Not Skating Around The Issue: Pro skateboard legend, Tony Hawk, speaks out on whether or not athletes have an obligation to give back to the community. Your thoughts are welcome, too. Just continue the conversation below. Also check out comments on Twitter by following hashtag #Obligation.
As the wife of a professional soccer player, I absolutely and wholeheartedly believe that athletes are obligated to give back. I realized, very early into my 12-year marraige to Diego Gutierrez(Major League Soccer), that we have been blessed with many gifts. My husband was blessed with the gift and the ability to play soccer at the highest level, putting him in the public eye and giving him an elevated platform and a voice louder than I could ever have imagined. I found that when I spoke of certain issues alone, without dropping my husband’s name, I was heard but it was nothing like the attention I got when I went into a room and told people that my husband was a professional athlete. Like it or not, athletes and celebrities are role models and idolized by millions. With their skills and their direct access to the world’s stage and to the media, they can touch lives personally and in a unique way. I realize that some are introverts, some are wild and wreckless, some make WAY more money than others, some are more educated than others, some are not good with the media and some are brilliant public speakers. While they are all given different gifts and talents outside of their ability to participate in their sport, they ALL have the ability to give back in some way. It can be the giving of time, their voice, their strength, their sport, or their skills. Just their presence or the appereance of an athlete at an event can totally make the difference. I am certain that every athlete can give, at least, one hour of their time, at some point, in their professioal career to attend an event for charity or sign some autographs for the greater good. It can and will directly inspire others to give back. EVERYONE is able to give back in some possible way!
As athletes, we are in a very fortunate role. I have had a hard time with this question because I think it could go either way. However, I don’t think we should be required, I feel that we should want to give back. It is a personal choice. Athletes are role models whether we want to be or not. We have been given a special gift and luckily it puts us on a platform to be able to connect with a larger audience. Soccer has given me a great opportunity to touch people’s lives. Even if it is one or two. It is making a difference in someone else’s life. I have teamed up with the Homeless Soccer League, Bride to Cross which connects with those less fortunate in South Africa and the Boys and Girls Club. I have been able to give back through my sport and because I am an athlete. Being an athlete is a dream come true but being able to give back makes me feel like a complete person.
Posted By Brittany Hochevar on November 24th, 2009
Generosity is the habit of giving freely without coercion. However, I do believe that as athletes we are obligated to make a difference using the platform we been given, about matters that are larger than us or the sport we play. We are speaking about matters of the heart in which we are able to help another breath a little bit easier. Generosity doesn’t happen once you get more than you need. It is a state of being. Everyone can give; give time, give energy, give expertise, give self. Furthermore, there is no obligation to those that feel “deserving” of an athlete’s funds.
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Tony Hawk Drops In With His PerspectiveResponders: Andy Macdonald, Andy Roddick, Ryan Sheckler, Jeritt Thayer, Tony DiCicco, Ginna Gutierrez, Heather Mitts, and Brittany Hochevar.
yes tony we absolutely have to give back.there is no reason not to.props for throwing this out there.u in london? hit me up if yes
Everyone should RT @tonyhawk: Do professional athletes have an #obligation to give back? 
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