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Being a good sport: effectively implementing corporate social responsibility in North American professional sports
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Being a good sport: effectively implementing corporate social responsibility in North American professional sports
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Content
BEING A GOOD SPORT:
EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NORTH AMERICAN
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
by
MARGARET TRTRYAN
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MASTER OF ARTS, STRATEGIC PUBLIC RELATIONS
ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAY 2016
COPYRIGHT 2016 MARGARET TRTRYAN
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION: BEING A GOOD SPORT 3
2. THERE’S A PURPOSE: CURRENT CRITICISM FACING THE SPORTS INDUSTRY 5
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 8
4. DEFINING AND EXPLAINING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 10
5. PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON CSR IN SPORTS 14
6. THE CURRENT STATE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS 16
7. MORE THAN FREE THROWS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NBA’S GLOBAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
PROGRAM “NBA CARES” 23
8. ON AND BEYOND THE FIELD: THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE’S APPROACH TO SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY 31
9. SKATING BY: THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATING ITS
INITIATIVES 43
10. BATTING AVERAGE: A LOOK AT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND
INITIATIVES 49
11. ADRESSING CONCERNS & HESITANCE TOWARD ADOPTION 57
12. WHY LEAGUES SHOULD CARE 58
13. MOVING FORWARD WITH CSR IN NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS 62
14. REFERENCES 72
15. APPENDIX 78
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 3
INTRODUCTION: BEING A GOOD SPORT
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to
unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they
understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more
powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.
1
--Nelson Mandela
Yet with all this great power that is inherent in sports, we continue to see examples of
North American sports leagues—specifically the people running them—ignoring their potential
impact on society, in favor of the overwhelming profit that is generated through sport. From
the viewpoint of an optimist, it’s believable that all the commissioners, owners, governors and
executives want to utilize their league and team platforms to make a positive impact on society
and help local communities, but in reality sports franchises are first and foremost about
business. Though their main concern is solely the business aspect or the “bottom line,” they
should all still be concerned about the inclusion and use of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The most evident reasons for concern are the various scandals through time that have
plagued the reputations of sports leagues, their teams, athletes and even a particular sport in
general. Whether it is concussions related to the National Football League and the National
Hockey League, domestic violence and sexual abuse, the use and abuse of performance-
enhancing drugs, (which still haunt Major League Baseball), or the many other social issues that
1
Nelson Mandela, speech presenting the Inaugural Ceremony Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award to Pele, May
2000
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 4
were made public, it will have an impact on the organization(s) in some way. Even with all the
incidents witnessed throughout professional sports history, the argument can be made that
fans never truly stopped watching games, they did not stop attending the live events and they
did not stop purchasing merchandise. Sport lives on—yet its negative perceptions have the
potential to live on with it and eventually leave a lasting impression.
To better understand the type of impact such a negative lasting impression can have,
the best place to look is in the direction of sponsors. With all the millions, if not billions, of
dollars in revenue that these leagues and teams generate from sponsorships, it should be noted
that most of the companies cashing out for those sponsorship deals have their own CSR
initiatives and models in place. In fact, the values and ethics of the company often are
engrained in it. As media and fans are becoming more critical and speaking openly about CSR—
as well as ethics and values—corporations are paying greater attention to this public discourse,
working diligently to ensure they meet or exceed those standards set by the public. The last
thing they need or want is negative exposure or to be associated with organizations that do not
take crime, drug use, abuse, violence and player safety seriously. Research presented in this
paper will assist in explaining what can happen when such values, ethics and goals no longer
align with those of the league or team being sponsored.
So far the solution for sports entities has been to focus on philanthropy and community
outreach, but the leagues and teams cannot simply throw together a community page on its
website and partake in cause marketing, cause sponsorship or corporate giving. The people
who run these organizations need to show meaningful, mindful change, take it seriously and
fully implement a CSR model as their standard, engraining it throughout the organization. So
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 5
what does it take to be a “good sport?” Accept social responsibility, take action to improve
player safety, establish ethical values as a core for management and conduct, and most
important, use all of this to establish a culture that is engrained throughout the league and
team.
The research and critique presented in this report will delve into the current state of
CSR practices in North American professional sports by analyzing four of its major leagues:
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Football League (NFL)
National Hockey League (NHL)
Major League Baseball (MLB)
THERE’S A PURPOSE: CURRENT CRITICISM FACING THE SPORTS INDUSTRY
The professional sports industry should be used to criticism at this point, but executives
need to recognize that the criticism continues to grow along with the growth of the sport
franchise’s public image. In addition to the media which covers every nuance of a team/league,
fans and the general public also have easy access to platforms and can voice their opinions both
directly and indirectly, thus leading public discourse on topics surrounding the world of sports.
Those who run North American sports leagues and teams need to take action to address such
concerns, by being proactive and going beyond the case-by-case basis approach that has
proven to lack conviction and commitment. The public is more aware and more critical than
ever, due in large part to a bigger and more competitive 24/7 media landscape. It is only a
matter of time until it catches up with leagues and teams.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 6
Though this paper focuses on North America, it is interesting to look at the global
landscape. FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, operated for decades
while ignoring ethics and public criticism, under the assumption that it was too big to fail or fall.
In a sense, that is somewhat true considering its stronghold on the entire sport of soccer.
Eventually, the criticism caught up with the people in charge when multiple FIFA officials were
arrested in 2015 and President Sepp Blatter was forced to step down and was subsequently
suspended from all soccer activities.
2
Though fans did not stop attending games, the reputation
of the organization was tainted as FIFA became synonymous with corruption. This ultimately
led major sponsors—including Adidas, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and more—to publicly (and
successfully) demand independent long-term oversight of FIFA, as well as a change in culture
and Blatter’s resignation.
3
The FIFA case should serve as a prime example and motivation for
North American sports leagues and teams to seriously consider social responsibility.
Moving back to North American sports, to explain the need for commitment and
consistency in CSR initiatives and programs, look no further than a recent example from the
National Football League (NFL). Aside from its major criticism as a league that only reacts to
ethical violations in direct proportion to the level of public and media outcry (without any set
methods or procedures), the NFL also had to deal with accusations of “pinkwashing” in its
breast cancer awareness campaigns.
4
The token but highly visible campaign that the league
2
ESPN. "FIFA timeline: Blatter and Platini banned, more officials arrested". December 21, 2015.
http://www.espnfc.us/blog/fifa/243/post/2630853/fifa-timeline-blatter-and-platini-banned-more-arrested.
3
Gianatasio, David. "FIFA Sponsors Demand Independent Oversight and 'Cultural Change'" AdWeek. December 1,
2015. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/fifa-sponsors-demand-independent-oversight-and-
cultural-change-168391.
4
Garofalo, Pat. "The NFL's Pinkwashing Problem." US News & World Report. October 27, 2013.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/pat-garofalo/2013/10/27/is-the-nfls-pink-breast-cancer-campaign-doing-
more-harm-than-good.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 7
started in 2009 is cause-marketing at best. This perception was further validated in 2015 when
Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams requested permission from the league to
wear pink all season long in honor of his late mother and to raise more awareness.
5
Instead of
using this as an opportunity to go beyond cause marketing and help to alleviate the
“pinkwashing” perception, NFL executives instead chose to deny his request, insisting that
there were no exceptions to the uniform policy.
6
In the case that the uniform policy is ironclad,
they could have made an effort to find an alternative way to work with Williams and raise
awareness in his mother’s honor. Unfortunately, the decision further implicated that the NFL is
only concerned about that one month of October due to its inherent marketability during prime
football season, rather than any legitimate interest in the cause.
The problem is that these are not isolated issues exclusive to FIFA or the NFL; these
problems exist throughout sports, in all leagues and across teams. North American sports
league executives still tread carefully around serious social issues and concerns both in regards
to their own players, as well as society as a whole, due to fear that any form of
acknowledgment or acceptance of responsibility may result in legal action or complications.
Beyond that, with its revenue distribution methods, intense game scheduling and excessive
strain placed on players’ bodies, minds and overall health, sports maintain a perception of
profit over people. For these reasons, North American sports leagues need to discontinue the
use of cause-marketing, philanthropy and community outreach as a way to “polish” their
5
Moyer, Justin Wm. "A Pittsburgh Steeler Wanted to Wear Pink All Season for Breast Cancer. The NFL Said No."
Washington Post. October 14, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/14/a-
pittsburgh-steeler-wanted-to-wear-pink-all-season-for-breast-cancer-the-nfl-said-no/.
6
ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 8
reputations, and instead focus on implementing a CSR structure that takes a triple bottom line
approach to business, going beyond just profit by including people and planet as well, and thus
creating a healthy and responsible organizational balance.
7
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A content analysis was conducted of the CSR initiatives and efforts of the National
Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League
(NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). For the purposes of this study, Major League Soccer
(MLS) was excluded due to its position under the FIFA-affiliated CONCACAF (Confederation of
North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) governing body, as well as the
relatively young age of the organization: it was founded in 1993, but did not begin play until
1996.
8
A content analysis was conducted at both the league and team levels. This involved an
in-depth analysis of each league’s website, specifically looking at the designated community or
social responsibility pages to determine what types of programs and initiatives are in place,
their level of impact or success, and how they are communicated to the public through the
website and in their reporting, if applicable. It was also important to determine if the leagues
mentioned or used the terms “corporate social responsibility,” “corporate responsibility,”
“social responsibility,” or “CSR” on any websites. Additionally, the analysis looked at whether
the leagues had established their own nonprofit foundations and if there was any type of report
7
Elkington, John. "Enter the triple bottom line." The triple bottom line: Does it all add up 11, no. 12 (2004): 1-16.
8
Wahl, Grant, Brian Straus, and Alexander Abnos. "The Birth of a League." Sports Illustrated. 2015.
http://www.si.com/longform/2015/mls/.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 9
made available that detailed and communicated its programs, initiatives, accomplishments,
impact, activity, etc.
A more general content analysis was conducted to examine the CSR efforts of each team
across all four leagues. Each team’s website was analyzed to determine the following:
Does it have a community outreach or community relations program or
department?
Does it have its own established charity or nonprofit foundation?
Is there any mention or use of “corporate social responsibility,” “corporate
responsibility,” “social responsibility,” or “CSR” on its community pages or
reports?
Does the team provide a community/foundation report or any other similar type
of report/summary on its website?
In addition to the content analyses, two interviews were conducted to establish
perspective and gain insight from professionals with knowledge and exposure to the inner
workings of professional North American sports. The following professionals were interviewed:
Dan Durbin, director of the Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media, and Society
and clinical professor of communication at the University of Southern California
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Chris Ward, Vice President at FleishmanHillard (a global communications firm)
specializing in consumer marketing, corporate communications and sponsorship
activations
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 10
Interview questions focus on gaining perspective on the most significant issues present in the
four professional sports leagues discussed, elaborating on the concepts and practices of
community outreach, philanthropy and CSR, looking at the connection between sports and
sponsorships, and determining if CSR is a viable option for North American professional sports
leagues. Their comments are interspersed throughout this document.
DEFINING AND EXPLAINING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The most significant problem with corporate social responsibility is that the term and
practice is subjective and relative to the particular industry or organization utilizing it. Not only
does the terminology vary, but so does the way in which it is defined by various organizations
and the public. Whether it is referred to as corporate social responsibility, corporate
responsibility or even simply social responsibility, it is important to note that the core principle
of the practice is somewhat universal; in fact, it is more the interpretation and use that tends to
vary. For the purpose of this paper, it is important to first understand the history of CSR and its
varying definitions, before establishing one that is most fitting for the North American
professional sports industry.
Though CSR seems to be a relatively new, “up and coming” term, discussions
surrounding the practice of social responsibility among businesses can be traced as far back as
the 1950s.
9
However, what we now know as the CSR construct evolved in the 1970s, roughly
two decades after the discussion began.
