By Demario Davis and Brian Hooks
New Orleans Saints; CEO of Stand Together
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It feels like our country is coming apart. But there’s one thing that still brings people together: sports. And when it comes to sports in America, the NFL is king. Nearly 20 million people watch every NFL game. Half of people old enough to turn on the TV pay attention to pro football. And when they tune into the game starting November 20, they’ll see over 1,800 reasons to believe there’s no challenge too big for us to tackle as Americans.
That’s when the NFL kicks off its annual “My Cause My Cleats” initiative. Over 1,800 players and coaches will wear cleats featuring an organization helping address a problem that’s near and dear to them. This is a chance to inspire our nation to get in the game and make a play.
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We say this as two people who are deeply involved with a player-led movement to encourage everyone to play their part in solving the problems holding people back. One of us is a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker playing in his 14th season who will be lacing up cleats featuring Stand Together, a philanthropic community that works with hundreds of local groups in more than 1,300 communities. And one of us leads Stand Together, which empowers people to tackle everything from homelessness to addiction, economic opportunity to improving education. We’ve seen what can happen when you bring the best solutions together with the biggest platform in sports.
This isn’t about what happens on Sunday. It’s about a long-term commitment to bringing out the best in our country. And if you don’t think football players and fans have what it takes to solve big problems, think again. Just like a football game is won one yard at a time, the best way to overcome the biggest challenges in our communities is to help every person play their part. And we’re talking about 140 million NFL fans.
Many of the players leading the movement to inspire people to get engaged in their communities have first-hand experience with the challenges they’re tackling. Look at Jonathan Allen, the defensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings who spent time in foster care as a kid. His cleats will feature CarePortal, an organization that connects churches and resources to families at risk of losing their kids to foster care.
There are an estimated 400,000 kids in the foster care system. And when you look at it that way, the problem seems too big to tackle. But guess how many churches and houses of worship there are? About 400,000. If Jonathan and CarePortal can inspire every church to help just one kid each year, the problem doesn’t seem so daunting.
Or consider the challenges faced by kids in the juvenile justice system. About 550,000 kids enter the system each year. As a child, Pittsburgh Steeler Miles Killebrew saw the tragedy and wasted potential of a family member in prison. He credits his father with leading him down a better path—one that he wants to set others on.
His cleats will feature Café Momentum, a restaurant that employs kids coming out of the system, giving them the support and self-esteem they need to choose a different path in life. There are over a million restaurants in the country and more than 36 million businesses that could also take a chance on a kid who made a mistake and wants to get their life on track.
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About 6 million kids struggle with mental health challenges like anxiety. There are more than 6 million youth sports coaches who could help them learn valuable coping skills. There are about 25 million kids who can’t read at grade level—but four times as many Americans have college degrees, and many millions more who could help tutor on the side.
My Cause My Cleats is a call for all of us to take action. Because once you begin to see everyday Americans as part of the solution, it’s not a question of whether we can solve the problems holding people back. It’s a question of whether we will.
The country could use a pep talk. We’re out of sync and not playing like a team. So we’re not making the kind of progress we know we’re capable of. And while some voices are telling us to throw in the towel, we know we have it in us to pull it together for the win and help every person see themselves in the future of our country.
When you turn on a game during the next two weeks, don’t just cheer for your favorite team. Check out the community groups your favorite players are wearing and ask yourself what you can do to get involved. You don’t have to be a pro athlete to get in the game.
Demario Davis is a linebacker and team captain of the New Orleans Saints.
Brian Hooks is chairman and CEO of Stand Together.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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