Just another cool initiative that the franchise takes part in.
While the Miami Dolphins have finished their work on the field until late July, their philanthropic initiatives are never done.
Recently, the Dolphins teamed up with the Special Olympics to host a flag football game at their Baptist Health Training Complex coached and refereed by members of Miami’s rookie class.
Second-round cornerback Cam Smith, third-round pick running back De’Von Achane and many others were seen giving some great instruction, leading to an event that looked like a great time for everyone involved.
Between the celebrations and fight song singing at the end, it seems like both the Dolphins and participants had a blast.
WATCH: @Chiefs head coach Andy Reid let each of our Special Olympics Missouri athletes hold the Lombardi trophy at our Third Annual Evening with Andy Reid. Thank you SO much to Coach Reid for your continued support of #SOMO! Such an amazing night! pic.twitter.com/PQGFfPbmTb
The Kansas City Chiefs host local Special Olympians at Arrowhead Stadium for the third annual “Evening with Andy Reid” event.
Coach Reid was joined by Chiefs defenders Justin Reid and George Karlaftis at the event. Eric Stonestreet was the emcee of the evening, but the star of the show was the Lombardi Trophy. Before the event formally began, Reid posed for pictures with a number of Special Olympians while holding the Lombardi Trophy.
Reid answered questions for the athletes, but there were also fundraising elements including a “Fund-a-Need” and an auction. At its roots, this event is a fundraiser and early estimates show that Reid and the Chiefs raised a ton of money for the Special Olympics Missouri branch. Here’s some information about that from their website:
More than 450 people came together to support SOMO at the Third Annual Evening with Andy Reid at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, June 8. This year’s event has raised more than $254,000, but that is just the initial total. It’s expected to increase as our staff continues to collect donations.
The Special Olympics helped move a Super Regional from Terre Haute to Fort Worth. TCU fans showed their gratitude with donations.
Indiana State was supposed to be hosting a Super Regional this weekend. Instead, the 16th-seeded Sycamores will travel to Fort Worth, Texas for a date with unseeded TCU instead.
The change in venue was necessitated thanks to preexisting plans in Terre Haute. The Indiana chapter of the Special Olympics had already reserved the date to hold its 51st annual Summer Games the same weekend. Without enough hotel rooms to meet the demand of local and traveling fans — as well as ESPN’s production crew — the decision was made to shift the best-of-three series south following the Horned Frogs’ upset of top-seeded Arkansas Monday.
It’s a difficult decision for Sycamores players who earned the right to play one more series at home, only to have it taken away for reasons outside their control. And it’s an unexpected blessing for a TCU team that suddenly gets the advantage of a partisan crowd. But the Horned Frog faithful are paying their good fortune forward with donations to Special Olympics Indiana.
Please join us at the LDC and donate to Indiana Special Olympics. Nothing can replace hosting a super regional, but we sure can help support our next foes in a different way. Click link & and donate, gang. #FrogsForSycshttps://t.co/iAzhRqyqz2https://t.co/pVxwG577pd
— Lupton Drinking Club (@luptonbeers) June 5, 2023
The Lupton Drinking Club, a TCU sports-based podcast, put out a call to action June 5. In fewer than two days, it’s been retweeted more than 800 times. That’s resulted in more than $23,000 in new funding for the Special Olympics.
UPDATE: Special Olympics Indiana tells 13News they've received more than $23,000 in donations from baseball fans across the country since @luptonbeers put out a call for donations last night. #FrogsforSycshttps://t.co/VjTNtyfqTQ
Special Olympics Indiana CEO Jeff Mohler saw the donations as a sigil of true sportsmanship.
“Sports at its truest,” Mohler told Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR. “The most fundamental part of our society is for the betterment of who we are as individuals and this is a testimony to that, what sports could and should be. It is more than competition, although we do like to keep score, obviously the scoreboard is on, but we can all be better for it, if we live it in the right spirit.”
In this case, TCU fans were able to turn a negative for Indiana State into a positive for residents across the Hoosier State. That may not be the outcome Sycamore fans wanted, but it’s a result with which they can find a silver lining.