10
The fact that it took such an extended period of time
9
Bowen, Howard R. Social responsibilities of the businessman. University of Iowa Press, 2013.
10
Carroll, Archie B. "Corporate social responsibility evolution of a definitional construct." Business & society 38, no.
3 (1999): 268-295.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 11
for discussions surrounding CSR to develop into a concept may indicate why adoption of the
practice remains slow, if not stagnant, in industries such as professional sports where changes
are generally made in a reactive manner.
In order to be deemed socially responsible, organizations should be concerned with
more than just the economic and legal aspects, by taking into account what is considered
ethical and going beyond what is expected of society. The public has both ethical and
discretionary expectations of organizations; ethical meaning not required by law, but societally
expected, and discretionary referring to that which exceeds societal expectations, but does so
voluntarily.
11
This seems to be one of the most prevalent misconceptions and oversights in the
CSR practice, as organizations focus more on what is expected by society and what can be done
to either enter or remain in their favor, instead of working to voluntarily make an impact that
may not necessarily be requested, but is beneficial to society, the environment, local
communities and so forth. It is a difficult task to accomplish when the principal goal is to profit
or benefit the organization with every decision made, which is an understandable and realistic
goal in a capitalist structure. Yet, the point that needs to be made is that intangibles such as
reputation, corporate culture and character are just as crucial in garnering benefits for an
organization, and at times making commitments that go beyond what is required or expected
can assist in accomplishing just that.
Another significant concern with CSR is that the practice comes off as a disingenuous
corporate agenda meant to whitewash, greenwash or cast a veil over the negative aspects of
11
Carroll, Archie B. "A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance." Academy of management
review 4, no. 4 (1979): 497-505.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 12
the corporate beast that is only concerned with profit and growth. There needs to be an
authentic interpretation and commitment to CSR philosophies and programs, which is best
accomplished through transparency and connecting all aspects of CSR with the organization in a
manner that aligns values, goals and culture.
12
Doing so will also help to address another major
aspect of hesitance in CSR implementation: the competing agendas between corporate and
community.
13
There is no failsafe way to align corporate agendas with those of the community
or public, but attempting to find some common ground and use that to create a balance is what
differentiates effective CSR from deceptive CSR. Lastly, and most importantly, many
organizations are simply too frugal with revenue, worrying that allocating too many resources
could prove to be detrimental, especially with a concept that makes measurable results a
complex matter.
14
From a business standpoint, most organizations seemingly partake in
philanthropy because it is still a tax break. Instead of simply donating money, companies can
invest at least a portion of the funds into resources or programs that have the potential to
make a lasting impact on those both within and outside the organization. In addition—as
explained in later chapters with the leagues’ various greening initiatives—there are many ways
to incorporate CSR programs that require little to no cost and often times can even improve
business operations, sustainability and efficiency, thus reducing costs.
The important thing to note is that CSR is not simply one thing, but a multi-dimensional
construct that consists of different types of social involvement, and each of those can have a
12
Varadarajan, P. Rajan, and Anil Menon. "Cause-related marketing: A coalignment of marketing strategy and
corporate philanthropy." The Journal of Marketing (1988): 58-74.
13
White, Allen L. "Lost in transition? The future of corporate social responsibility." The Journal of Corporate
Citizenship 16 (2004): 19.
14
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 13
different effect on an organization’s financial performance.
15
As such, CSR should be structured
to address specific yet varied social issues so the organization can benefit from its activities.
16
Whether it be embarking on environmentally oriented greening projects, improving local
communities, creating jobs for locals, impacting youth, working towards improving health
conditions or even philanthropy, there needs to be some type of combination to avoid being
labeled as just one thing.
The reality is that one can come up with many varying definitions for CSR, and research
has shown that there are dozens, if not more, circulating across professions. But taking all of
these aspects into account, the best CSR definition—or better yet, explanation—for the
purposes of this research, as well as for the sports industry in general, is presented as:
CSR can be broadly understood as the responsibility of organizations to be ethical and
accountable to the needs of their society as well as to their stakeholders. CSR is not pure
philanthropy, but rather, a holistic business mindset, much like a corporate culture,
where the “socially responsible” obligations of the firm could and indeed, should
incorporate both social and economic interests.
17
15
Inoue, Yuhei, Aubrey Kent, and Seoki Lee. "CSR and the bottom line: Analyzing the link between CSR and
financial performance for professional teams." Journal of Sport Management 25, no. 6 (2011): 531-549.
16
Porter, Michael E., and Mark R. Kramer. "The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social
Responsibility." Harvard business review (2007).
17
Bradish, Cheri L., and J. Joseph Cronin. "Special Issue: Corporate social responsibility in sport." Journal of
Sport Management 23, no. 6 (2009): 691-794.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 14
PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON CSR IN SPORTS
Corporate social responsibility is a relatively new concept to the world of professional
sports. In fact, it was first presented by one of the most prevalent governing bodies in the
history of sports.
In 2005 [Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)], world football’s
governing body was one of the first sports federations to create an internal corporate
social responsibility (CSR) department to manage the organisation’s duties towards
people, society and the planet, and to conduct programmes in the field of Development
through Football (as distinct from its football development tasks).
18
It should raise a red flag that of all organizations, FIFA was the first to not only create a CSR
division within its organization, but also commit to the term “corporate social responsibility.”
Yet this presents a prime example of why some are cynical of CSR practices. Ultimately, FIFA
officials and executives proved through their actions, time and time again, that social
responsibility and ethics were not important and that the CSR unit was more likely
implemented to make the organization seem ethical and socially conscious. This should serve as
an example to those in North American professional sports that if there is no true, genuine
commitment to CSR, then it is simply there for whitewashing purposes and the public will see it
as such.
Following FIFA’s “commitment” to CSR, however, there has been a spike in interest and
research in the field as it relates to sports. Previous research in the role of CSR in sports
18
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). “Football for hope: Football's commitment to social
development.” (2005). http://www.fifa.com/mm/51/56/34/footballforhope_e_47827.pdf.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 15
examined philanthropic activities of team foundations through surveys, the content analysis of
related documents, and interviews with team officials, describing the foundations' missions and
visions, their organizational structures, and their strategies for making community impact.
19
To
supplement existing research, it is important to also examine these aspects at the league level,
while also providing a general update on the activities of all teams across the leagues, in an
effort to better understand how developed they are with such CSR efforts and in
communicating those efforts. Further examination through content analysis revealed that the
CSR activities of professional teams in the United States can be divided into four main
categories: philanthropic activities, community involvement, youth educational initiatives and
youth health initiatives.
20
Though these main categories remain relatively true for most sports
teams’ CSR activities, there has been some expansion into other issues, particularly at the
league level.
More importantly, previous literature has focused on the potential impact of CSR in
sports, and vice versa. Sport is unique in the sense that it is both a social and economic
institution, making it well-suited to be interpreted by the business principles and practices of
corporate social responsibility.
2122
In fact, it is rare for other industries to be as ideally suited for
CSR as professional sports, due mainly to the fact that they are meant to be for the public.
Although CSR is an ambitious and ambiguous concept in sports management, it has the
19
Robinson, Rebecca. "Sports philanthropy: An analysis of the charitable foundations of major league teams."
Unpublished Master’s thesis, University of San Francisco (2005).
20
Walker, Matthew, and Aubrey Kent. "Do fans care? Assessing the influence of corporate social responsibility on
consumer attitudes in the sport industry." Journal of Sport Management 23, no. 6 (2009): 743.
21
Sheth, Hela, and Kathy M. Babiak. "Beyond the game: Perceptions and practices of corporate social responsibility
in the professional sport industry." Journal of Business Ethics 91, no. 3 (2010): 433-450.
22
Smith, Aaron CT, and Hans M. Westerbeek. "Sport as a vehicle for deploying corporate social responsibility."
Journal of Corporate Citizenship 2007, no. 25 (2007): 43-54.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 16
potential to change the game.
23
Research suggests that high social involvement by professional
sports entities is likely to improve relationships with fans, corporate sponsors, local and state
governments, and communities.
24
Existing literature notes, “CSR may be good for sport and
sport organizations and sport may be good for CSR,” indicating the importance of broadening
participation in the theory and practice of CSR within sports, which then has the potential to
further legitimize corporate social responsibility.
25
THE CURRENT STATE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS
The current state of corporate social responsibility in North American professional
sports cannot be deemed the worst in comparison to other industries. In fact, many of the
activities and programs that would normally be found in CSR initiatives exist in professional
sports. The problem is that these existing efforts are not effectively packaged and
communicated as a true CSR model—a problem which will be heavily analyzed throughout the
following chapters. In fact, the most blatant problem is the missing terminology. Perhaps it is
the word “responsibility” that invokes fear, as it not only creates an obligation, but also has the
potential to hold executives and management accountable for not meeting the expectations
they set forth. To truly be considered CSR, there must be a structured model, with a mission
and goals set in place, as well as commitments; all of which are mostly lacking in the current
CSR practices of North American sports leagues and teams. This is what will help to
23
Bradish, Cheri L., and J. Joseph Cronin. "Special Issue: Corporate social responsibility in sport." Journal of
Sport Management 23, no. 6 (2009): 691-794.
24
Babiak, Kathy, and Richard Wolfe. "Determinants of corporate social responsibility in professional sport: Internal
and external factors." Journal of Sport Management 23, no. 6 (2009): 717.
25
Godfrey, Paul C. "Corporate social responsibility in sport: An overview and key issues." Journal of sport
management 23, no. 6 (2009): 698-716.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 17
differentiate meaningful corporate social responsibility from the mere activities and programs
that are initiated in attempts to seem socially responsible and committed to the greater good.
As Dan Durbin noted, one of the biggest issues across all sports leagues is the tendency
to be reactive instead of proactive on anything ethical.
26
He elaborated that some of the biggest
issues in sports right now are a result of them losing the ability to hide or cover up
transgressions due to increased media and video access.
27
The current lack of private space for
humans in general has made it harder for leagues to hide actions like domestic violence and
sexual abuse, an issue that Durbin notes is currently one of the biggest across sports in general
and for decades was effectively covered up by sports leagues.
28
The issues of concussions in
regards to the NFL, and performance-enhancing drugs (PED) across sports, but more
particularly within baseball, were also brought up. As the use and abuse of PEDs have been a
widely discussed topic with most major sports, the issue is that it still floats around sports and it
remains very easy to find ways around getting tested.
29
Although PEDs are not as rampant
today as in the 1980s and 1990s, Major League Baseball still faces challenges in its governance
because of its ineffective attempts at dealing with PED use when confronted in Congress.
30
When looking at the overall ethical practices of sports, Durbin conjectured that the NBA
was probably in the best position out of the four leagues and the most proactive, especially in
its global efforts.
31
As it has faced significant issues, its consciousness, willingness and
26
Dan Durbin, interview by author, December 2015.
27
Ibid
28
Ibid
29
Ibid
30
Ibid
31
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 18
responsiveness has helped to put it ahead of other leagues in relation to social responsibility.
32
The NBA’s most recent concern with the charges of racial discrimination by former Los Angeles
Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014 was one that was effectively dealt with, due in large
part to the leadership exemplified by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
33
Throughout the ordeal,
the league did not side with the owner and ultimately won praise for communicating its
disapproval and acting accordingly.
Though the NFL also makes a strong effort to promote itself as a socially conscious
brand and sponsors a number of causes tied to its initiatives—including Breast Cancer
Awareness Month—most of it has been done reactively to social and cultural situations.
34
This
earned the league a great deal of criticism and countless news stories accusing it of
“pinkwashing” and trying to use its various causes as tools for manipulation to ultimately
convince the public that it is concerned with social good. Realistically, the self-interest for which
the NFL is condemned applies to all organizations that are interested in making a profit. In
essence, though credit should be given to the NFL for doing something, executives need to
consider proactive methods and strong commitments to be effective in its corporate social
responsibility efforts.
