supercuts and Cosmetology Careers gave away free haircuts…

The Blazers teamed up with nearly 35 nonprofits such as Central City Concern, Albina Head Start, Morrison Center Children and Family Services and Loaves and Fishes to offer Portland’s largest dinner for the homeless and inspire smiles on faces of those grateful for the help…

But the most dimpled team in the NBA didn’t forget about hungry homebound seniors…the staff and players took Harvest Dinner on the road via the Meals-On-Wheels program, delivering love straight to the doors of those who were too frail to make it on their own. And what could be better than that? (All photos copyright NBAE via Getty Images)

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

Mark Sanchez Donates to Soup Kitchen After ‘Hot Dog’ Incident

Quarterback Mark Sanchez and his New York Jets beat the Oakland Raiders 38-0 last Sunday…but apparently the bigger news is that he was caught on tape (oh god no) eating a hot dog! The gorgeous NLF beast has issued an apology for discreetly attempting to eat while sidelined.

But sometimes ‘ridiculous’ morphs into something beautiful…Sanchez has offered to donate 1,000 hotdogs and burgers to a soup kitchen in New Jersey. He’s said that he will buy 500 hot dogs and 500 hamburgers, along with 500 buns and 500 rolls to donate to the Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown located at 36 South St. in Morristown.

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

Andre Agassi & Crystal Meth

“There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful – and I’ve never felt such energy.” Andre Agassi on his first taste of crystal meth.

Yes, tennis legend Andre Agassi admits in his forthcoming book ‘Open: An Autobiography’ that he used crystal meth during his playing career…Excerpts from the book are surfacing quicker than nude photos of Tom Brady would…Agassi, referencing an assistant by the name of Slim, writes:

“Slim is stressed too … He says, You want to get high with me? On what? Gack. What the hell’s gack? Crystal meth. Why do they call it gack? Because that’s the sound you make when you’re high … Make you feel like Superman, dude…As if they’re coming out of someone else’s mouth, I hear these words: You know what? Fuck it. Yeah. Let’s get high…Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I’ve just crossed…There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful – and I’ve never felt such energy…I’m seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds.”

More from the book when Agassi received a call from a doctor working for the ATP, telling him he had tested positive for drugs:

“There is doom in his voice, as if he’s going to tell me I’m dying…And that’s exactly what he tells me.  He reminds me that tennis has three classes of drug violation…Performance-enhancing drugs would constitute a class 1, he says, which would carry a suspension of two years. However, he adds, crystal meth would seem to be a clear case of class 2. Recreational drugs, that would carry a much lower suspension of three months. Agassi goes on to tell how he continually lied to the ATP: My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It’s filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth…I say Slim, whom I’ve since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth – which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim’s spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: sincerely. “

The ATP accepted Agassi’s version of events and the rest, as they say, is history…and I, for one, am on the fence about this whole ‘admission’ thing…why now? Is Andre that afraid that his book would sit on the shelf collecting dust without some sort of ‘oh god no’ moment? He certainly doesn’t need the money…was he fearful that a toothless tweeked out Slim would resurface after publication and claim Agassi didn’t fully disclose everything? And why in the world would you admit to biting the ATP hand that fed you all those years? Dear god, is the next excerpt going to be about you doing lines off Brooke Shields bum…come on Andre, what are you DOING? After spending years to establish your Foundation one of the most respected and successful events EVER, I can only hope you grab on to the backlash headed your way and send some hefty donations to various drug-recovery programs across the nation…

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

Detroit Pistons’ Historic Community Service with Samaritan’s Feet

“They’ll walk out in their shoes standing six feet tall because their role models touched them in a way they’ll never forget.” Manny Ohonme, president and founder of Samaritan’s Feet

Of all the community outreach being done as part of the NBA Cares ‘Week of Service,” I do believe the Detroit Pistons have -so far- held the best event…last week at the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit, volunteers from the Palace, sponsors National City and Fathead made it possible for the Pistons and the nonprofit relief organization Samaritan’s Feet to positively impact nearly 2,000 children in three hours…this event was special for several reasons, aside from just giving away free socks and shoes to the kids, the Pistons got down on their knees and washed the kids’ feet before placing new, clean, free socks and shoes on their feet. According to my semi-rusty memory, this is only the second time I’ve seen any of our athletes washing children’s feet for charity. Last January the Grizzlies got down and scrubbed 350 little pairs of feet, which at the time was the largest event held in conjunction with an NBA team…but now, the hotties from the Motor City hold that distinction. “This is a monumental effort,” said Good Samaritan founder Manny Ohonme, “To actually see an entire team come support this and the staff and organization, this is the first time. This is a historical moment for us.” And really, a historical moment for all of us.

