The CEO for the San Francisco 49ers has decided to support the cause that Colin Kaepernick has brought to light. Additionally, he’s pledged his financial support.
“Today, I am committing that the 49ers Foundation will contribute $1 million to the cause of improving racial and economic inequality and fostering communication and collaboration between law enforcement and the communities they serve here in the Bay Area,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in a statement.
“We are partnering with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation in this effort. We have chosen to work with these two organizations because they have proven track records of effecting change in the face of challenging problems and have the collective reach to make the greatest impact. Silicon Valley Community Foundation is the largest community foundation in the world, managing $7.3 billion in assets andmore than 1,800 philanthropic funds globally. The San Francisco Foundation has served the people of the Bay Area since 1948, almost as long as the 49ers franchise. We are excited to work with these two renowned foundations over the coming months to develop a giving plan to help our community find unifying solutions to these pressing issues.”
Kudos to Mr. York for committing to donate $1 million to organizations working to fight inequality and improve relationships between law enforcement and Bay Area surrounding communities.
Because of the example set by Mr. York let’s hope that more NFL team owners/CEOs, athletes and coaches can see and feel in in their hearts to support the cause and pledge support in their cities and communities to organizations working to fight inequality and improve relationships between law enforcement. The action taken is just the start and let’s hope more positive action can be taken to help the cause in all NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, and WNBA cities and communities.
By Fred Cromartie, Ed.D.
Dr. Cromartie, is the Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at cromarti@ussa.edu.