According to Durbin, Major League Baseball similarly tends to avoid social issues, look
the other way and only address them when they are specifically brought to the league as was
done with PEDs.
35
He went on to describe the MLB as one that is slow at engaging
32
Ibid
33
Zillgitt, Jeff. "Adam Silver Gives Donald Sterling Lifetime Ban from NBA." USA Today. April 29, 2014.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2014/04/29/donald-sterling-fine-penalty-racism-audio-
commissioner-adam-silver-los-angeles-suspension/8460575/.
34
Dan Durbin, interview by author, December 2015.
35
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 19
conversations and moving them forward, which is the difference between the willingness to
take credit and the actual act of engagement.
36
MLB makes it a point to acknowledge and
emphasize the significance of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, yet there is a lack of
discourse around social change in baseball. Durbin noted:
A number of ball players, old, especially African Americans who have wanted to talk
publicly at events tied to their former teams about social changes in the 1950s, ‘60s and
‘70s, have simply not been invited back to events.
37
He emphasized that there’s a “disparity between the promotion of social consciousness in
sports organizations” and the reality of it.
38
He provided an in-depth example of this regarding
Major League Baseball:
Up until 1947 Major League Baseball said number one, African Americans were not good
enough to play Major League Baseball. Number two, they wouldn’t want to if they could
because there would just simply be tension and fighting all the time because the races
need to be segregated. Yet Major League Baseball claims itself a leader in racial
relations in the United States.
39
The reality is that it took the league more than 70 years to allow African Americans to play
baseball and most recently only 7.8 percent of the opening day rosters were filled by African
American players.
40
This however is not just a baseball problem, as sports in general are slow to
36
Ibid
37
Ibid
38
Ibid
39
Ibid
40
Nightengale, Bob. "MLB Making Inroads to Attract African Americans." USA Today. April 15, 2015.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/04/14/mlb-diversity-percentage-of-african-american-players-
remained-flat/25791993/.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 20
adopt significant changes of any nature, including ones dealing particularly with social and
cultural issues.
Similar to the NFL, the National Hockey League has also had to deal with significant
issues around player safety, with specific regard to concussions and dangerous on-ice plays. To
the general public the “goon” culture is synonymous with hockey. Though the NHL has made
attempts to alleviate fighting in the game, as well as dangerous hits and plays, the perception
remains. The main point Durbin made about the NHL was that compared to the other leagues,
NHL executives have done very little to gain recognition for their efforts with social issues.
41
Although it is not necessarily worse than any of the other leagues, it doesn’t garner as much
attention from media in most markets and thus tends to fly under the radar.
42
The NHL, more
than any of the other leagues, needs organization in communicating and promoting its social
responsibility, along with its various initiatives and programs.
As for the general public perception of community outreach, there is cynicism, but at
the same time Durbin notes that such initiatives are of value to the people in those
communities who directly benefit from it.
43
It is somewhat of a symbiotic situation in that it
does help communities and society, while helping to market the team, league, and overall
brand, especially regionally.
44
As much as these leagues contribute in terms of philanthropy, community outreach and
other programs or initiatives, it is not in any case organized into a comprehensive CSR model, or
41
Dan Durbin, interview by author, December 2015.
42
Ibid
43
Ibid
44
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 21
for most—with the exception of the NBA—even a basic one. Currently the NBA is the only one
out of the four prominent leagues to acknowledge its program as social responsibility, branding
it as “global social responsibility.” Before detailing the efforts of each league, it is important to
also view how effective leagues are in CSR efforts at the team level.
In a content analysis of all teams in all four leagues, every single one had some form of
community relations or community outreach, along with a designated page on its websites
specifically for community programs and initiatives. The National Hockey League and Major
League Baseball are also the only two leagues in which all teams have their own established
nonprofit foundation or charity—though it should be noted a few were part of foundations
established by ownership. The National Basketball Association has 28 teams out of its total of
30 with such foundations; 28 of the 32 National Football League teams have foundations. Going
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 22
a step further to see how many teams included any mention or use of “corporate social
responsibility,” “corporate responsibility,” “social responsibility” or “CSR” on its community
pages or reports, the NBA came in first with three teams, followed by MLB with two, and one
each for the NFL and NHL. However, when observing whether teams communicated their
efforts and activities through some form of reporting (e.g., an annual community or foundation
report), the results were more promising. Major League Baseball led all leagues with 17,
followed by the NHL with 12, the NBA with 9 and the NFL with.
As for community relations and the establishment of foundations, the leagues are
relatively equal across the board, which is possibly in part due to the two practices being almost
basic requirements for sports today. Yet when it comes to communicating those practices in a
way that showcases the true impact of its efforts, there is an apparent divide between the
leagues with more than half of baseball teams opting to report, and about a third of hockey and
basketball teams. Football teams are farthest behind in effectively reporting on their programs
and impact. Yet the most important finding is that CSR is still slow in the adoption process for
teams. Since the NBA is the only league with a self-acknowledged social responsibility program,
it makes sense that basketball teams would be ahead of the other teams that operate under
leagues that continue to simply refer to their efforts as community initiatives or programs. For
this reason, it is important to examine said efforts at the league level, before delving into what
leagues should do with CSR. The following chapters will address CSR and/or community
outreach in each of the four leagues with an in-depth content analysis.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 23
MORE THAN FREE THROWS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NBA’S GLOBAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
PROGRAM “NBA CARES”
Currently, of the four North American professional sports leagues analyzed in this paper,
the National Basketball Association seems to be the most progressive and proactive when it
comes to addressing CSR in professional sports. Not only does the NBA have an extensive
model in place, but it also was not afraid to use the terminology when it branded “NBA Cares”
as its “global social responsibility program.”
45
This is a significant step in the right direction
because it not only defines itself as CSR but also takes it a step further to go beyond its market
by expanding its program to other parts of the world, instead of only focusing on its North
American borders. It makes sense, because the NBA, its teams and its players have a reach that
expands beyond North America as the sport of basketball continues to grow in countries
around the world. Both globally and locally, the NBA has established initiatives and
commitments that significantly impact those within and outside the organization. This section
will detail and dissect the information provided on the NBA Cares website, the various
programs listed under NBA initiatives and how effectively the organization communicates
corporate social responsibility.
Though CSR seems to be a fairly novel concept in the world of professional sports, the
National Basketball Association in fact launched NBA Cares in 2005 before CSR and “social
responsibility” became buzzwords.
46
The league describes the program as one that “builds on
the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the
45
National Basketball Association. 2015. NBA Cares. http://cares.nba.com/.
46
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 24
world.”
47
Credit should be given to the NBA on developing a mission statement that is fair,
honest and void of the unnecessary verbiage that has contributed to growing cynicism towards
CSR practices. Yet even the cynics would have to admit that raising more than $270 million for
charities, providing over 3.5 million hours of hands-on service and building more than 995
community spaces for children and families around the world over the last 10 years is not a
small feat.
48
The NBA, however, does not simply leave it at that; it makes a future commitment
as well—something that more organizations should be doing as part of their CSR practices.
Below is the commitment statement made available via NBA Cares:
NBA Cares is renewing its commitment to communities around the world by inspiring
play and teaching basketball’s values to more than 15 million youth, providing an
additional 3 million hours of service to others, and leaving a lasting legacy in
communities by building 1,000 more safe places to live, learn or play by 2025.
49
Setting such specific goals and publicly communicating this commitment makes the league
accountable and aligns itself with the responsibility aspect of CSR. It is important to note that
one of the greatest strengths in the way the NBA communicates its global social responsibility
program is by illustrating its past success and impact, detailing its current initiatives and making
a commitment for its future. Additionally, the NBA Cares program extends to the NBA
Development League and the NBA-founded Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA),
making it a better integrated CSR program for the sport of basketball as a whole.
47
Ibid
48
Ibid
49
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 25
NBA Cares partners with numerous international organizations and programs that are
dedicated to serving and supporting the development, education and health of youth, such as
the Special Olympics, UNICEF and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
50
Currently, the organization
has 27 partnerships in place, allowing the league, its teams and players to address and impact a
variety of social issues, including youth, education, health, the environment, underprivileged
communities and more.
51
The next section will focus more in-depth on the various programs,
partnerships and initiatives that the NBA currently has in place.
NBA Cares offers a multitude of initiatives. For the purposes of organizing the research,
these initiatives will be divided into three categories:
People – focused primarily on helping people within and outside the
organization, including youth, military, patients, etc.
Environment – focused on issues regarding the environment as well as any
“green” programs.
International – focused on the global aspect of the program and its international
initiatives.
Beginning with people, the program maintains six practices that contribute to its CSR
activities, with three of those focusing primarily on youth. One of those programs is called My
Brother’s Keeper, which was launched by President Barack Obama and the White House as a
program to help boys and young men of color in underserved communities build their paths to
50
National Basketball Association. "NBA Cares Community Partners." NBA Cares. 2015. http://cares.nba.com/nba-
cares-community-partners/.
51
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 26
success.
52
The National Basketball Association, the NBA Players Association and NBA Retired
Players Association partnered with The National Mentoring Partnership, Team Turnaround and
the Council of Great City Schools (MENTOR) to support My Brother’s Keeper as part of a five-
year commitment.
53
As part of this partnership, the NBA noted it would help recruit 25,000 new
mentors by supporting a public service campaign, providing incentive programs for at-risk
schools in an effort to improve student performance, and participating with schools and after-
school organizations in a series of workshops focusing on leadership and teamwork.
54
As the previous program focused heavily on education, the NBA runs another youth-
oriented initiative that emphasizes the importance of health and fitness. The NBA FIT program
was launched in collaboration with Let’s Move! Active Schools to influence students to lead
healthy lives by emphasizing three mantras: “Be active. Eat Healthy. Play Together.”
55
The
program hosts the NBA FIT Live Healthy Week presented by Kaiser Permanente in which the
teams and its players host health and wellness events for children in their communities.
56
Lastly, the program partners with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign to help end
childhood hunger and provide children with access to nutritious food choices.
57
While these two programs focused on youth in general with attention to education and
health, Jr. NBA focuses on the sport itself and providing children with access to the game of
basketball. It is the official youth basketball program of the National Basketball Association and
52
National Basketball Association. Social Responsibility Report. Report. NBA Cares, 2014-15.
http://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2015/10/NBA_SR_Report_1415.pdf
53
Ibid
54
Ibid
55
National Basketball Association. "NBA FIT" NBA FIT. 2014. http://fit.nba.com/.
56
National Basketball Association. Social Responsibility Report. Report. NBA Cares, 2014-15.
http://ak-static.cms.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2015/10/NBA_SR_Report_1415.pdf
57
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 27
provides free membership programs to existing youth basketball organizations.
58
The program
serves boys and girls ages 6 to 14 and teaches the fundamentals of basketball, including
teamwork and sportsmanship.
59
Welcome kits with materials and basic equipment are provided
to programs that sign up for membership, optional basketball gear is provided at a discount and
organizations have the option to apply for grant funding for its teams and/or leagues.
60
In
addition to the program, the Jr. NBA website provides entertainment and content for youth, as
well as resources for parents, organization leaders and coaches. The website includes videos
and content for youth basketball featuring skills and drills, as well as basics about the game and
a “Fun Zone” with exclusive multimedia content geared toward children.
61
These types of
programs work well at fan-building from a young age but also provide children with access to
resources and activities that they may not have without the NBA and its contributions.
As much as NBA Cares is devoted to youth, it does not neglect the rest of the people. It
leads the year-round Hoops for Troops initiative to honor active and retired military service
members and their families. One of the well-known aspects of this initiative is the Commitment
of Service between the NBA and the Department of Defense, in which NBA teams and athletes,
together with military members, participate in community service events across the nation.
62
This initiative also attempts to include fans by calling on them to participate through social
media during Hoops for Troops Week by posting their Commitment to Service using
#HoopsForTroops and #Sweeps for a chance to win NBA prizes.
