Celebrities and Athletes for Marriage Equality
If you haven’t figured it out yet, Athlebrities has a minor obsession with singer/songwriter/activist/lover Jason Mraz…and today, Mraz is asking us to check out his PSA is support of Marriage Equality:
In addition to Mraz, Superbowl Champion and Cleveland Browns’ Linebacker Scott Fujita is also an ‘American for Marriage Equality’.
Americans for Marriage Equality is a public engagement campaign featuring prominent Americans who support committed gay and lesbian couples getting married. The campaign draws from a cadre of supportive professional athletes, film and music celebrities, political and civil rights leaders and business leaders…A hallmark of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement is the fight to have our relationships recognized as equal under the law. Full marriage equality is the true measure of our success in this area.
Find out MORE HERE.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
*Note: Athlebrities™ is NOT associated with E! Entertainment Television’s on-line sports section.
Celebrities and Athletes Endorse a ‘Natural High’
Celebrities and Athletes Endorse a ‘Natural High’
Not Your Parent’s Anti-Drug Campaign
The Natural High Foundation will be hosting their 11th annual fundraising gala, Sunset Splash, October 28th in La Jolla, California. This event will allow founder, and La Jolla native John Sundt’s brilliantly thought out, and sincere anti-drug message to continue to reach middle school classrooms across America, at no cost to the school’s. The Natural High movement (NH) has hit very close to many young hearts and is solidifying the belief early on, of living a clean and healthy lifestyle.
The NH Program, DVD series, Youtube channel and on-line community hail in comparison to the outdated and ineffective Just Say No or egg in a frying pan campaigns of drug-abuse prevention past. If you’re expecting dramatic voice-overs, or a drug crazed youth overdosing on a bathroom floor, under bad lighting, then you are in for a disappointment.
Sundt has assembled an exceptional group of creative individuals from various industries ranging from motocross to fashion design. With names like Tony Hawk, Anna Rawson of the LPGA and X-Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana and Paul Rodriguiez involved, NH has been able to demonstrate how these individuals have been able to consistently set standards in their own industries. MTV reality star, turned fashion designer, Lauren Conrad, and professional skateboarder Terry Kennedy share a very raw and authentic point of view in their PSA’s on why they have chosen to stay away from alcohol and drugs in order to pursue their natural high, which has led them to prosperous careers. Award winning director, cinematographer and father of two, Josh Landan, (who also directed NH 3) is thrilled to be part of putting such a positive message out there and would love for his own kids to be able to watch this video in school.
A natural high is defined as any activity, art form, or sport that you love to do and makes you feel good inside. Sundt believes, “everybody has a natural high, a gift”. His inspiration for the Natural High movement came from the loss of his two younger brothers Steven and Eric’s battle with drugs. In 2010, The Natural High DVD series alone, reached over two million middle school students across all 50 states and 18 of those states were able to receive the program for free. If you would like to be involved at this years Sunset Splash as an event sponsor, auction item donor or event guest please contact Josh Billauer at 858-876-8576 or josh@naturalhigh.org.
“Drugs kill dreams!” – Unknown
-Jessica Hernandez
jessicah@athlebrities.com
Rob Dyrdek’s Charity Work
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
O Mighty Isis: A Reunion of Love
O Mighty Isis: A Reunion of Love
O Mighty Isis…they flew in from New York, Atlanta, Dublin, Austin, Los Angeles, and god knows where else to funk it up after 20 years…and once again, they didn’t disappoint the crowd that gathered in Palo Alto last weekend for the greatest reunion show to hit the Bay area.
Held at Club Illusions in Palo Alto, the near capacity crowd didn’t hesitate to donate to the two beneficiaries of the event, The Allen Temple AIDS Ministry and The Mural Music and Arts Program. Auction items, including a signed Marco Belinelli Golden State Warriors jersey and an autographed Jeremy Roenick framed photo, sold quickly…perhaps because the crowd was ready for the Mothership to start funking it up one more time…?
O Mighty Isis is and forever will be: Michael Hogan, David Lee, Kenneth Fleming, Greg Kehret, Pete “PAMF” Ruotolo, Jeff Davidson, Rasheed De La, Tom Maitland, Ed Landels, Tim Baily and Winton Reynolds…and (once upon a time) Hershel Yatovitz…getting 12 musicians from around the world to reunite after 20 years is no easy task, but add a lil something called Love and it’s a no-brainer.