Topgolf will be the first brand to become a medaled event through a new partnership.
Topgolf is set become an official sanctioned event for the Special Olympics beginning in 2024.
Special Olympics athletes will be able to compete as an individual or with a team through Special Olympics Unified Sports, which joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition.
“We have a responsibility now more than ever to invite everyone into the game of golf, and our partnership with Special Olympics will help us further unleash the power of play and bring more joy to more people,” said Topgolf Chief Brand Officer Geoff Cottrill.
Local organizing committees for any Special Olympics event around the world – including the Special Olympics USA Games and World Games – will be able to include Topgolf as a medaled event starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics was created as a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. It delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and more than100,000 games and competitions every year.
“I’ve been at Topgolf for 14 years, and this partnership will go down as one of the things I’m most proud of,” said Topgolf’s Director of Charitable Initiatives Tiffany Brush. “Topgolf is changing the traditional definition of ‘golfer,’ and to see Special Olympics athletes so enthusiastic about Topgolf is a clear example of how we’re making the game more inclusive and open for all.”
Amy Bockerstette at Topgolf. (Photo: Courtesy of Topgolf)
But that’s not all. In May 2023, Topgolf will offer free practice sessions to Special Olympics athletes and Unified Sports participants.
And then there’s Topgolf’s “season of Giving,” a charitable effort held from Sept. 15 – Oct. 31 2023, where Topgolf players at venues in the United States and United Kingdom will have the opportunity to donate to the Special Olympics. Each venue has a goal to raise $10,000, with an overall goal of more than $500,000. U.S. and U.K. Topgolf locations will also host “Days of Giving” on Oct. 26-27.
“A partnership with Topgolf will help Special Olympics demonstrate to the world how inclusive sport training and competition is a catalyst for inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities,” said Lou Lauria, Chief of Sport and Competition at Special Olympics. “Special Olympics and Topgolf are completely aligned on the belief in the unlimited power of sport. What starts on the playing field extends into classrooms, workplaces and communities.”
Also in 2024, Topgolf will host the first Unified Fore Joy fundraising event, which will bring together Special Olympics athletes, Unified partners, professional golfers, celebrities and supporters at five of its U.S. venues.
Topgolf has 87 venues worldwide, 78 of which are in the U.S. The other nine locations are spread across Australia, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, the UAE, U.K. and Scotland.
The Athletes Unlimited hoops season runs through March 25 in Dallas.
Athletes Unlimited basketball, a professional women’s basketball league, ended its third week of play on March 11. It had a few surprise guests in the building, including University of Oregon’s Sedona Prince and Los Angeles Sparks and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike. Prince made headlines in 2021 when she highlighted the inequities between the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.
Prince gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Athletes Unlimited hoops and ran down a bit of the scoring system and how captains are picked each week. While the rules for the game are the same as the WNBA, the individual points players can earn, the ranking system and the weekly drafts are different than other basketball leagues.
The night was dedicated to the Special Olympics. Debbie Antonelli, a women’s college basketball analyst and founder of 24 Hours of Nothing But Net, was in attendance to help with the 24-hour shoot-a-thon.
Today we are partnering with Special Olympics for the @24HoursNBN Shoot-A-Thon 🏀
The shoot-a-thon was successful: 2,400 free throws were made in 24 hours. Las Vegas Aces’ Theresa Plaisance chose the Special Olympics as her Athlete Cause this season. This program, powered by Give Lively, provides players of Athletes Unlimited a fundraising platform that allows them “to donate funds equal to 100% of their season win bonus to support the causes they love.”
This season, Theresa Plaisance chose Special Olympics as her Athlete Cause 🏀
Believe me @sedonaprince_ & I did practice! Lol! THE definition of giving back! Thank you Sedona for your generous gift to @SpecialOlympics to help these athletes train compete organize & learn to be a part of a team! Thank you for using your platform for good & to serve others https://t.co/Xn3GvIqkTR
The Athletes Unlimited hoops season runs through March 25. Dallas is the home for Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited Basketball and one ticket allows entry to two games.