63
Though social media activism
58
National Basketball Association. "Jr. NBA" Jr. NBA. 2015. http://jr.nba.com/.
59
Ibid
60
Ibid
61
Ibid
62
National Basketball Association. "Hoops for Troops" Hoops for Troops. 2015. http://hoopsfortroops.nba.com/.
63
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 28
is now often critiqued as “slacktivism,” this method of providing incentive in a participatory
culture helps the Hoops for Troops program raise awareness, spread the message and engage
in some way with the cause.
The NBA also contributes to people within local communities through its All-Star
Supplier Diversity Program, which commits to identifying women-owned and minority-owned
businesses as local suppliers to work with during the NBA All-Star weekend.
64
The league works
with community groups, business associations and certifying agencies in the host city to identify
such suppliers to apply for the program.
65
These suppliers are then listed in the official registry
distributed internally and to partners for securing local goods and services for the events, thus
contributing to the business owners and the local economy.
66
As the league focuses heavily on assisting and contributing to individuals outside the
organization, it does have a method for recognizing athletes within the league who contribute
to NBA Cares and the community. The NBA Community Assist Award is given each month to a
player in the league who shows passion and commitment to giving back to his community.
67
The award recognizes the player for “outstanding efforts in the community and for his ongoing
philanthropic and charitable work.”
68
Though such an award is a nice way to recognize an
athlete for his contributions, the NBA may need to consider also incorporating specific
programs for their own in their social responsibility initiative.
64
National Basketball Association. "NBA All-Star 2016 Supplier Diversity Program." NBA. 2015.
http://allstarsupplierdiversity.nba.com/
65
Ibid
66
Ibid
67
National Basketball Association. "Community Assist Award" NBA Cares Community Assist. 2015.
http://communityassist.nba.com/
68
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 29
In addition to focusing on people, the NBA has committed a great deal to the
importance of the environment through the NBA Green program. The purpose of NBA Green is
to protect the environment by raising awareness and funds while also finding ways to reduce
negative impact on the environment.
69
The NBA Green page focuses on the concept of
“Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse” and provides green tips to raise awareness about simple ways to
reduce the human environmental impact.
70
Some impactful moves the organization made in
being more environmentally friendly include:
The use of 100 percent renewable energy to power All-Star events as well as
hybrid buses to shuttle fans to All-Star events;
Donating unsold food to local charities after games to feed people in need and
avoid adding to landfills;
Eight NBA arenas installed solar panels;
The use of water-efficient fixtures, energy-efficient lighting and Energy Star
kitchen equipment.
71
Furthermore, through the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Advisor for the
NBA, the NRDC serves as the principal environmental advisor to the NBA as it strives to develop
and integrate a comprehensive and successful greening initiative throughout the league and its
teams.
72
As a result of the NRDC advising the NBA and various major sports leagues and arenas,
69
National Basketball Association. "NBA Green" NBA Green. 2015. http://green.nba.com/.
70
Ibid
71
Ibid
72
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 30
six NBA teams’ arenas received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
certification.
73
For some of its initiatives, NBA Green partners with the Green Sports Alliance
(cofounded by NRDC) and the Arbour Day Foundation. Eighteen NBA teams joined the Green
Sports Alliance in an effort to promote sustainable communities by encouraging and partaking
in environmentally friendly activities such as renewable energy, water efficiency and
recycling.
74
In partnership with the Arbour Day Foundation, the league hosts NBA Green Week
and encourages fans to share on social media the various ways they “go green.”
75
A tree was
planted for each time #NBAGreen was used during that week.
76
The final category of the NBA Cares initiatives is the reason the program is described as
global social responsibility; the focus on reach and impacting communities and people outside
the borders of North America.
77
As part of its international commitment, the NBA hosts the
Global Games to grow basketball as a sport and bring worldwide awareness to its brand while
providing international fans with the NBA experience.
78
Aside from this event, the NBA’s
flagship international program is Basketball Without Borders (BWB), which started in 2001 in
collaboration with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
79
This basketball
development and community outreach program for young athletes promotes the sport
internationally while encouraging positive social change. Players 19 and younger from Africa,
73
Ibid
74
Ibid
75
Ibid
76
Ibid
77
National Basketball Association. "International" NBA Cares. 2015. http://cares.nba.com/international/.
78
Ibid
79
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 31
Asia, Europe and Latin America attend the camp and train with NBA players and coaches to
compete and also take part in daily educational sessions focused on developing life skills.
80
As
part of the BWB program, the NBA Cares Legacy Project also creates safe spaces for children
and families to live, learn and play.
81
Since the program’s inception, 39 camps have been hosted
in 20 countries, with 50 safe spaces created and 37 BWB athletes drafted into the National
Basketball Association.
82
In summary, the NBA is leading in the right direction with its CSR efforts and definitely
operating more proactively. Yet this is not a reason to remain complacent, as there is still room
for improvement. Its website provides a detailed method of communication for the NBA Cares
program but the annual report provided seems to be in its early stages, covering only five of its
main programs and initiatives. Additionally, the main concern in the NBA Cares global social
responsibility program is its lack of efforts geared toward its own people, primarily the athletes,
both active and retired. Ultimately, there is still room for improvement, but with further
development, the NBA may be well on its way to becoming the first North American
professional sports league to effectively utilize the CSR practice.
ON AND BEYOND THE FOOTBALL FIELD: THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE’S APPROACH TO
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Speaking metaphorically, the National Football League is currently within field-goal
range on fourth down, going for the safe option to tie the game instead of opting for the
80
Ibid
81
Ibid
82
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 32
touchdown. The programs and initiatives in place are in no way minimal, especially compared
to other North American professional sports leagues. In fact, contrary to the bad reputation the
league has garnered in the last decade or so—due in large part to its mishandling of the
domestic violence case involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice—the work the
NFL does through its various foundations and community outreach is impressive and
commendable.
83
The problem is the perception of the reasoning behind it, which mainly comes
from the tendency to launch initiatives or programs as a reaction to negative or potentially
damaging circumstances. As a result, it comes off as “damage control” or “whitewashing” or
“pinkwashing” or whatever else the public and the media call it. This type of reputation is in no
way exclusive to the NFL, or even to professional sports, as leading global corporations have
often faced similar criticism. However, the NFL has been criticized more frequently, heavily and
publicly than the rest of the leagues in North American sports.
In a content analysis of the NFL’s website in relation to social responsibility, the
programs and initiatives will be organized into six categories:
The NFL Foundation – the league’s official nonprofit organization.
Player Care, Health & Safety – focused on programs and initiatives emphasizing
the health and safety of athletes and providing them with resources.
Youth – covering all initiatives and programs geared toward assisting and
providing resources for children and young adults.
83
Natta, Don Van, Jr., and Kevin Van Valkenburg. "Rice Case: Purposeful Misdirection by Team, Scant Investigation
by NFL." ESPN. September 19, 2014. http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/11551518/how-ray-rice-scandal-
unfolded-baltimore-ravens-roger-goodell-nfl.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 33
League Initiatives – includes all other initiatives and programs supporting various
causes and charities.
Social Responsibility – a section the NFL dedicated mainly to addressing social
issues related to domestic violence and sexual assault.
Recognition Programs – awards acknowledging individuals within football who
have made significant contributions in their communities.
Kicking off with the NFL Foundation—previously NFL Charities and the NFL Youth
Football Fund, founded in 1973—the league’s nonprofit organization has contributed a great
deal through its philanthropic giving, grant funding and community programs.
84
Since its
inception, the foundation has contributed $368 million to various causes and programs.
85
It also
has built 356 fields for community organizations.
86
In 2011, the foundation awarded 364 grants
to current and former NFL players and impacted another 3.1 million individuals through its
grant programs.
87
As stated on the foundation website, “Its mission is to support the health,
safety and wellness of athletes, youth football and the communities which support our
game.”
88
The foundation strives to achieve its mission through its commitment to youth
football, health, safety and the community in the form of programs and grants. In its youth
football efforts, the foundation awards grants to help fund youth football programs and
leagues, while also working with USA Football, supporting its Heads Up Football program to
84
National Football League. "National Football League Foundation" NFL Foundation. 2015.
http://www.nflfoundation.org/.
85
Ibid
86
Ibid
87
Ibid
88
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 34
provide education and resources for health and safety in youth football.
89
Much of the
foundation’s work supports some of the programs that will be discussed in the next few
categories, including the Play 60 campaign encouraging children to maintain healthy, active
lives. In total, the NFL Foundation provides 10 different types of grants supporting youth,
communities, causes and NFL players, some of which will be discussed in the following
categories.
90
One of the most significant and well-known issues regarding football as a sport is player
health and safety. The NFL tackles this with a Health and Safety page that features the NFL
Health Playbook. This playbook details policies including the Return to Play Protocol policy for
players returning after a concussion, the 2015 Concussion Protocol Checklist, Sideline
Assessment Tool as a baseline test for concussions, and League Policies for Players—though it
should be noted that the Player Policies’ download link loaded to a page that did not exist.
91
The playbook also featured links to medical resources, including access to the Injury Data
Report released by the NFL in 2014 during a press conference before Super Bowl XLIX.
92
Another section provides resources and information for parents and coaches, noting the NFL
Foundation and the Zackery Lystedt Law that protects young athletes from returning to play too
soon after a concussion.
93
Lastly the page provides links to news and press releases related to
89
Ibid
90
Ibid
91
National Football League. "NFL Health Playbook" NFL Health Playbook. 2015.
http://www.nflhealthplaybook.com/.
92
Ibid
93
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 35
player health and safety, as well as the NFL Annual Health and Safety Reports which the league
began publishing in 2012.
94
In addition to the NFL Playbook, the league provides player care and resources through
the NFL Player Care Foundation, the NFL Alumni Association and the NFL Player Engagement
website. The NFL Player Care Foundation was created in 2007 to help retired NFL players “by
providing programs and assistance with medical, emotional, financial, social and community
issues.”
95
The website for the foundation provides details about programs, links to resources,
the 2014 annual report, news, events and contact information. Throughout its existence, the
foundation has made financial contributions totaling $9.1 million, assisting 876 players, and
distributing $4.8 million to research.
96
The much older NFL Alumni Association—founded in
1967—also provides medical, financial and social programs to former players, coaches and
other employees, as well as their families.
97
Through the NFL Alumni Foundation members also
provide support and service to charities and communities.
98
As a supplemental resource, the
NFL Player Engagement website provides content, news, resources and programs for athletes at
all stages, including student, active and retired athletes through “Prep, Life and Next.”
99
Lastly, the league formed a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in
2010 to collaborate on programs for athletes and employees, as well as provide presentations
to NFL players entering their rookie seasons.
100
To extend its reach to fans, MADD
94
Ibid
95
National Football League. "NFL Player Care Foundation" NFL Player Care. 2015. http://www.nflplayercare.com/.
96
Ibid
97
National Football League. "NFL Alumni Association" NFL Alumni. 2015. http://www.nflalumni.org/.
98
Ibid
99
National Football League. "NFL Player Engagement" NFL Player Engagement. 2015.
http://www.nflplayerengagement.com/.
100
MADD. “Sponsors: National Football League” MADD. 2015. http://www.madd.org/sponsors/nfl.html
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 36
representatives and the NFL also work to promote awareness and prevent drunk driving
through game day initiatives and community events.
101
As previously mentioned in regards to the Player Engagement website, commitment to
youth is just as important to football as it is to any other sport. The largest-scale programs the
NFL has developed for children include the NFL Rush website and NFL Play 60 campaign. The
NFL Rush website is the league’s official website for children, with exclusive content, games and
contests, as well as resources and information about youth football, programs and NFL Play
60.
102
The Play 60 campaign features initiatives and programs encouraging children to live
healthy lives, make good choices and engage in physical activity for 60 minutes per day.