“This is amazing, I can’t believe it’s actually happening,“ said singer Kenneth Fleming, “And I’m not dancing with anyone except Debbie.” Fleming is referring to the girl who was once a fixture on stage during OMI shows back in the day. After all, Debbie is largely responsible for the reunion, as she wanted to celebrate her 40th birthday with the band. As evidenced by the above photo, they both still got it going on and shimmied and shook their stuff to Prince’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover.’ “For me it was a lot of Love, Healing, Peace, and Joy,” said Fleming, “All together it was just great to hang out with my two younger sisters Robyne and Debbie. I will always remember this show because it gave me something that was priceless.”
Priceless indeed…even Yatovitz, who is currently touring with Chris Isaak, made an impromptu appearance and tore it up on the guitar just as he did back in the day. Other famous faces in the crowd included husband and wife jazz duo ‘Tuck and Patti,’ who said they wouldn’t have missed the show for anything.
As mentioned, there was a whole lotta love going on at this show…love that dates back to childhood and bonds people in ways too deep to put into words. It’s a love rooted in good people, willing to do anything to step up for each other and welcome new friends into the circle.
In fact, there was so much love that a second, more intimate show went down the next evening at Dan Browns in Palo Alto. The highlight of this show –for me- came from ‘Jimmy Finley.’ Finley once taught most, if not all, OMI members to play guitar. During both shows, Jimmy waited patiently by the stage, hoping to sit in and play with them…and I gotta say, it was worth the wait. Finley joined them during the show at Dan Browns…quietly and pensively, with a smoke hanging from his lips, Finley plugged in his guitar and began to play…at the time, I wasn’t truly aware of this mans talent, but once he turned it on I understood what a musical savant was. It’s no exaggeration to say Jimmy could easily outplay Hendrix or Prince on guitar…this is a universally accepted fact by anyone privy to hear Jimmy jam. (Photo credit: MATT WYCZALKOWSKI)
Thanks to OMI for one hell of a weekend…and thanks to all the generous sponsors including: ONE HOPE Wine; Starbucks (Red); SUST, Trader Joe’s, The Oakland A’s, The Golden State Warriors; Hobee’s; Jeremy Roenick; and of course Da Funk Crew.
Till next year…
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Liquid Nation Ball 6
Liquid Nation Ball 6
Spotlight Event: Liquid Nation Ball 6
Next month, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and Surfers Healing’s Izzy Paskowitz will present Flea with the 2009 Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Humanitarian of the Year Award. Proceeds from the September 11 event will benefit 12 surf-related humanitarian organizations.
The official fundraiser for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund is set to be held at the ocean front home of Fernando Aguerre: “The 12 extremely deserving Liquid Nation Ball beneficiaries fight every day to make this world a better place,” said Aguerre. “Supporting Liquid Nation Ball is just one way we can help these organizations and give back to serious issues such as breast cancer awareness, malaria relief, spinal cord injury prevention, and urban youth outreach just to name a few. And on top of fundraising we are also lucky to be honoring Flea, who is someone who has also affected the lives of many.”
Granted, the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be nothing without the wicked bass-playing skills of Flea, but hottie has left his mark on far more than music industry. His tireless humanitarian efforts include hours of volunteering with autistic children via his involvement with Surfers Healing and he also co-founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music- a non-profit music school providing scholarships and affordable music lessons to children in the community.
I highly suggest getting your ticket to this event before it’s sold out…tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis for $300 each…only 400 will be sold. Will you be one of the few to enjoy a night of dancing, live music, great food, open bar, a silent and live auction of unique one-of-a-kind items to benefit the 12 surf-related humanitarian organizations? The SIMA Humanitarian Fund Board of Directors aims to continue the record fundraising legacy and raise $250,000 at Liquid Nation Ball 6. To purchase tickets, please go to www.liquid-nation.com.
I chose to spotlight this event for a couple reasons…it benefits 12 incredibly worthy organizations…most people aren’t aware of Flea’s humanitarian work…and the price of admission is nothing compared to the experience you’ll receive in exchange for helping others. Check out my previous post HERE.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
San Diego Chargers: One Love
San Diego Chargers: One Love
This year, the San Diego Chargers closed training camp to the public due to a broken water pipe under the bleachers…needless to say, fans aren’t too happy, but if they pay attention they’ll find they have something else to cheer about.
