Ahead of Mother’s Day, we’re starting this edition of our WIN | WIN Wednesday Newsletter with a story about an event…that hasn’t even happened yet. Thanks to an insider Tip-Off, we learned that Super Bowl Champ Lawrence Guy and his wife Andrea, founders of the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation (LGFF), are hosting their 3rd annual Baby Shower Bash tomorrow, celebrating NICU moms at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in South Florida. In lieu of flowers, that’s our gift to you as our Win of the Week.
Then, because we like to shake things up a little (you’ve never seen us on Karaoke Night!), we’re putting a spotlight on four unexpected initiatives from our Download Desk archives, hopefully sparking some new ideas for your own social impact efforts.
We’ll round-out this week’s newsletter with all things college sports. Pro Soccer Star Marlee Fray recently launched a one-of-a-kind NIL program for student-athletes with diabetes, which a) we love, and b) got us thinking: The NIL system is still in its infancy. With athletes getting more creative with their partnerships, and brands getting more savvy on how to leverage them, what are the longer-term implications of it all? Cody and Amy go deep into all the ways that NIL is changing college sports, for better and for worse, in the latest episode of Beyond The Scoreboard.
Now, if that wasn’t enough excitement, in the next few days, we’ll be dropping two more Meet the Team videos on our YouTube channel. Keep your eyes peeled. And as always, thanks for being here.
Until next week,
The WIN | WIN Team
WIN OF THE WEEK
Photo source: Lawrence Guy Family Foundation
Super Bowl Champ Lawrence Guy Showers NICU Moms with Love for Mothers’ Day
We received a great TIP-OFF earlier this week about an event happening tomorrow, May 8, in South Florida…and it was too good not to share. In honor of Mother’s Day, NFL Walter Payton Award Nominee Lawrence Guy and his wife Andrea, founders of the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation (LGFF), are partnering with the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital NICU to host their 3rd annual LGFF Baby Shower Bash. Giving back to kids and moms already scored high on our WIN | WIN meter. But whole makes this extra special? The personal experience that inspired it.
Pro Soccer Star Marlee Fray Launches NIL Program For College Athletes with Diabetes
“Everybody was trying to figure out, ‘how can I make money?’ I thought, what's something most people can't do…I can help younger kids and people feel that diabetes shouldn't be an obstacle.”
This Week’s Spotlight: Unexpected Initiatives
There are some social-impact programs we’ve come to rely on for uplifting stories and community connection: the NFL’s youth camps and combines, the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign, even volunteering and mentoring days across various leagues. But sometimes, there’s a project so unexpected that it changes the way we think about what’s possible through sports. This week, we’re highlighting four stories that do just that.
Educating the Next Generation: Barry University Launches Adapted Sport Administration Program Promoting Inclusivity
Local Athletes Compete for Causes: Rays' Brandon Lowe Wins $50K for Crisis Center of Tampa Bay in Inaugural “Giving Bowl”
Reframing a Setback: Philly Eagles' Hunt Turns His Super Bowl Fine Into Funding for Students
Embedding Impact into Team Culture: Football Coaches and the NMDP Team Up to Save Lives
Beyond the Scoreboard
Ignore the obnoxious neon green. (Or don’t, if it caught your attention.) In the latest episode of “Beyond the Scoreboard,” Cody and Amy talk all things college sports: the good and bad implications of NIL; the role of colleges and universities in preparing student-athletes for the realities of fame; NCAA’s controversial “Be a Loser” campaign; and a bonus teaser for a new WIN | WIN show, coming soon to a screen near you.
What Else We’re Following
📰 There’s a new player in the sports philanthropy media game. Well… not new to media, but Front Office Sports has signed a strategic partnership with one of our favs — Athletes for Hope — to help distribute more of their stories. Our eyes are wide open to learn best practice for how FOS applies its innovative sports business coverage to our world of social impact .
A big question we’re asking as billions of dollars continue to pour into the sports ecosystem is, how much sports can be financially sustained? Next Wednesday, 5/14 at 1:00pm, a virtual panel on the Future of Sports Leagues is being held to shed some light on that question. 📓We can compare notes after.
⌚ Minutes. That’s how long it took for A’ja Wilson’s first signature Nike to sell out — that A’One. Did you see the Malia-Obama-directed ad yet? We know you did, but hit play again whenever you need an energy boost. The spot gives us old school Nike campaign vibes: authentic, unapologetic, make you want to take over the world vibes. The best part? This is, “a celebration of Black excellence, HBCU culture, and the community that helped raise a champion”. We don’t want to be captain obvious here, but it looks like diversity and inclusion is good for business. 💰 Read more at HBCU Gameday
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