103
One
aspect of the campaign is the Play 60 Challenge, a four-week program in partnership with the
American Heart Association, aimed at helping children achieve the daily recommended 60
minutes of physical activity.
104
From a nutrition standpoint, Fuel Up to Play 60 was launched in
collaboration with the National Dairy Council and the United States Department of Agriculture
to provide education on healthy food choices and funding to schools to make healthy changes,
with more than 73,000 schools involved, reaching 38 million students.
105
Activities are also
available to children through the free Play 60 mobile app that includes resources, ideas and a
game that syncs children’s motion to the character, encouraging them to be active while
playing. As part of the Play 60 campaign, FITNESSGRAM, in partnership with the Cooper
101
Ibid
102
National Football League. "NFL Rush" NFL Rush. 2015. http://www.nflrush.com/.
103
Ibid
104
American Heart Association. "NFL Play 60 Challenge" American Heart Association. 2015.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Educator/FortheClassroom/Play60Challenge/PLAY-60-
Challenge_UCM_304278_Article.jsp#.VvyHDcu0jIU.
105
National Dairy Council and National Football League. “Fuel Up to Play60” Fuel Up to Play 60.
2015. https://www.fueluptoplay60.com/
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 37
Institute, provides health-related data to examine influence factors on physical fitness for
school-aged children and evaluates the impact of the Play 60 programs.
106
Separate from the Play 60 campaign, the NFL offers additional youth football programs
and partnerships including NFL Punt, Pass & Kick, NFL Flag, USA Football and the High School
Player Development program. As the NFL’s oldest youth football program, NFL Punt, Pass & Kick
holds free non-contact competitions for children ages 6 to 15 to engage, play and learn football
fundamentals.
107
NFL Flag, as part of the USA Football partnership, takes a similar approach in
allowing children ages 5 to 17 to experience playing the game of football while gaining skills in
teamwork and sportsmanship.
108
The NFL also supports various causes and charities, many of which receive support
through funds raised from the official NFL Auction, which donates 100 percent of proceeds to
league and team charities. Causes featured in the auction include:
Breast Cancer Awareness benefitting the American Cancer Society
Salute to Service benefitting the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and the Wounded
Warrior Project
Urology Care Foundation to support the Know Your Stats About Prostate Cancer
Education and Awareness Program
Poppy Appeal for the Royal British Legion
Walking With the Wounded supporting the Walk of Britain
NFL Play 60 in partnership with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
106
The Cooper Institute. “FITNESSGRAM” Cooper Institute. 2015. http://www.cooperinstitute.org/fitnessgram/nfl/.
107
National Football League. “NFL Punt, Pass & Kick” NFL PP&K. 2014. http://www.nflppk.com/.
108
National Football League. “NFL Flag Football” NFL Flag. 2015. http://www.nflflag.com/home/index.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 38
NFL Foundation
NFL Player Care Foundation
Pro Football Hall of Fame
109
In addition to the fundraising and monetary support provided through these auctions,
the league also maintains five initiatives throughout the season and off-season. The first and
most notably criticized is Breast Cancer Awareness, which many have deemed as pinkwashing.
Aside from all the pink-colored and branded merchandise that is sold and auctioned for
fundraising, the league also partnered with the American Cancer Society for “A Crucial Catch”
to raise awareness about the importance of regular breast cancer screenings.
110
The initiative
benefits the American Cancer Society's Community Health Advocates implementing Nationwide
Grants for Empowerment and Equity (CHANGE) program.
111
CHANGE has reached women with
outreach and education, as well as provided more than 64,000 free or low-cost breast cancer
screenings.
112
A nationwide event, A Crucial Catch Day, also takes place during October’s Breast
Cancer Awareness Month to provide education and breast cancer screenings for underserved
women.
113
The official hashtag for the campaign that urges fans to join the conversation is
#NFLPink, which only further contributes to the pinkwashing criticism.
114
Still, since the Crucial
Catch campaign launched in 2009, the NFL has raised more than $8 million, most of which came
from sales and auction proceeds.
115
109
National Football League. “NFL Auction” NFL. 2015. http://nflauction.nfl.com/cgi-
bin/ncommerce3/User?id=BCA_NFL&wl=65664914&type=A
110
National Football League. “NFL Pink” NFL. 2014. http://www.nfl.com/pink.
111
Ibid
112
Ibid
113
Ibid
114
Ibid
115
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 39
The NFL also supports a national awareness campaign for prostate cancer in partnership
with the Urology Care Foundation. The Know Your Stats campaign is meant to raise awareness
and funding for prostate cancer research and education, part of which is done through the
previously discussed NFL Auction site.
116
Salute to Service is the NFL’s military appreciation campaign dedicated to active military,
veterans and their families. The campaign benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation, USO and the
Wounded Warrior Project.
117
On the monetary side, along with auctions, the league also honors
Veterans Day by donating $1,000 to its three partners for every point scored during Salute to
Service games.
118
NFL teams and players honor United States military by visiting military bases,
hosting military members and their families at games and training camps, and urging fans to
join the conversation using #SaluteToService.
119
On the environmental front, NFL Green focuses on the league’s environmental and
sustainability efforts focusing on the “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle” mantra.
120
The NFL Green page
details the efforts made by the league and its teams as they move to be more eco-friendly and
operate more sustainably through five main initiatives:
Solid waste management
Reuse of materials
116
Urology Care Foundation. “Know Your Stats About Prostate Cancer” Urology Health. 2015.
http://www.urologyhealth.org/knowyourstats/
117
National Football League. “NFL Salute to Service” NFL. 2014. http://www.nfl.com/salute.
118
Ibid
119
Ibid
120
National Football League. “NFL Green” NFL. July 26, 2012.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8205a0e7/article/nfl-green?akmobile=windows-
tablet&akcarrier=other.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 40
Food recovery
Donation of sports equipment and books
Reduction of greenhouse gases
121
These initiatives apply to NFL teams and their facilities (e.g. arenas, office space).
The final NFL initiative focuses on Super Bowl and event outreach by organizing
community initiatives around events before the season starts, during the annual NFL Draft, the
AFC-NFC Pro Bowl and, most notably, the Super Bowl.
122
Taste of the NFL, which takes place the
night before the Super Bowl, brings together famous chefs and NFL stars for an event
supporting food banks and aiming to fulfill the needs of the homeless and hungry throughout
the nation.
123
In another event, as part of Super Bowl 50, the NFL partnered with chef Michael
Mina to create a charitable dining experience for fans in San Francisco during the week leading
up to the 2016 Super Bowl to benefit the NFL Foundation.
124
As mentioned previously, the NFL has gained recent notoriety for high-profile cases
including Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson, as well as its overall management of issues
related to domestic violence and sexual abuse. As part of its community page, it addresses this
issue in-depth in the social responsibility category. The first section communicates the NFL’s
response to domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA). This links to a news story that was
published in 2014 and updated in 2015, acknowledging past issues and how the league will take
action to address it. The final sentence of the introduction notes:
121
Ibid
122
National Football League. "NFL Community Outreach Extends to Draft, Super Bowl." NFL.
August 15, 2014. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000367100/article/nfl-community-outreach-extends-
to-draft-super-bowl.
123
National Football League. “Taste of the NFL” Taste of the NFL. 2014. http://www.tasteofthenfl.com/
124
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 41
This article is intended to provide both information and transparency as the league
continues on what will be a very long journey towards making a real impact - inside and
outside the NFL.
125
The write-up continues noting the current issues and future goals that include implementing
ongoing education to address the issues, providing individual support and critical response
teams, summarizing an updated personal conduct policy, addressing these social issues in the
community and society, supporting DVSA awareness and prevention organizations, driving the
conversation with public service announcements in collaboration with the NO MORE campaign
and the Joyful Heart Foundation, and promoting programs focused on developing the character
of young people.
126
The social responsibility section also provides a downloadable PDF version of The NFL
Commitment: Taking Action on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The well-designed and
comprehensive two-page document summarizes the updated personal conduct policy, provides
national data on DVSA, includes individual and family support resources such as the NFL Lifeline
call number and Club/Team Critical Response Teams, as well as comprehensive education and
training programs, one of which is the mandatory league-wide DVSA education program that
was completed by all athletes, owners, league personnel, coaches and team staff.
127
Prospects
and rookies also participated in a DVSA education session and prevention/intervention program
125
National Football League. "The NFL's Response to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault." NFL.
August 12, 2015. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000439286/article/the-nfls-response-to-domestic-
violence-and-sexual-assault.
126
Ibid
127
National Football League. “The NFL Commitment: Taking Action on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault” NFL.
2015. http://www.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2015/08/04/0ap3000000506403.pdf.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 42
during the 2015 Draft and Rookie Symposium.
128
The document also detailed the NFL’s
commitment and plans moving forward that include making a multiyear monetary
commitment, raising awareness and increasing the reach of youth character education.
129
The
final section of the social responsibility category provides a link to a DVSA webinar developed
by Brainshark for the NFL, which requires a log-in and password for access.
Though the social responsibility section is comprehensive and well-developed, it is
essentially a response to an issue that many at the NFL initially tried to ignore and hide, which is
why it is still often dismissed as damage control. Though this is not the only problem with the
section, it shows that those within the NFL may not fully understand what social
responsibility—and to an extent CSR—actually is and what it fully entails. Everything discussed
throughout this analysis falls under CSR, and to create a social responsibility section specifically
for the most recent issue the league has faced indicates a lack of understanding and further
validates the cynics who call this damage control.
The final category of the NFL’s efforts is its player recognition programs. Similar to the
NBA, the NFL acknowledges individuals within football who have made significant contributions
in their communities. The awards include the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for an
athlete’s contributions to society, the NFL Teacher of the Year Award recognizing former NFL
128
Ibid
129
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 43
athletes who moved on to the field of education, and the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of
the Year Award honoring model high school coaches.
130131132
Overall, the National Football League’s efforts are comprehensive and cover various
social issues and causes. If it were any other league doing the same thing, it would likely be
commended and praised for its work, but the fact that it is the NFL makes it easy for observers
to be cynical. Ultimately, the biggest NFL problem in regards to CSR is that every aspect is
perceived as being done as a kneejerk response to public criticism. There is a glaring need for
league executives to broaden their definition of social responsibility beyond responding to the
matter at hand, and in doing so attempt to initiate programs and efforts proactively in
anticipation of issues they know to be inherent in the world of football, the world of sports and
society in general.
SKATING BY: THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATING ITS
INITIATIVES
When analyzing the initiatives of the National Hockey League, the content available was
much less than that of any other major North American league discussed. Not only was there
no designated page or section for the NHL Foundation, its nonprofit organization, but there was
also no description of its contributions or mission. In some cases less is more, but for a league
130
National Football League. "Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year." NFL. February 24, 2015.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82059f05/article/walter-payton-nfl-man-of-the-
year?akmobile=windows-tablet.
131
National Football League. "NFL Teacher of the Year." NFL. March 5, 2013.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8205a235/article/nfl-teacher-of-the-year?akmobile=windows-tablet.
132
National Football League. "Mike Grant Is Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year." NFL.
August 21, 2014. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82059fda/article/mike-grant-is-don-shula-nfl-high-
school-coach-of-the-year?akmobile=windows-tablet.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 44
that garners the least amount of total media coverage and public conversation out of the four
discussed, there needs to be a greater effort to communicate what the NHL contributes to
society and its local communities. Currently the National Hockey League only lists four major
initiatives on its website:
Hockey is for Everyone – the league’s youth development program
133
Future Goals – a program developed to teach children about hockey and science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM)
134
Hockey Fights Cancer – the flagship initiative to raise funds and awareness for
the league’s charitable partners
135
NHL Green – focused on the league’s commitment to the environment and
sustainability
136
Beginning with its youth-oriented initiatives, the league has invested a great deal of
resources and energy to provide programs for children, which is a strategic move to help garner
the loyalty and recognition the NHL will require in order to grow its fan base from a young age.