(Original story: NBA Cares)

Founded in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet made headlines in January 2008 when IUPUI coach Ron Hunter coached a game barefoot to bring attention to the charity and the organization’s goal of donating 10 million pairs of shoes to impoverished children worldwide in the next 10 years. Since then, Samaritan’s Feet has hosted “Shoes of Hope” distribution events across the country, including one in Detroit last spring during the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

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

Rob Dyrdek’s Charity Work

”We want them all over Los Angeles. That’s our goal right now. We are working with so many people to get this done and convince them this isn’t just some cookie cutter design like a tennis court but each is different and unique. Kids will go to these. Once we have them all over here we want to go to cities across the nation. Every community.” Rob Dyrdek in a recent interview on the Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation/Safe Spot Skate Spot Program

When I take my eyes off the court or the field, I’m continually amazed at what some of these guys are doing…and I’m starting to think that the most impressive ‘charitable’ athletes belong to the world of surfing, skateboarding and anything X-Games related. Perhaps because the rules are less stringent or perhaps it’s because most of them have been on wheels or waves before MTV even existed, essentially giving guys like Tony Hawk, Laird Hamilton, Rob Machado, Andy Macdonald and Danny Way free reign to shape their sports.

After the TAG Signature Series Charity Challenge kicked off (which begs me to imagine the sweet scent of Carmelo) - I did a little more digging into Rob Dyrdek-who is also competing with Melo and Ludacris to sell the most TAG Body Sprays for a hefty donation to their respective charities.

And I gotta say, this Dyrdek stud is pretty amazing. From his website: ‘He’s had a long and successful career as a professional skateboarder, a TV star, a filmmaker, a serial entrepreneur, a marketing whiz, and a multi-faceted philanthropist dedicated to supporting skateboarding. Rob Dyrdek has leveraged his creativity, business savvy, and professional skateboard career in order to launch a long list of non-profit foundations, innovative businesses, and noteworthy productions in film and television. This includes the introduction of safe and legal Skate Plazas through the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation, a children’s toy line, Wild Grinders, a feature film production titled Street Dreams, the widely distributed brands Rogue Status, Silver Trucks, and Reflex Bearings, and of course the wildly successful MTV programs Rob & Big and Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.’

Now, I haven’t watched MTV since it stopped being about music (sorry MTV) but I did enjoy this delicious clip of Dyrdek…check out his “office” as he frolics with Carmelo Anthony and Ludacris in a preview of this weeks season finale when they stop by the Factory for a charitable wager….Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory airs on MTV this Thursday at 9 PM ET…

If you’re like me, after watching this video you may need more Melo…there’s a short Q&A in this months Esquire magazine…gotta say though, it’s not a great interview-it’s more of a fluff piece about how Melo doesn’t like to wear bowties-which leads me to say, once again, Melo, where’s my interview already? You dissed me once with a snub of my hug, and yet I’m still here, brimming with interview questions that’ll make my readers cry and highlight your humanitarian efforts like none other…and yes, you can sit behind safety glass if you’d like.

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

Athlete and Celebrity Homes

“Whatever field you are in, your goal in this life should be to leave all of your talents and gifts behind. Give and let the world receive.” - Kofi Nartey, founder, SOTALOT Realty Group

NBA star Michael Jordan plans to build a 38,000-square-foot mansion in Jupiter, Fla.’s Bear Club golf community which will cost $7.6 million to build…it will have 11 bedrooms, 10-foot ceilings and an elevator…Houston Rockets owner, Leslie Alexander bought a New York City penthouse for $25 million and then listed it for $39.5 million…A Los Angeles-area home once owned by Cary Grant and later by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith hit the market with a price tag of $3.495 million…Tony Hawk has a sweet 5,000 square-foot house which includes $150,000 worth of gaming electronics in the living room…etc, etc, etc…

If you’re like me, it stings a bit to read about celebrities and athletes buying real-estate while most of us struggle to make ends meet. It also seems excessively lavish and often a bit unfair at times. But rather than spite those that live the life of luxury, I learned about something amazing last week which bears sharing, the SOTALOT Realty Group.

SOTALOT was founded by Kofi Natei Nartey  This guy is amazing…he’s got numerous years of professional real estate experience with a business background that includes financial advising, mortgage lending, motivational speaking, and management training…and he is also a former professional athlete…no surprise that SOTALOT exists to meet the unique real estate needs of Professional Athletes and Entertainers…with a twist. When you complete a transaction with them, the SOTALOT Realty Group will donate part of the proceeds to the charity of the buyer’s choice…and while I can’t say who their clients are, I can tell you that I firmly support any athlete that chooses to purchase a home through them ( Unless its Lebron of course). Props to SOTALOT for putting themselves on the ‘We Are Not A Greedy Company’ list…

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

Cristiano Ronaldo to Model Armani Underwear

The most expensive soccer player in history is about to give us the greatest gift since Beckham bared it and the Italian squad posed for D&G…Italian fashion designer Armani confirms that soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo will model underwear and jeans for the new spring 2010 campaign.

The Real Madrid hottie-formerly of Manchester United-also plays for Portugal’s national team…is, without question, the greatest soccer player ever.

