Sport, Philanthropy & Civil Society

Giving Thought

In this episode we look at the relationship between sport, philanthropy and civil society through history and up to the present day. Including:

Sportspeople as donors

• Big name examples of sportspeople who give generously: David Beckham, Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi
• What drives this high-profile giving? Altruism, or brand-management/PR?
• Lance Armstrong and the potential risks of making philanthropy over-reliant on the individual
• Does the fact that many sportspeople’s careers end relatively early leave them searching for purpose, and can philanthropy fill that gap?
• Can philanthropy be partly motivate by a desire to create positive narrative about wealth accrued through sport?
• Is sport one area where people from poor backgrounds can become rich, and what does this mean for their approach to philanthropy?

Sportspeople as campaigners

• Are some sportspeople perceived as campaigners simply by virtue of who they are?
• When have sportspeople campaigned for change within their sport and when have they taken on wider social issues?
• After many notable examples of campaigning by sportspeople in the 1960s and 70s, why did we see a decline in the 1980s and 1990s?
• Are we seeing a resurgence in campaigning by sportspeople, with figures like Colin Kapaernick, Megan Rapinoe and Marcus Rashford coming to the fore?
• How do sports fans perceive campaigning by sportspeople?

Sports and Fundraising

• The long history of sporting charity fundraising events and the role of charity matches in the evolution of professional football
• Sportspeople fundraising: from the traditional of testimonial matches to raise money for players’ retirements to sportspeople taking on charity fundraising challenges in other sports
• Has the pandemic hit sports fundraising particularly hard, and what does this mean for charities that rely on running events etc?

Sports clubs and civil society

• What is the history of the relationship between sports clubs and voluntary associations?
• How did the development of sporting associations helped to foster civic engagement skills and ideals of mutual aid?
• What is the role of modern sports clubs as corporate donors?
• Is owning sports club a form of philanthropy…?
• What role do clubs play in acting as community anchors and giving people a sense of shared identity? How can this inform social action?

Related Links

• CAF Giving Thought blog on Marcus Rashford, Dolly Parton & Public Perceptions of Philanthropy
• CAF Giving Thought blog on mutual aid post-Covid
• CAF Giving Thought podcast on mutual aid, charity & philanthropy
• CAF Giving Thought podcast with Jon Dean
• 2013 NY Times article about Lance Armstrong’s philanthropy
• HistPhil article “Giving Athletes: Why Sports Philanthropy Deserves Our Attention”
• Forbes, “The New Wave of Female Soccer Players as Philanthropists”
• BBC article, “Why Wealthy Sport Stars Get Passionate About Charity”
• The Common Goal Initiative
• The PFA page on player foundations
• Kay & Vamplew, “Beyond altruism: British football and charity, 1877–1914”
• Vamplew, “’It is pleasing to know that football can be devoted to charitable purposes': British football and charity 1870–1918”