As part of the Chargers Community outreach, the organization is routinely frolicking around San Diego passing out food to the homeless or visiting the elderly in convalescent homes. Who knew? It’s this kind of ‘under the radar’ activity that makes my heart go pitter-patter. No arms need twisting when the Chargers and support staff head out to spread love…and those I spoke to sincerely look forward to giving back and spending quality time with those who are often otherwise ignored.
This is the first in a series of articles I plan on writing about the Chargers organization, support staff and of course, the hotties, as I join them around town getting a first hand look at their good deeds. First of all, Dick Lewis is the Man. Lewis is the Director of Player Outreach and also fronts the Chargers band known as ‘Time Out.’ They’ve been playing around town-in convalescent homes-for over ten-years. He explained to me how the Chargers Band came to fruition. “Ten years ago, actually, the idea came from Dean Spanos, President of the Chargers organization, we talked about a variety of needs in the community that they should be addressing,” said Lewis, “While we were talking about it, Spanos said why don’t you feed the homeless and do something with convalescent homes. So we were there. We started feeding homeless and coming here. First we developed a band with players and us, and went from convalescent home to convalescent home-we’ve been doing this for ten years now. And we’ve been feeding the homeless for ten years as well.”
Our conversation took place at the Golden Paradise convalescent home where the band was performing. And as I watched them perform my eyes scanned the crowd…it was amazing. Lewis has a soft, soulful voice that easily rivals those of the greats he was singing – Smokey Robinson, Al Greene- eat your hearts out.
The power of music was evident on the elderly faces around the room. For a few short hours, these folks experienced something wonderful. I couldn’t help but wonder who they were, where their families were and what memory flashed through their mind as Lewis sang an oldie but goodie.
But Lewis was quick to point out –selflessly-that its about the bigger picture. “I want to tell you, it’s such a gratifying feeling. It’s not just the band, basically it’s the organization. They gather stuff up- toys, clothing, sandwiches, soup, water, medicine – everything- they bring it to my office and we take it out every week,” said Lewis, “And we don’t realize how difficult it is in life for folks who have nothing. There are folks that have no money so they wander the streets and look for somebody to care for them because unfortunately they fell and they can’t get up. So we are providing an avenue for them to get up, and when I say ‘we’ I’m talking about the organization, the personnel of the organization, they care about peoples plight.“
One such plight is the need for food-it seems criminal to me that we have people walking the streets hungry in a nation that leads the world in obesity rates. “The need for help is growing,“ said Lewis, “Last week, we were feeding the homeless, and there was this three year old little girl with her mother, homeless out there, she was just playing and carrying on,” Lewis pauses, “After we finished the little girl’s mother approached us and said ‘my daughter wants to say something to you.’ So she came up to us, each of us, and said ‘thank you for feeding us.’ That’s the real world out there and this is just a small part of what we do’”
Of course I had to ask Lewis about the players, specifically, who would be the first to step up and take action? “This one over here,” he motions to Chargers Wide Receiver Gary Banks who was busy talking to an elderly gentleman, “He never says no, at a moments notice he is always here. You know, it all depends on how you were raised, and he cares.”
I would have to ditto Lewis’ sentiments about Gary Banks. The second year receiver has a smile to die for, but its what he does with it that makes him special. He must have spoken to every resident in that home…he shook hands, signed autographs and posed for photos…and he never stopped smiling. He is sincere…trust me kids, after attending many, many events, you can tell the difference between those guys who feel obligated and those who want to be there. He wanted to be there. “I’ve been to a number of events, Dick always has something going on and he’ll let me know about it,” Banks told me, “Its always fun coming and seeing the smiles Dick and the rest of the guys put on everyone’s faces.”
A smile was on everyone’s face indeed…from the 90 year-old school teacher to the care-givers to the crazy redheaded blogger…and this is just the tip of the Chargers ice-berg of community love that I intend on sharing with you as time goes by.
One love people and Go Chargers~
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Washington Wizard Antawn Jamison Helps Dr. Donda West Foundation
ANTAWN JAMISON STEPS UP FOR THE DR. DONDA WEST FOUNDATION
On November 4, I’m hoping each and every one of you gets out to vote for Obama (or Tina Fey if we can get her on the ticket). Afterwards, I’m also hoping those of you who live in the D.C. area can find your way to Ibiza for the recently announced Give Back Concert Benefit. This is the first hip-hop benefit concert in the nation’s capital to raise funds and encourage giving back to the community, while also benefiting the Dr. Donda West Foundation. The (Live to Give) campaign specifically focuses on inspiring young adults to give back by voting (for Obama) in the upcoming historic election. The concert came to fruition via teamwork from the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Washington Redskins NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green and the ‘Live to Give Campaign.’