I expect we’re going to see a whole lotta of what Ronaldo is um…packing, but what’s a good package without something beautiful inside…Ronaldo has a great history of charitable giving…he’s been an ambassador for the online Score for the Red Cross fundraising campaign which is a humanitarian project launched by UEFA and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)…stud also flew an 11-year-old tsunami survivor and his father to a World Cup qualifier before rallying other players to pitch in and buy them a new home…he’s auctioned off his personal sports gear to the tune of over 1 billion rupiah for tsunami relief efforts…and in March of this year, he donated £100,000 to the hospital that helped saved his mother’s life after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007…this is just a partial list of his love, and in my book, its good enough to qualify him for a semi-nude Armani campaign. Bring it on Cristiano!

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

Matt Damon, Bono and Lebron James on Entourage

The greatest performance in Matt Damon’s career occurred on the season finale of HBO’s ‘Entourage.’ In the episode, Damon tried to convince Vince (played by Adrian Grenier) to use his celebrity status and travel on a mission to Ohio to help fight hunger among children for Damon’s ONEXONE organization…Vince couldn’t go but Damon wasn’t about to let him off easy… Showing true dedication to the charitable cause, Damon asked Vince to donate money in a sequence of phone calls and conversations that escalate at times to a heated exchange of words…Damon even hit Vince up via a conference call with Bono, who also hounds Vince into donating because it’s “for the kids.” Simply priceless.

Of course, this isn’t the first we’ve seen of Entourage supporting celebrities and their causes…most recently, Tom Brady appeared in an episode-and while he didn’t plug ‘his charity’ he was playing in a charity golf event. And I expect much more celebrity cameos for charity in the following months. Why? Because it’s become very trendy to be a ‘giver.’ Now, this doesn’t mean that the giving is insincere, it just means we’re going to have to examine what’s inside the heroes we worship in order to figure that out. Sure, it may be difficult to decipher who’s sincere and who’s in it for the glory, but if you do your research you’ll find that most celebrities and athletes who are in the spotlight for their generosity have been doing charitable work for years. Let’s take for example…um, I dunno, Lebron James? Lebron also dropped a cameo in the Entourage finale…which I find highly suspect. Coming from the man who said the only thing he needs to donate to his hometown is an ‘appearance’, I ain’t buying it for a second. In my opinion, Lebron doesn’t care about any cause except that which furthers his image. Athletes making cameos for charity is trendy, hence his appearance. But hey, if it brings attention to Damon’s ONEXONE organization then I guess it’s worth it.

Props to Entourage for stepping it up for the causes…they’ve even set up an ‘Entourage’ page with behind the scenes videos of the actors lending their voice to the cause. But massive props to Matt Damon for effectively getting his message across with a flawlessly funny performance.

This clip rolled at the end of the Entourage final, after Damon has hounded Vince for a check. Be warned, lots of CUSSING it in….

Here’s another clip of Matt Damon directing Adrian (Vince) Grenier as he shoots a PSA for ONEXONE while Jeremy Piven tries to keep the peace…as seen on HBO On Demand… again, lots of profanity…

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

Celebrity Poker Events

Just about everyone is playing poker these days, yet I’m still astonished that more people aren’t taking advantage of the most underused tool for celebrity encounters…yes, its called ‘celebrity poker’ and its called that for a reason.

One of the most well-known celebrity poker events is ‘Ante Up for Africa’. The annual event- founded in part by Don Cheadle- has raised thousands and thousands of dollars for charity, while giving poker players the opportunity to sit at the felt alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood. I’ve covered many such events- witnessing everyone from the casual poker player to the diehard card-shark walk away with the main prize after paying a ridiculously low entry fee. Most events keep the entry fee low because they want you to play and they want you to win…they don’t want the celebrity to win. Celebrities are there to raise money for the charities involved and to interact with the players.

Aside from winning cash, celebrity poker ‘pots’ are chock full of other goodies…for example, if you live in the LA area and want tickets to see the Lakers or U2 in concert, why not gamble a low entry fee (for charity) and poker-it-up at the AM570 Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament?

The AM570 Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament will be held Sunday, November 8 at the Hollywood Park Casino. Doors open at 6PM…$150 Buy IN, $75 Re Buy…celebrities are still being announced but so far they’ve got 15-year NBA veteran and ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ contestant, John Salley (above): former LA Dodger, Steve Garvey; WWF Diva and ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ runner-up, Torrie Wilson (above-right); and former NFL player, Christian Okoye. Hosted by Joe Grande…so what’s in the ‘pot’? CASH, tickets to see Kobe, the Boys In Blue Playoffs, the Clippers, Bruins vs. Trojans, tickets to see U2 in concert and much more…additionally one of a kind sports and music memorabilia will also be on-site for a special charity auction.

A great game of poker, the opportunity to meet sports legends, a chance to win CASH and many great prizes and most of all- this event will benefit several children’s charities in the community. Please visit the site for more info and buy your tickets soon, it’s expected this event will be a sell-out.

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