I love diving deeply into things I care about – I’m kind of a nerd that way. In a few months, I’ll be one of only about 100 people in the world certified in sports philanthropy. Not a Ph.D. because they’re not issuing those yet, but still, pretty cool!
Although I’ve been involved with both sports and philanthropy for the last 20 years or so, it was only when I joined the Positive Tracks team that I decided to get an executive certificate in Sports Philanthropy from the George Washington University School of Business.
The six-month class launched last week with an in-person kick off. There were your typical ice breakers, but this wasn’t a typical group. Out of the 15 students and 5 faculty in the room, three had met Muhammad Ali, one had danced with Julia Roberts and Diana Ross at the same time, only one admitted to doing the whip and nae-nae (although I’m pretty sure there were more), and one wore her Super Bowl ring (St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl XXXIV).
Sports and philanthropy have been around for a long time, but it’s only in the last handful of years that it’s been a focus of academic study. In these early days of the study of sports philanthropy, much of the conversation has focused on major league athletes and Olympians. And there’s a lot of good happening there. Super Bowl 50 is going to be the most philanthropic yet. When San Francisco made its bid to host, the 49ers Foundation, the city and other leaders came together and made “philanthropy through sport” part of their bid because it was part of the positive legacy that their community wanted to have – they’ve already given millions to STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for local students as part of the build up to the game.
As I work my way through this program, I’ll be focusing on how current strategies in sports philanthropy can be applied to youth who want to sweat for good. I’m excited to share what I learn.
By Mary Margaret Sloan, Executive Director
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