The Power of Community Involvement
Published on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 at 10:11 a.m.
By Christina Hunt.
From the employees to the players, coaches, fans and the entire village, community service is a crucial part of a sports organization.
Sports brands have the unique opportunity to unite diverse groups of people through their community service initiatives by addressing social issues, creating opportunities for youth athletes, and supporting charities and causes to build up the organization’s community and be a part of a greater cause.
Community involvement allows a sports organization to develop a positive brand image. It also allows the organization to build deeper relationships with its fans by directly giving back to people that support the organization, team and its players.
For example, in 1998, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) founded Hockey Fights Cancer. The purpose of this initiative is to unite the hockey community to fund cancer research and support cancer patients and their families.
More than $32 million has been donated to support the cancer programs of local and national cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, player charities and local charities since the establishment of the Hockey Fights Cancer program.
In addition, the NHL established the NHL Foundation focused on youth development, health and well-being, social equity and a pathway to hockey. The NHL Foundation grantmaking program seeks organizations focused on best practices, program delivery and measurable outcomes.
Building on these community-focused initiatives in sports, another powerful example comes from the National Football League (NFL). In 2018, all 32 clubs in the NFL adopted Inspire Change, the NFL’s social justice initiative. Inspire Change aims to reduce barriers to opportunity in communities of color. Current and former NFL players, teams, owners and offices have been very engaged with this initiative, highlighting the importance of organizational involvement. The entire NFL family has shown its commitment and collaborative efforts to create a positive change.
Through this initiative, the NFL has been able to build emotional connections with its audience and has contributed $180 million since 2017.
Community service plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining a brand’s image. Engaging with the community and charities demonstrates a brand’s commitment to social responsibility and philanthropy. Particularly in the sports industry, visibility is high, making positive media attention and public perception very important to the brand.
The Tennessee Titans, one of the 32 NFL programs, launched an impact program in 2022 called ONE Community, which stands for “Opportunity, Neighborhoods, and Education.” This community benefits platform includes and supports 16 local and regional organizations in the area.
Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Adolpho Birch said on the Titans website that “ONE Community represents a substantial amount of work and effort on the part of many and is the product of extensive interaction and feedback from residents and community leaders.”
In explaining the positive impact of community service during an interview for this article, Tennessee Titans Account Executive and Sales Consultant Jackson Duncan said, “The My Cause My Cleats program has been one that has resonated with our fans and community the most.”
“Players have the opportunity to pick a cause that is important to them and create custom cleats to support and represent their chosen cause,” Duncan said. “Our organization also encourages employees to get involved; last year I picked Room In The Inn as my charity.”
The My Cause My Cleats program allows Titans football players to reveal their passions beyond the game of football, wearing their hearts on their feet with a custom pair of cleats to support their cause.
Engaging with the community as a collective effort positions organizations as very community-driven, seeking to support and benefit their supporters, communities and fans, creating a favorable image and relationship with the public.
A brand’s community engagement efforts are really more than a strategic best practice for PR professionals and worth far more than just reputation building. The efforts directly impact the people and consumers that an organization serves, cultivating a relationship between the two.
Former Tennessee Titans player Derrick Henry was selected as the team’s nominee two times for the Walton Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes an NFL player for their outstanding community service activities off the field.
“We also support the Make-A-Wish Foundation for kids battling cancer and our players are very hands-on in supporting these kids and their journeys,” Duncan said. Bryson, a 7-year-old from Nashville, made his wish to attend a Tennessee Titans practice and get a tour of the facility. He also got the opportunity to meet all of the players but was most excited to see Derrick Henry.
Duncan said, “Our mission statement is pretty short and simple. ‘Win. Serve. And entertain.’ But the service piece is the most important. From the top-down we want to serve our fans and give back to the community that supports us.”
Another large organization in the sports industry and Middle Tennessee area, the Nashville Predators, prioritize their community service and giving back to their community, locally and nationally.
Nashville Predators Director of Media Relations Nick Barnowski talked about the organization’s community service initiatives enhancing its local community and employee motivation, saying, “One of the unique things we do, that our employees take pride in, is called Hearts of GOLD.”
The Hearts of GOLD initiative requires each Nashville Predators employee to complete 40 hours of community service each year. “Last year the total was over 10,000 hours of community service time served by Nashville Predators employees,” Barnowski said.
The organization also encourages its employees to volunteer during work hours in different ways like cleaning up parks, coaching local teams, reading books to elementary school students, sorting items at a food bank, or building playgrounds in underserved communities.
“What it means to be a Nashville Preds employee is getting involved in the community, and it is something we are all very passionate about from the leadership down,” Barnowski said. “Community effort from the players to every employee to change lives in the world is something very important to our franchise.”
Over the past several years, many of the Nashville Predators players have created programs committed to supporting charities and organizations throughout Middle Tennessee.
In the 2013-14 season, the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund was presented, which is an initiative of the Nashville Preds and two players, Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber; this initiative raises funds and awareness for cancer research. Additionally, Filip and Erin Forsberg have offered youth hockey players the opportunity each year to learn from the very best at the Filip Forsberg Hockey Clinic. This clinic is hosted at one of the Nashville Predators Ford Ice Center facilities.
In recent years, the Nashville Predators have opened Ford Ice Centers throughout Middle Tennessee in Bellevue, Clarksville and Antioch. These rinks were built to support youth hockey and provide an opportunity for kids to learn how to skate and play hockey.
“We strongly believe in giving back to our community and the people that support our franchise,” Barnowski said. “This is what we live for. This is what we love doing.”
Community relations is an important practice for PR professionals because it allows companies to build positive reputations within their local areas by actively engaging with their communities, fostering goodwill and demonstrating a strong commitment to their well-being.
By prioritizing community service and fostering meaningful connections, sports organizations like the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators demonstrate that their impact extends far beyond the field or rink — it’s about uniting, uplifting and inspiring positive change in the communities that support them and beyond.