At the same time, it gives children unique opportunities, once again establishing the mutually
beneficial nature of such sports-oriented initiatives. The Hockey is for Everyone (HIFE) campaign
is the official youth development program geared toward supporting nonprofit youth hockey
organizations across North America that allow children from all backgrounds the opportunity to
play the sport.
137
The program helps children learn life skills and gain education while instilling
133
National Hockey League. “Hockey Is For Everyone” NHL. 2015. http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=48311.
134
National Hockey League. “Future Goals” NHL. 2015. http://futuregoals.nhl.com/.
135
National Hockey League. “Hockey Fights Cancer” NHL. 2015.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/hockeyfightscancer.
136
National Hockey League. “NHL Green” NHL. 2015. http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/nhlgreen
137
National Hockey League. “Hockey Is For Everyone” NHL. 2015. http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=48311.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 45
in them the core values of the sport: “commitment, perseverance and teamwork.”
138
Official
partners of the program include USA Hockey, the American Special Hockey Association and
Sports Learning Edge.
139
In addition to news stories and features, the webpage also provides
links to resources including: the USA Hockey American Development Model, the NHL Players
Association Goals & Dreams assistance program, and the Come Play Youth Hockey website.
In partnership with the critical skills education platform EverFi, the NHL also established
the Future Goals program to help children get excited about education in STEM topics.
140
The
program is described as such: “Using the fast-paced, exciting game of hockey as a learning
vehicle, the program helps students understand the real world applications of science and math
principles.”
141
Future Goals provides North American elementary and middle schools with the
free Hockey Scholar STEM course that uses concepts from the game to explain the following
topics:
Engineering behind equipment
Calculating ice surface area and volume
Circumference, area of circles, radius & diameter
States of matter & phase changes
Examination of mass, velocity and kinetic energy
Manipulating variables to run experiments
Data analysis and drawing conclusions
142
138
Ibid
139
Ibid
140
National Hockey League. “Future Goals” NHL. 2015. http://futuregoals.nhl.com/.
141
Ibid
142
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 46
In addition, the Future Goals website features a learning module, quiz and videos with
overviews of how STEM concepts apply to the game of hockey and its relevance to some of the
most important careers in hockey. The website also provides information for parents and
educators, as well as a featured blog, though the initial launch post announcing the program is
the only one listed. Since its very recent launch in 2014, the Future Goals program has reached
3,500 schools across the United States and Canada, with more than 375,000 students and more
than 1.5 million hours of STEM education.
143
The NHL’s next initiative is Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC), which started in 1998 in
partnership with the NHL Players Association.
144
This initiative is touted as part of the NHL’s
“Biggest Assist Happens Off the Ice” campaign—though this campaign, described as “the
league's long-standing tradition of addressing important social issues in North America and
around the world,” is not addressed on the league’s website…something that should be
included and communicated.
145
Hockey Fights Cancer receives league-wide support from
teams, players, officials, staff, corporate marketing and broadcast partners, and others. Special
HFC merchandise is sold to raise funds for the NHL Foundation to direct toward the initiative
that supports its charitable partners: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Prostate Cancer
Canada, ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the
Movember Foundation.
146
The webpage includes news, features and video content, and
provides visitors with the option to donate to the cause or “Join the Fight” using social media by
143
Ibid
144
National Hockey League. “Hockey Fights Cancer” NHL. 2015.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/hockeyfightscancer.
145
Ibid
146
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 47
printing one of the signs, filling in who they fight for and sharing it on their social media
account. Over the years the initiative has helped raise more than $15 million to support
charities, hospitals, cancer research institutions and organizations.
147
The final initiative communicated on its website is the NHL Green campaign, which
works with seven partners in its efforts to operate more sustainably with environmental
consciousness in mind. The NHL began working with NRDC—the same organization mentioned
previously in the NBA chapter—in 2008 through the NHL Greening Advisors.
148
The NRDC was
integral to the launch of NHL Green in 2010 and maintains a fundamental role in the league’s
commitment to environmental responsibility.
149
In 2011 it became the first league to partner
with the EPA WasteWise program in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
eliminate waste in all 30 of its venues.
150
The NHL was also the first league to partner with the
EPA Star Energy program to redesign energy and water management, reduce facilities’
operational costs and lessen the negative impact on the environment.
151
Keeping with its track
record, the league was also the first in professional sports to join the EPA Green Power
Partnership that encourages the voluntary use of green power.
152
In doing so the league
pledged “to counterbalance 100 percent of the estimated 2012 electricity usage at New York
City headquarters through Green-e Energy certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) from
U.S. wind projects.”
153
Its additional partnership with Beyond Sport and membership in the
147
Ibid
148
National Hockey League. “NHL Green” NHL. 2015. http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/nhlgreen
149
Ibid
150
Ibid
151
Ibid
152
Ibid
153
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 48
Green Sports Alliance help the NHL determine how sports can play a role in addressing issues
outside the game and how it can reduce its environmental impact while inspiring fans to do the
same.
154
The league makes a significant impact through its partnership with the Bonneville
Environmental Foundation (BEF) as it continues its commitment since 2011 to restore 1,000
gallons of water to a dewatered river for each goal scored during the regular season, resulting
in millions of gallons restored each season.
155
In addition to the news, features and video
content made available on the webpage, NHL Green also provides fans with helpful tips through
NHL Green Slapshots, providing easy ways to reduce environmental impact. The NHL Green
page, however, does not include the NHL’s 2014 Sustainability Report, which was the first
published by a North American professional sports league.
In essence, the people at the National Hockey League need to make a greater effort in
communicating all of the leagues’ activities. The content analyzed included no mention of CSR
or any variation of the term. There needs to be expansion and ways to garner recognition.
Though the league does more than its website details, the biggest mistake is relying on news
releases to communicate its initiatives, programs, achievements and impact in regard to
community outreach and social responsibility. A news release is distributed, possibly picked up,
then forgotten and left in the archives. The NHL needs, more than anything, a permanent place
to communicate its initiatives, some form of reporting to indicate its impact and, ultimately,
further development of CSR in general if it wants to remain even remotely close to the same
level as the other North American leagues.
154
Ibid
155
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 49
BATTING AVERAGE: A LOOK AT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND
INITIATIVES
In terms of CSR, Major League Baseball is not the least productive, but it definitely is not
as progressive or developed as others, leaving it somewhat average. Similar to the National
Football League, MLB has also faced criticism from the media and the public, but for a very
different reason; performance enhancing drugs (PED). Though there has been progress, its
history of PEDs running rampant among athletes throughout the league still haunts it to this
day. It may not have gone as in-depth as the NFL’s domestic violence and sexual assault section,
but its initiatives and programs did address the issue of substance abuse through its youth-
oriented Drug Free Campaign. Along with this campaign, the league has 16 other initiatives as
part of its community outreach. The programs and initiatives to be discussed in this chapter will
be broken up into four categories:
Youth – programs and initiatives focused on benefiting youth
Causes – includes contributions and campaigns benefiting various cause-oriented
charities and organizations
Environment – the league’s environmental initiative, MLB Greening
MLB’s Own – programs acknowledging and supporting those within the MLB as
well as its legends.
In addition to listing all of its programs and initiatives, the league website also includes videos
from outreach events, a list of upcoming events, ways to get involved by volunteering or
donating to the league’s many nonprofit partners, and also links to the community pages for
each team in Major League Baseball. Much of the work the league does comes from its
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 50
nonprofit organization, MLB Charities, which promotes and supports various causes and
charities.
Many of the MLB’s programs and initiatives are devoted to serving youth, including the
Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF), a program launched in 1999 with a $10-million commitment,
which awards grants to organizations that operate youth baseball and softball programs.
156
The
funding is provided for the programs, the fields, training, uniforms, equipment and other
expenses required for youth baseball and softball. The MLB and the MLB Players Association
continue to make annual contributions to maintain the fund.
157
On average, BTF awards 55
grants per year totaling more than $1.8 million, and as of 2014 had awarded more than 820
grants, with $270 million in total to organizations around the world.
158
In addition to its grant funding, the league also runs the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities
(RBI) youth outreach program that was originally developed by former baseball player and
scout John Young, and later expanded as a league-wide initiative after receiving support from
the Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball.
159
The program is designed to:
Increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among underserved
youth
Encourage academic participation and achievement
Increase the number of talented athletes prepared to play in college and the
minor leagues
156
Major League Baseball. “Baseball Tomorrow Fund” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=baseball_tomorrow_fund.
157
Ibid
158
Ibid
159
Major League Baseball. “Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=rbi.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 51
Promote greater inclusion of minorities into the mainstream of the game
Teach the value of teamwork
160
These programs run worldwide in more than 200 cities, allowing some 260,000 children the
opportunity to play the sport.
161
The league and its teams have directed more than $30 million
of resources into the program and created the RBI (Runs Batted In) for RBI Scholarship Fund
which in 2015 awarded $5,000 annual scholarships to 11 RBI participants.
162
As a result of the
program, more than 200 RBI participants were drafted by MLB teams, including 13 who were
selected in 2014.
163
The league also runs Jr. RBI divisions for children ages 5 to 12 and has
totaled more than 160,000 participants.
164
The RBI fund is made possible partly due to the relationship between Major League
Baseball and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which was announced as the league’s official
charity partner in 1997.
165
As a result of that partnership, the two organizations have
established more than 100 new RBI leagues and more than 200 rookie leagues, while using the
league’s platform to bring greater awareness and funding to the charitable organization.
166
In
addition to the $2.5 million donated by MLB, the partnership resulted in more than $16 million
in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
167
Notable current and former MLB players
160
Ibid
161
Ibid
162
Ibid
163
Ibid
164
Ibid
165
Ibid
166
Ibid
167
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 52
benefited from the organization during their youth including Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Joe
Morgan and Frank Robinson.
168
MLB also implemented the Drug Free Campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of
performance enhancing drugs (PED), especially among young athletes. As part of the
Commissioner’s Play Healthy Awards, parents, educators and children are educated on the risks
and encouraged to make positive choices.
169
Youth coaches and student athletes are awarded
for leading positive, healthy and drug-free competition. The campaign also provides details and
facts about PEDs, as well as resources for education and prevention.
In honor of the legendary Jackie Robinson, the Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life
education program teaches children the value of “Determination, Commitment, Persistence,
Integrity, Justice, Courage, Teamwork, Citizenship, and Excellence,” as exhibited by Robinson,
who broke the MLB color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
170
The program, in
partnership with Scholastic Inc., hosts an essay contest for children grades 4 through 9 about
barriers and obstacles they faced or continue to face in life and how they used such learned
values to overcome them.
171
The program has reached more than 22 million students and 2.9
million educators throughout North America.
172
The final youth-oriented program is the Commissioner’s Community Initiative, which
supports youth-related charities by providing tickets to games for individuals and organizations
168
Ibid
169
Major League Baseball. “Drug-Free Campaign” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=drug_free_campaign.
170
Major League Baseball. “Breaking Barriers” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=breaking_barriers.
171
Ibid
172
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 53
who may otherwise not have such an opportunity. Between 2004 and 2010, the league and its
teams donated more than six million tickets to youth and charitable organizations.
173
In addition to its commitment to youth, Major League Baseball supports multiple causes
as part of its community outreach. The league’s 4ALS cause pays tribute to late New York
Yankees Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig by supporting multiple ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
organizations and raising awareness for the fight against the disease. The league committed to
donate $300,000 to support the ALS Association, the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS
TDI), the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and Project A.L.S.
174
As July 4, 2016 marks the
75
th
anniversary of Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech announcing his retirement, all games on
that day will commemorate the anniversary and legacy.
175
MLB also engages in its Autism Awareness initiative by teaming up with Autism Speaks
and providing special ticket offers that support autism awareness.