The Give Back Concert Benefit will kick off with a voter registration drive with Washington Wizards Star Antawn Jamison…but get your tickets early because the first 200 pre-sale ticket purchasers will be invited to a private meet and
Although Kanye will not be performing, on October 10 and October 20, 2008 two “surprise mega performers” will be revealed. The performer who will be revealed on October 10, 2008 is a hip-hop heavyweight with his first two albums debuting at number 1 on the billboard charts. The second performer who will be announced on October 20, 2008 has won various prestigious awards including 1 Grammy, 4 BET Awards, and 1 teen choice award.
Pre sale tickets go on sale September 26, 2008 thru October 9, 2008. Tickets will be available through livetogiveback.org; or charge by phone (301) 605- 5324. The Live to Give Campaign’s first annual Give Back Concert Benefit will donate proceeds to select charities including the Dr. Donda West Foundation, Rick Ross Charities, the Antawn Jamison Foundation, and the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation.
About the Dr. Donda West Foundation:
In 2008, Kanye West changed the name of his foundation to the Dr. Donda West foundation, as a permanent tribute to her extraordinary legacy and passion for education and children throughout the world. The mission of the Dr. Donda West Foundation is to help combat the severe dropout problem in schools across the United States by partnering with community organizations to provide underserved youth access to music production programs that will enable them to unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential. Kanye’s vision, and thus the vision of the Dr. Donda West Foundation, is its inaugural program, “Loop Dreams”, a music production program designed to motivate students to stay in school and graduate. Dr. Donda West Foundation is committed to providing high quality programs in partnership with community organizations such as Challengers Boys & Girls Club in South Central Los Angeles, California where Loop Dreams is currently implemented. Kanyewestfoundation.org
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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com
Lewis Hamilton Takes Second In European Formula One
GRID-SIDE MAGIC WITH PETER WINDSOR AS LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES SECOND
There are very few things that will get me outta bed at 4:30 AM, and Peter Windsor is one of them. My fearless grid-boy once again proved worthy of a early wake up call, as he worked the Formula One European Grand Prix from Valencia Spain like a true champ. Sticking his microphone where others only dare to go, interrupting racers without trepidation and asking whatever comes to mind…as always, Peter Windsor was flawless.
He began with one of my new favorites-Italian Jarno Trulli…one word for this on-the grid-interview: priceless…Windsor approaches Trulli who is in the midst of ‘doing some sort of warm-up.’ Windsor opens the conversation: “Jarno, it’s going to be a long hot day, it looks like?” Jarno laughs-with an accent: “Yesss, it look liiiikkkkke, it feel liiiiikkkkke…its going to be a tough race because anyway, its lonngggggg…its hotttttt, its harddddd…the circuittttt.” The long, hard, hot circuit Jarno refers to is the 3.4-mile path that runs through the streets of Valencia.
Windsor then tried to bust in on Nico Rosberg who wanted nothing to do with him cuz he was busy listening to ‘Three Doors Down’ on his iPod….Nick Heidfeld was happy to speak with Peter…there was a lot going on on the grid….Kazuki Nakajima was going off for a bathroom break and P-dogg let him be….Sebastian Bourdais (yawn)…Kazuki Nakajima comes outta the bathroom with an ice pack down the back of his shirt to ‘stay cool’…Windsor keeps yapping as he walks the grid and approaches…Nelson Piquet. Piquet is adorable, but even Peter couldn’t decipher what the hell he was trying to say: “Yeah, obviously I wanna qualify better and my goal is to be as close to the front as possible but ah, also close to Fernando is good if we’re in the back that means the cars no good, Fernando’s close to me and I think that’s a good reason, its not good when Fernando is qualifying in top five and I’m not even in Q2, tough weekend for us, but its a street race, lot of things happen around here so we have to have a bit of luck.” Huh? What? Windsor: “Thanks a lot Nelson, I think I got the gist of what he was trying to say anyway.”
The new track is very smooth, not a lot of grip, 25 crazy turns, narrow in parts, just under 3.4 miles, 122-mph average speed, hairpins, quick corners…all in all, according the experts, a ‘fantastic track.’
Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa started in row one. Massa held off Hamilton from the gate, while the drama that is Formula One unfolded harshly when Kimi Raikkonen sped outta his pit stop with the fuel hose still connected to his car, injuring several mechanics as he did so. A few minutes later, with only ten laps to go, his Ferrari engine blew up and he was smoked outta the race. But, the off-track story only adds to the drama…Felipe Massa’s engine failed during the race at Budapest, raising concerns over the Ferrari engines…
Kimi Raikkonen: “Not much to say after a day like this. It was definitely not the weekend I was hoping for but I do not believe that, despite this negative result, I am now out of the running for the title. There are still six races to go and sixty points up for grabs. We have seen that the situation change really quickly, even if I realize things are now more complicated. Today, I lost a place at the start and I was stuck in traffic for all of the first stint. Then, when I had a clear track ahead of me, I was able to push and was doing good lap times. At the second pit stop, I made a mistake and left before I should have done. Fortunately, Pietro (Timpini) is not too badly hurt. I wish him all the best and hope he gets better soon. In any case, it would not have changed anything as then the engine broke. Now we must concentrate on preparing for the next rounds and on improving our qualifying performance.”
Felipe Massa after winning: “It’s fantastic having won this race, especially after the disappointment of Budapest. The team did an amazing job in preparing for this Grand Prix and the benefits of that could be seen right from the very first day. Yesterday, I got pole and today the win, with the race fastest lap as the icing on the cake. You cannot ask for more especially at my one hundredth grand prix with every single one of them powered by a Ferrari engine.”
And Lewis Hamilton after placing second: “I can’t complain with second place today. This was a strong weekend for us despite my having a few problems health-wise, but we pulled through. The track was pretty difficult to overtake on, but I maintained the gap – our lap times showed that our overall pace was good, which was encouraging. Heikki and I scored 13 points today, which is very positive for the team, so I’d describe it as a satisfactory weekend for us.”
Adding to the satisfactory weekend was the appearance of ‘Grid Boys” as opposed to ‘Grid Girls”. The Grid Boys were added back in March in response to either the increase in female fans or in efforts to reach more female fans-depending on who you ask. In any case, I’d say the powers-in-charge have definitely gotten on the right track.
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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com
Usain Bolts To Second Gold While NBA Legends Gather for Charity and Current NBA Players Lured to Europe
USAIN BOLTS THROUGH MY HEART
“We have the best coffee on the planet. We have Bob Marley. And now we have Usain Bolt. We are overjoyed and overwhelmed” – Jamaican Minister of Information, Culture, Youth & Sports Olivia Grange. Usain Bolt broke former U.S. sprinter Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old world record in the 200m, and became the first Olympian since Carl Lewis at the ‘84 L.A. Games to win both the 100m and 200m races…add a World Record to the mix and hopes for a third gold in the 4×100 relay on Friday and we got us a great story…
Bolt gave us one of the most genuine and unfiltered celebratory reactions- laying on the track, kissing it, taking off his Puma’s, smiling, infectious, worthy…so why we gotta hear negative reaction from that the president of the IOC, Jacques Rogge? “That’s not the way we perceive being a champion,” Rogge said of the Jamaican sprinter. “I have no problem with him doing a show. I think he should show more respect for his competitors and shake hands, give a tap on the shoulder to the other ones immediately after the finish and not make gestures like the one he made in the 100 meters.” Excuse my language kids- but Rogge can f*ck off. Rogge: corrupt, bought, angry and transparent. Do your research, I ain’t gonna waste any more space on his nonsense, because I think he may be the only person in the World who wasn’t jubilating alongside Bolt as he won, when he won, and while he was celebrating with an attitude we need to see more of…pure joy. Get number three Bolt, the world is watching…
Also watching are sponsor Puma and Virgin Media (U.K.). Virgin has asked Bolt to be the “face of its superfast broadband service,” according to Mark Sweney of the Manchester GUARDIAN. VM, which is set to launch a broadband product it claims will be more than twice as fast as rivals, is considering calling the product ‘Boltband.’
