Boston Celtics Investor Group And Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation Announce 10-year, $25 Million Commitment To Address Racial Injustice And Social Inequities

I hope this post is not considered 'political' or controversial....

https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/pressrelease/boston-celtics-united



BOSTON, MA – The Boston Celtics and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation today announced a multi-focus commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the Greater Boston area, with an emphasis on combating issues that have impacted the Black community as a result of the nation’s long-term history of systemic racism.

The Celtics investor group, in conjunction with the Celtics organization, is committing $25 million over the next ten years, inclusive of $20 million in cash with an additional $5 million in media assets and in-kind value to support both the NBA’s efforts, as well as local programs focused on six pillars that we have identified in discussions with community leaders and our players. This collaborative effort will be known as Boston Celtics United for Social Justice.

The six pillars are:

Equity in Education

Economic Opportunity and Empowerment
Equity in Healthcare

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

Breaking Down Barriers and Building Bridges Between Communities

Voting and Civic Engagement

These focus areas were identified through extensive discussions with members of the Celtics organization, including players, owners, coaches, and front office staff, as well as a wide variety of leaders in community organizations, government, academia, and social justice. The implementation of these initiatives will span across all basketball and business functions of the organization, and will be led by a governing board of Celtics investors, Celtics legends, and Celtics staff members that will set and manage strategic objectives. The governing board will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We feel both the urgency of the moment and the weight of the centuries of injustices as we undertake this critically important work,” said Steve Pagliuca, Celtics Managing Partner & Alternate Governor and Chairman of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. “The Boston Celtics have a proud legacy of being on the right side of racial and social justice, and we are more resolved than ever to take that commitment to another level. Our goal is to do everything we can to achieve progress on each of the targeted pillars, and we will work tirelessly to make real change.”

“Our goal is to have a direct impact now,” said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown. “We don’t need to pacify the situation with empty gestures. We need to hold ourselves, the Celtics organization, and the city of Boston accountable. Monetary commitment is a great first step, but we need to commit to this process by creating a balance of short and long-term change. The time is now.”

Initiatives will include, but not be limited to:

Equity in Education

Creating an early education center for low income families

Launching a Black History curriculum for students

Assisting high school students with college readiness

Economic Opportunity and Empowerment

Providing pro-bono services to minority owned businesses

Launching Chuck Cooper Fellowship

Equity in Healthcare

Promoting early detection for health conditions that disproportionally impact communities of color

Developing a mobile health screening initiative

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

Assisting juvenile offenders in workforce development and academic completion opportunities

Supporting the societal re-entry for formerly incarcerated parents

Breaking Down Barriers & Building Bridges Across Communities

Expanding The Playbook Initiative, the team’s bias prevention curriculum

Implementing discrimination and bias dialogue into the Jr. Celtics’ Youth Basketball curriculum

Voting & Civic Engagement

Promoting voter registration and the importance of voting for national and local elections

Proud to be a fan of such a great organization. They are putting their money where their mouth is

Let me respond to this in 2 ways:  socially and pruriently.

Socially speaking, this makes me very proud to be a Boston Celtic fan.  Once again, like drafting the first black player and naming the first black coach we are the leaders.

Pruriently, I hope it makes us a more attractive destination for elite free agents.  Players who know they will get their money no matter where they sign are looking for differentiators between suitors and, hopefully, between the new Auerbach Center and this concrete step towards a goal that is front-and-center to them they will choose us.

Oh, and having a good team too...


bob


.

Can’t tell you how many countless arguments I’ve had with folks who would insist that the Celtics is a racist organization. These folks don’t bother to research they just remember 86 and all the white players we had.
Lots of these folks were Laker fans. Fans of an org. That had plenty of Black players but very little diversity in their coaching and front office ranks.
People believe what they want to believe but we know the truth. The Celtics have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to racial diversity. History and the present speaks for itself. Go C’s!

I really only care about the people who will benefit from these future acts of social responsibility the Celtics will be taking. This will be good for them, and that's what really matters.