176
An autism guide is also
available on the MLB website to help parents and children prepare for visits to the ballpark. The
custom-produced guide details what to expect on game days and provides helpful tips and
resources for the public to access.
Instead of branding certain cancer awareness months, MLB chose to brand such cause-
related activities as Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. With its Father’s Day initiative, the league
hosts the MLB-PCF Home Run Challenge in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to
173
Major League Baseball. “Commissioner’s Community Initiative” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=commissioners_community_initiative.
174
Major League Baseball. “4ALS” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=4als.
175
Ibid
176
Major League Baseball. “Autism Awareness” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=autism_awareness.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 54
raise awareness and help fund research for a cure.
177
During the challenge, fans are invited to
either make a one-time donation or pledge to donate per every home run hit during the week
leading up to Father’s Day.
178
Since its start in 1997, the challenge has raised an estimated $45
million.
179
For Mother’s Day, the league hosts Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer which
supports Stand Up to Cancer and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
180
Pink bats are used for the
games and are also sold to benefit the cause.
The league also has initiatives and fundraising throughout the season to support Stand
Up to Cancer. In addition, Major League Baseball supports Play Sun Smart as an education and
awareness program promoting sun safety and reducing skin cancer risks. The website also
provides links to resources, facts and information, and access to free screenings.
Its final cause initiative is Welcome Back Veterans, which provides treatment for
veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries.
181
The
initiative is made possible through a multi-group partnership between MLB Charities, the
Veterans Administration, Department of Defense, the McCormick Foundation and Centers of
Excellence at University Hospitals.
182
Moving on to the environment, Major League Baseball focuses its initiatives through the
MLB Greening Program. In 2005, the league was actually the first in professional sports to
partner with the NRDC—the same organization that is now partnered with each of the other
177
Major League Baseball. “Father’s Day” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=fathers_day.
178
Ibid
179
Ibid
180
Major League Baseball. “Mother’s Day” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=mothers_day.
181
Welcome Back Veterans. “Welcome Back Veterans” 2015. http://web.welcomebackveterans.org/index.
182
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 55
three leagues discussed.
183
Through this partnership, league officials and the organization
collaborated to form the Commissioner’s Initiative on Sustainable Stadium Operations and
Team Practices.
184
Similar to other leagues, the NRDC Greening Advisor for MLB exists to
provide the league, its teams and stadiums with environmentally superior activities for both
daily and event operations. Such activities include, “office operations, stadium operations and
maintenance, team and fan transportation, energy use, paper use, concession operations,
events planning, recycling and waste management.”
185
Aside from the environmental aspect, as well as the work the league does to support
and assist those outside the organization and throughout the community, it also has initiatives
for its own athletes, former and current. Through the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) which
was started in 1986 by a group of former MLB players, help is provided to those within baseball
who are in need but have no access to other resources.
186
The program provides medical,
financial and psychological assistance to those in need, thanks to an endowment that was
established by MLB, the MLB Players Association and the Freedom Foundation.
187
The league also honors legends: Jackie Robinson Day is hosted annually on April 15 to
honor the anniversary of when he broke the color barrier in 1947, thus opening the door for
other athletes to follow.
188
As part of its commitment to the legend and the anniversary, the
183
Major League Baseball. “MLB Greening Program” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=team_greening_program.
184
Ibid
185
Ibid
186
Major League Baseball. “Baseball Assistance Team” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=baseball_assistance_team.
187
Ibid
188
Major League Baseball. “Jackie Robinson Day” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=jackie_robinson_foundation.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 56
league also supports the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the previously mentioned Breaking
Barriers youth program. Roberto Clemente Day honors Clemente, the Hall of Famer who
perished in a 1972 plane crash while delivering earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua.
189
He
became the first Hispanic player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
190
That same
year, the Commissioner’s Award, which recognizes players for their sportsmanship,
contributions and community involvement, was renamed in his honor.
191
The Roberto
Clemente Award is now given annually to an MLB player exhibiting the same selfless qualities
carried by Clemente.
192
As chronicled, Major League Baseball contributes plenty, but its trouble is in organizing
all of its activities and programs for effective communication, which is evident in the website
that lists extensive details for some programs and initiatives but hardly overviews others by
providing only links to stories. For a league with its longstanding history, its efforts should be
further developed into some form of CSR instead of remaining complacent with “MLB in the
Community.” Yet with its lack of communication through the website, MLB provides an annual
community affairs report that is lengthy, in-depth and possibly too text-heavy for the average
reader. Although reporting is important, it should be done effectively with the potential readers
in mind. Ultimately, Major League Baseball is not the most underdeveloped in terms of CSR, but
it does require more organization and communication efforts to be considered as a leader or
even a contender.
189
Major League Baseball. “Roberto Clemente Day” MLB Community. 2015.
http://web.mlbcommunity.org/index.jsp?content=programs&program=roberto_clemente_award
190
Ibid
191
Ibid
192
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 57
ADRESSING CONCERNS & HESITANCE TOWARD ADOPTION
As mentioned previously, there are inherent hesitance and concern in regards to the
implementation of CSR. This may be the case with the people who run professional sports
leagues. Ultimately, professional sports is a business, and as such operates as one. The primary
concern for commissioners, governors, owners, executives, et. al, continues to be about
generating revenue and further developing team and brand value. Yet, CSR and revenue should
not be viewed as mutually exclusive, because the reality is that the two are more related than it
may appear. The biggest challenge is finding the right balance.
Money should not be the problem since most leagues and teams would essentially
continue investing the same amount as they already do into the existing programs, initiatives
and philanthropic endeavors. CSR is ultimately a way to expand on that by connecting and
aligning it with the goals of the organization, making it more transparent and authentic. In fact,
Durbin confirmed that the viability of CSR is difficult to deny, noting that it is difficult to see
how it could not be viable as the positive public attention in itself makes CSR viable for sports
organizations.
193
Ultimately, the entire existence of sports is in public discourse, which supports
the reasoning that creating a positive public discourse for the leagues and teams is crucial.
194
This leads directly to the many reasons CSR should be of concern and importance in North
American professional sports.
193
Dan Durbin, interview by author, December 2015.
194
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 58
WHY LEAGUES SHOULD CARE
As Durbin noted, leagues are not people, they are entities.
195
So much emphasis, and
often blame, is put on sports and sports institutions, but the true problem comes from the
people who run these organizations. The commissioners, governors, owners, and executives in
charge are the ones making these decisions. The leagues and teams ultimately do not have a
moral obligation, as the moral obligation falls onto the people who created the structure and
continue to run it.
196
The people in these executive positions, as Durbin noted, have a social and
moral obligation because they are the ones who are tasked with bringing in money, creating
wealth and distributing that wealth.
197
Hence, the better question to ask is why the people
running the leagues should care about everything that has been discussed in the previous
chapters.
Durbin summarized a starting point to answering that question by discussing the
obligation they have to their employees as well as to the organization which they continuously
present to society in a positive manner.
198
In addition, there is an inherent obligation for the
leadership of sport organizations to provide outreach and assist their communities.
199
These
obligations are balanced ultimately with the goals and the bottom line for the organization.
200
In some ways, sport organizations are similar to Fortune 500 companies in the sense
that the “business of doing good” is crucial. Durbin hypothesized that the “business of doing
195
Ibid
196
Ibid
197
Ibid
198
Ibid
199
Ibid
200
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 59
good” may actually be more crucial to sports because the organizations, their teams and
players are fully in the public eye.
201
He further emphasized its importance:
For a public organization, part of whose job is entertainment and giving the impression
of existing for the public good, it’s absolutely important to create that image that you
are doing some good, public good. It is really, really important even if it seems tangential
to the primary job of entertaining people with your sport, it actually still remains a core
part of what you do.
202
Executives should also care from a financial standpoint. As mentioned previously, one
aspect that should influence league executives to seriously consider CSR is the potential effect
it can have on sponsorships. Sports leagues and teams rely heavily on sponsorships as a source
of revenue, yet sponsors are now more cautious and discerning, especially when faced with
highly publicized cases and pressure from the public. Chris Ward provided further insight on the
topic of sponsorships, with specificity on sports sponsorships.
It should first be noted that sponsorships have evolved beyond branding and signage; as
Ward pointed out that sponsors look for ways to fully optimize their sponsorships.
203
The goal is
to activate sponsorships that will feature and highlight their products and service, increase
brand exposure, affinity and ultimately help to further build the brand, all the while engaging
with fans.
204
In doing so, however, sponsors must remain true to its brands’ mission and values,
which is why reputation plays a crucial role.
205
Ward elaborated on the topic of reputation,
201
Ibid
202
Ibid
203
Chris Ward, interview by author, January 2015.
204
Ibid
205
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 60
noting that brands look to avoid having fans or consumers question their affiliation with a
particular sport or organization, especially in an era where fans can be very vocal when
sponsored athletes or entities do something inappropriate.
206
Just as sponsors do not want to
be associated with athletes when they have done something inappropriate, the same would
apply for leagues and teams if their executives were to behave inappropriately or in some way
garner public criticism toward the league or team.
Ward noted that sponsorships tend to be scrutinized by all key stakeholders including
the sponsored property, brand leadership, brand employees, consumers and fans.
207
In fact,
sometimes as brands and sponsorships evolve, they have the potential to outgrow each
other.
208
This makes it even more important for sponsors and leagues or teams to have aligned
values and goals. In discussing aligned values, Ward brought up a point similar to Durbin’s in
regard to the lack of private space, but focused it specifically as it impacts sponsorships, stating:
Aligned values are more important than ever. With the advancement of “citizen
journalists” (e.g., fans, bloggers and self-proclaimed reporters who publish their
perspective and opinion), brands are more and more sensitive to what the athletes stand
for and their history. Brands are cutting athletes and dropping sponsorships of athletes
when the athletes have visible indiscretions. These days every indiscretion is very
visible.
209
206
Ibid
207
Ibid
208
Ibid
209
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 61
As much as these incidents directly impact athlete sponsorships, they can also impact leagues
and teams, as those are the entities that athletes represent both within the game and out in
public. In addition, the way in which league and team executives address these types of issues
can have a strong impact on public perception.
Ward hypothesized that the level of importance placed on aligning values will continue
to evolve as sponsors search to align their brands with organizations that are consistent with
the brand’s goals.
210
This is where corporate social responsibility comes into play. He confirmed
CSR as a strong factor for consideration in sponsorships if it is an element of the brands’ mission
and values.
211
As CSR grows among consumer-oriented industries and Fortune 500 companies,
and becomes a fundamental element of the brand’s core mission and values, then sports
executives would have to be ahead of the game to ensure their organizations can meet the
expectations of potential sponsors. Ward further elaborated on the consumer’s role in the
growth of CSR, explaining that as consumer awareness and preference for greater social
responsibility among brands increases, brands will place greater value on CSR activities.
212
Though many brands are already implementing CSR on their own, encouragement from
consumers can often accelerate adoption.
213
Ultimately, league and team executives will need
to be proactive in dealing with social issues in order to maintain good relationships with
sponsors, but they will also need to plan ahead and implement a CSR model that will help to
better attract authentic sponsorship deals that align with their mission and values.
210
Ibid
211
Ibid
212
Ibid
213
Ibid
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 62
MOVING FORWARD WITH CSR IN NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS
In summary, it is evident that each league, and subsequently its teams, operate
differently and have different goals and values. Yet for the most part, they share many of the
same problems when it comes to CSR initiatives. When observing the websites, there were
instances of outdated pages with outdated information, as well as links that were either invalid
or directed to an incorrect web address. Though this is common and glitches can occur for any
website, for this to happen across the board, may indicate that it is not of high priority on the
operational chain. Most importantly, greater organization is necessary to create a CSR model
instead of simply listing programs and initiatives. Established and authentic missions, goals and
commitments need to be outlined and communicated. However, officials need to understand
that it is not as simple as setting an agenda and putting together a write-up. There needs to be
a change in culture, not within the sport, but amongst ownership and management. It starts
with them making the decision to operate in a proactive, rather than reactive culture.