THANK YOU SZYMON KOLECKI
Joey Cheek, Team Darfur co-Founder, in an e-mail to the AP writes, “I would love to see even more athletes involved in speaking out about what they believe in. The problem is that even if there was an athlete that wanted to speak out on issues of human rights, he might be silenced by whatever IOC official is mediating that press event, with a bogus explanation that is my biggest problem with these Olympics: the idea that the Games are only about sport.” Cheek continued, “Every time the Chinese government has gone back on guarantees of free speech, free access for the media, and a number of the other issues, the IOC has acquiesced.” The Chinese have “done many amazing things, and for that they deserve a lot of credit.” Cheek: “However, these Games still would have been as successful without what appears to be massive suppression of any voice that the government doesn’t want heard” (AP, 8/20).
At least one athlete has ‘spoken’ out…Polish pro-Tibet activist group ‘The Other Space Foundation’ said Poland weightlifter Symon Kolecki ‘shaved his head in a gesture of solidarity with Tibetan monks’ before receiving the Silver Medal in his event. Kolecki after the medal ceremony told Polish sports magazine Sportfan, “This haircut is from this morning. I can’t directly say why I did it. It’s connected with certain things that the Olympic Charter forbids. But I will say that it’s symbolic.” Thank you Symon, but be careful…The WASHINGTON POST’s Sally Jenkins, in an online chat, wrote the Beijing Games will “go down with a terribly mixed legacy. This morning the Chinese government sentenced two women who are nearly 80 years old to a year each in reeducation camp, because they filed for permits to officially protest the destruction of their homes at an official Olympic demonstration site.”
And you ain’t gonna see any Apples in China either…Apple’s iTunes music store has been blocked in China, allegedly due to athletes listening to protest songs. It all started when more than 40 athletes downloaded “Songs for Tibet,” an album produced by U.S.-based Tibet group the Art of Peace Foundation. The foundation offered the album for free download to Olympic athletes, but China has since turned off the iTunes music store.
NBA ATHLETES: LEGENDS AND LEGENDS TO BE
“I’ve been on TNT for years, and no one’s ever asked me, ‘Who won the championship in Greece last year?’” – TNT’s Charles Barkley, on Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Heat G Dwyane Wade saying they would entertain offers to play overseas…maybe when these guys ARE playing in Europe you’ll be asked who won? Yes, our babies are jumping ship. And while I don’t expect to see Wade wearing a Greek jersey or Kobe donning an Italian one anytime soon, others are opting to play for Europeans teams. The most recent NBA players to jump the NBA ship for the Euro gold are…Former Phoenix Suns guard Gordon Giricek signed with a Turkish team…New Orleans (sixth man) guard Jannero Pargo will play in Moscow for 3.8 million…former Charlotte Bobcats guard Earl Boykins will be the highest-paid player in the Italian league…Carlos Arroyo, who played for Orlando, signed to play in Israel…Former Raptors Jorge Garbajosa and Carlos Delfino are headed for Russia, as is ex-New Jersey Nets forward Bostian Ncahbar…and Juan Carlos Navarro of the Memphis Grizzlies signed with a Barcelona team…but don’t worry about it Charles, no one is paying attention to the situation yet.
NBA LEGENDS HELPING KIDS HEAR
Last month while at Chris Webbers Bada Bling, I was fortunate to meet several NBA Legends who shared their ideas of a NBA Legends Resort that was in the works to be built. And this weekend I’m willing to bet that some of the Legends will be discussing the idea as they converge for a ‘Reunion Extravaganza’ in Puerto Rico to highlight their community outreach program. Hot Legends such as Moses Malone, Rick Barry, Chuck Person, Michael Ray Richardson and many more, wil be taking part in the group’s “Project Smile” community initiative with the Starkey Hearing Foundation…nearly 200 basketball greats will be descending on The Ritz-Carlton, San Juan Hotel, Resort & Spa in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 21-24 for the anticipated National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) Legends Reunion…dear god, where’s my plane ticket?
‘Project Smile’ is a year-round program that aims to raise the spirits, bring hope, and deliver smiles to men, women and children worldwide. In partnership with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, the NBRPA will change the lives of 250 hearing impaired and underprivileged Puerto kids by providing them with hearing aids on Saturday, Aug 23 at the Teatro de la Universidad Interamericana, Rio Piedras Campus. A press ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. featuring Legends Earl Monroe, Spencer Haywood, Buck Williams, David Thompson, Tim Legler, Mark Eaton, Charles Smith and others. The Legends will distribute Webster’s Spanish/English Dictionaries to the children and I can’t believe I can’t find one sponsor willing to send me there…
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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com