While we are at it, I would like to beat on my favorite drum...getting rid of lead from the water pipes, indoor house paint and soil in urban areas. Boston is one of the few vities which has made real efforts to do so. And as a consequence teenage pregnancy in lead blighted neighborhoods dropped from 40% to 16%. Why ? Because the frontal lobes of young girls, which are associated with ressoning and impulse control, were not afflicted. The contrast to this is Chicago, the most lead polluted city in America, where as a direct result, the lead is literally flying.

Which countries are still using leaded gas? Algeria, Iraq, and Yemen...not noted for rational thought and peaceful discourse.

Celtic friends, the NBA is a business which depends on its customers for revenue. I am fully in support of what the Celtics are doing re the community. Fully. And I expect most Celtics fans are too. But I just came across recent Harris and Gallup Polls which says fans think that all sports leagues have gotten too political among other reasons and have drifted from their primary function of entertainment. Bottom line, fewer fans are watching, and Covid has emptied out stadia and arena. That means less money which will translate into lower salaries. Jaylen is lucky he signed when he did. Gordon is lucky he has $34M coming to him guaranteed. Jayson may get a smaller paycheck. Don't expect the salary cap to be high next year. I don't really want this to become a big discussion here, except for the salary implications. Peace out.

Public Support For Sports Implodes As Leagues Embrace Black Lives Matter, Polls Find
[Actually this headline is quite misleading. A big reason viewing of the NBA has dropped (28%) is because there are not live fans in the stands. Viewers don't like that. Another big reason (19%) was the NBA's support of China. Too much politics was 38% of the reason for a drop in viewership. I'll bet that of that 38% there was more disdain for players taking a knee which is perceived as a slight on patriotism rather than viewers not supporting BLM - that's my take.]

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=61712



Americans have gone from viewing the sports industry positively, on balance, to negatively in the wake of sports leagues embracing the divisive Black Lives Matter movement, a new survey found.

According to a Gallup survey conducted Jul 30-Aug 12, 2020, only 30% of Americans view the industry positively versus 40% who view it negatively, giving the industry an overall rating of -10.

In Aug 2019, the industry's overall rating was +20, with 45% viewing it positively and 25% negatively. There has been a -30 shift in just one year.



"Democrats' view of the sports industry has not changed significantly in the past year, while Republicans' has slipped from a +11 net-positive score in 2019 to a net -35 today, and independents' from +26 to -10," Gallup reported.

"The sports industry's image has also deteriorated more among women than men, and among older adults than those younger than 35. Sports has also lost more support from non-White than White Americans, but given the extraordinarily high ratings from non-White adults a year ago, this group continues to view the sports industry positively on balance today. That is not the case with White adults, who now view the sports industry more negatively than positively, and by a 22-point margin."

Another Harris poll released last week found 39 percent of NBA fans say they're watching fewer games.

"'The league has become too political' was the clear choice for the decline, with 38% of respondents," The Harris Poll reported. "'Boring without fans' captured 28% of the vote while the NBA's association with China caused 19% of sports fans to turn the dial."

Game 7 reported last week that the NBA's ratings are in "free fall."

"Despite the NBA Playoffs being in full swing and all the games having actual, genuine meaning, TV ratings for the first round were down 27 percent year over year," Game 7 reported Tuesday.

Worcester - informationliberation.com is a political website, with VERY clear political positions and obvious political goals. I am sure there are some folks who have tuned out for political reasons, but my feeling is that the people making the most noise were never really watching much sports. I know all sorts of sports fans across the entire political spectrum, and even those who grumbled about kneeling didn't actually tune out. As you point out, the pandemic and the lack of crowds will undoubtedly have an effect on viewership. As will the fact that people are worrying about the health of themselves and their loved ones. The financial burden many families face due to the pandemic will also affect viewership - sports is ultimately a luxury. Finally, football has lost a lot of popularity due to traumatic head injuries - not sure I would want my kid to play. So yeah, some may be tuning out, but I feel the political angle is over-blown. Admittedly, I "feel" this way. Regardless, I would rather see the Celtics do the right thing with this initiative than hold back to gain a few extra bucks.

I agree with you Shamrock.

Marc D'Amico @celtics
4 hours ago
Jaylen Brown on the launch of the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice platform: "I'm proud to be a part of the Celtics organization. I'm proud to have a leadership group that recognizes we need to take these steps."

reply retweet like


bob


.