As global sports brand Nike so eloquently phrased it in a famous campaign slogan: “Just
do it.”
214
Through the outlined content analyses, it is evident that most of the necessary aspects
of CSR exist, with the various programs, initiatives and causes; all that remains is being
proactive, connecting goals to programs, creating a model that aligns with the organization,
committing to it and communicating it authentically and effectively to the public. Currently,
each of the four leagues has initiatives and programs that make an impact in some sense, but
they are not given enough credit for it. Durbin points out a significant problem:
214
Nike. "Just Do It." Advertisement. 1988.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 63
Leagues don’t do charitable acts because they have a big heart, they do charitable acts
to support the bottom line and to protect the brand and strengthen the brand…There’s
calculated, cynical self-interest involved in it absolutely, but then again there is in
everything every league does. The point is to make money and so you have to assume
that going in. If you assume that going in then you can at least give them the benefit of
the doubt saying they’re speaking to their self-interest by helping a good cause.
215
For this reason, the most important aspect in implementing CSR in North American
professional sports is to create a model that is balanced and effectively communicates that
balance, as does the triple bottom line, focusing on profit, people—both within and outside the
organization—and planet. In order to be successful and genuine, CSR needs to be transparent.
The majority of the public is no longer naïve enough to believe that an organization’s main goal
is to help others, or society, or the environment and so on. In a cynical world, for CSR to truly be
effective, sports executives need to acknowledge profit as part of the bottom line, but extend
to communicate that the organization still has an obligation to society and thus operates on the
triple bottom line, or another comparable that works best for the organization. Only then can
North American professional sports truly benefit from corporate social responsibility, and
possibly, impact the CSR concept, practice and perception.
Based on the analyses, the following recommendations can serve as a standard starting-
point blueprint for the four sport leagues discussed:
215
Dan Durbin, interview by author, December 2015.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 64
1. Create a Space
Without a designated space for communication, CSR cannot truly be transparent and
effective. Similar to the NBA Cares website (cares.nba.com), leagues, as well as its teams,
should have a developed webpage specifically for CSR, to serve as a platform for
communicating its efforts to the public and its stakeholders. The page should at the very least
include a mission statement, overviews of the various initiatives and programs, data illustrating
its impact, a CSR report and, most importantly, future commitments from the league.
2. Develop a Mission
Once again looking to the NBA as an example, sports organizations should develop a
mission statement that is simple, straightforward and honest, serving as a guide for all CSR
activities, responsibilities and goals. The NBA Cares mission page is effective because it provides
a general overview without unnecessary verbiage that is occasionally used in CSR in an effort to
manipulate the public. Similar to the NBA, the mission should begin with a statement of
purpose, a brief overview of current commitments and the types of causes it supports, future
commitments and goals, and, lastly, a short recap of the impact the CSR program has already
had on people and communities. This section would also be the ideal place to highlight the
league or team-established charitable foundation and the way in which it operates within the
CSR spectrum. Most importantly, the previously mentioned triple bottom line should be taken
into consideration when developing the mission as this will ultimately aid in the following
organization and categorization process.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 65
3. Organize and Categorize
One of the main problems with most of the existing programs and initiatives within
professional sports organizations is the lack of organization as most leagues simply list all the
various causes they support and the initiatives they offer. A more effective way to
communicate the programs and initiatives would be to categorize them into topics based on
which aspect of the CSR goals it addresses. The NFL is the most effective in doing so through its
website by grouping its causes and initiatives into the following categories:
Youth Football
NFL Play 60
League Initiatives
NFL Social Responsibility
Player Health and Safety
Recognition Programs
216
Though the way in which the NFL set up its categories and what is listed within said categories
has its flaws, the overall format is effective and easy to navigate for the average user. The main
reason for creating these types of categories, however, goes beyond user interface and
communication, as it also helps to establish the purpose for each program and initiative. For
example, if an organization sets goals to impact youth, local communities and the environment,
then it is easy to set each initiative into one of those categories. If something does not fit into
the categories, then it becomes clear that it either does not serve the set goals and overall
mission or there needs to be a reassessment or addition to the existing goals and mission.
216
National Football League. “Community” 2015. NFL. 2015. http://www.nfl.com/community.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 66
Though each league and team has variations in its management/structure and will
undoubtedly have differences in its overall mission and goals, the following five categories
serve as an effective starting point and a basis on which to build moving forward.
Community Outreach
Community outreach both within local communities and beyond continuously plays a
significant role in sports organizations, most of which operate all their initiatives within a
community relations department. As a result, it makes sense to maintain a category specifically
for community outreach. The activities and initiatives within this category should include
volunteerism from athletes and the organization’s staff, various building projects similar to the
NBA Cares Legacy Project, partnerships and service to local organizations and programs which
sponsor children, families, veterans, etc., to attend games and other sporting events.
Youth Impact
Though some youth-oriented initiatives may be beneficial to those within the local
community, this should serve as a separate category mainly due to the significance of most
large-scale youth programs in professional sports. These programs help to promote interest in
the game and develop fan loyalty, but ultimately they provide various opportunities to children
who may not otherwise have access to resources such as youth sports programs, health and
education programs, mentoring and scholarships. League initiatives such as NFL Play 60 work
well in incorporating the game of football with other important aspects of life such as fitness
and nutrition to help children lead healthy lives. Additionally, incorporating grant and outreach
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 67
programs for youth, similar to MLB’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities, the Baseball Tomorrow
Fund, and Breaking Barriers scholarship, can considerably impact their future. Ultimately, youth
outreach is one of the greatest aspects of CSR in professional sports, as it inherently serves the
organizations’ financial and brand-building goals while making a contribution. Leagues should
continue developing youth outreach initiatives in innovative ways as can be seen with the NHL’s
Future Goals education program which effectively integrates STEM learning with the game of
hockey. This type of development and innovation will then drive greater results on the impact
that sports organizations can have on youth.
Health and Wellness
Health and wellness is inherent in sports, thus making it a comprehensible aspect of CSR
within professional sports organizations. Health and wellness initiatives included in this
category support and raise awareness for causes, hospitals, research institutions and
foundations that are dedicated to improving the health field, as well as support individuals
affected by life-threatening medical conditions. With these types of activities and partnerships,
leagues and teams need to find ways to connect athletes or organization staff to the cause in
order for it to be authentic and effective. For example, the ALS initiatives developed by Major
League Baseball are effective because of the connection with Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig.
Additionally, promoting causes such as breast cancer awareness should go beyond marketing
and social media by making a commitment that incentivizes fan involvement. Similar to what
the NBA did with the #NBAGreen initiative in which a tree was planted each time the hashtag
was used, leagues and teams can create something similar to raise funds for health-related
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 68
causes. The most effective way to utilize health-related initiatives is to truly develop an
authentic connection and partnership between organizations, athletes, fans and those in need
as cause-marketing is no longer enough of an effort.
Players’ Services
The greatest void in most of the CSR programs among the leagues is the lack of
programs available for the people within the organization. As a sports organization, a major
component of social responsibility is the obligation the league has to its athletes, in effect, the
“employees.” Recognition awards are not enough and additional resources are necessary for
athletes who devoted themselves to the organization. Even with all of its well-chronicled faults,
the NFL does well in addressing this category with its medical resources, reports, the NFL Player
Care Foundation and NFL Player Engagement website that provides resources for athletes at all
levels including students, current professional athletes and retired athletes. Major League
Baseball also addresses this through its Baseball Assistance Team program, which provides
grants to those within the baseball family who are in need. Currently, there are not enough
initiatives and programs in place for all the leagues to utilize this category, thus indicating the
need for greater development of CSR efforts geared toward those within the organization.
Environment and Sustainability
The final category should focus on environmentally focused initiatives as sports
organizations host large-scale events on a regular basis, with the potential to leave a
considerable carbon footprint. Not only do these initiatives reduce the carbon footprint of the
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 69
organization, but they also aid in reducing operational costs associated with materials, energy
and water usage. All four leagues developed a partnership with the NRDC, and as a result,
developed comprehensive greening programs for the league and its teams. A promising
example of the environmental aspect of CSR is the NHL’s proactive approach to reducing its
negative environmental impact and its publication of the first sustainability report in
professional sports. Leagues should also take note of the NHL’s partnership with the Bonneville
Environmental Foundation, which launched Gallons for Goals to restore 1,000 gallons of water
for each goal scored in the regular season.
217
Similar commitments of this nature make sense
for sports that utilize those resources as much as hockey does with water.
4. Communicate Impact and Report Regularly
Once the various programs and initiatives are organized into these fundamental
categories, it is then important to communicate the impact that each of these have on those
affected and/or the community. The public and stakeholders need to see how CSR activities
have an impact in order to understand the need for CSR and its significance in the world of
sports. It is ultimately the most easily measurable aspect of CSR and can help organizations
determine which elements are effective and which need to be adjusted. The reality is that
without illustrating its impact, it becomes difficult to explain the need.
The best way to communicate CSR impact is by not only providing an overview within
each category but also by establishing a set method of reporting CSR on a regular basis,
whether it be annually or seasonally. MLB provides a comprehensive and extensive annual CSR
217
National Hockey League. “NHL Green” NHL. 2015. http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?location=/nhlgreen
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 70
report, but these kinds of efforts often remain on the website as a downloadable PDF file that
few people read. Though this type of report is important for archival purposes and to present
internally, organizations should find more effective and visual ways to report on CSR. People
need access to reports but they also need to have it presented to them in a way that is easy to
digest, informative and visually appealing. The NBA created a short and visual report that is
appropriate for the average fan but it does not address enough of its initiatives. Further
expansion and data using the NBA format would be effective for any league or team. Other
options would be to create reports using formats such as infographics, videos, newsletters or
simply a separate tab on the CSR webpage.
5. Make the Commitment
Finally, to culminate CSR communication, organizations must make a commitment for
the future to serve as a guide for operation and management. This is the aspect of CSR that
requires league and team executives to be proactive and creates an obligation for them to take
responsibility. Just as the NBA made commitments to impact 15 million youth, provide 3 million
hours of service and build 1,000 more safe spaces by 2025, other organizations need to
communicate similar goals and commitments.
218
Setting these types of goals and
communicating them to the public contributes to the authenticity of CSR and, most important,
makes the executives and the organizations they manage accountable.
Until league executives make the move to be more proactive and transparent with their
CSR efforts, the practice will continue to be viewed with skepticism and cannot further develop
218
National Basketball Association. NBA Cares. 2015. http://cares.nba.com/.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 71
at the team level. Though the analyses and recommended steps can serve as an effective
starting point, CSR is constantly developing and evolving, thus creating a need for organizations
to continue building on the existing programs and communicating them effectively. With a
proactive approach and CSR engrained in the organizational structure, North American
professional sports leagues and teams can then truly benefit from CSR and potentially further
legitimize the practice of CSR.
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 72
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Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 78
APPENDIX
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 79
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 80
Trtryan, Margaret: Being a Good Sport - 81
Abstract (if available)
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Trtryan, Margaret M.
(author)
Core Title
Being a good sport: effectively implementing corporate social responsibility in North American professional sports
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Strategic Public Relations
Publication Date
04/20/2018
Defense Date
03/24/2016
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
corporate social responsibility,CSR,leagues,OAI-PMH Harvest,Sport,Sports
Format
application/pdf
(imt)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Tenderich, Burghardt (
committee chair
), Fellenzer, Jeff (
committee member
), Floto, Jennifer (
committee member
)
Creator Email
margaret.trt@gmail.com,trtryan@usc.edu
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etd-TrtryanMar-4338.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-238392 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
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238392
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Trtryan, Margaret M.
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Tags
corporate social responsibility
CSR
leagues