With the Superbowl nearing, I am bubbling with anticipation as a New York Jets fan. The excitement just keeps building. However, few people know that I grew up as a New York Giants fan, in a family of Giants fans.
Growing up I learned to love sports. I played all sorts of team sports such as soccer, softball and volleyball. In 1986 I both learned to play football in gym class and I caught Giants fever when they were on their way to the Superbowl. I had been a devoted fan well into adulthood. I’d collected team paraphernalia such as hats, shirts and mugs and adored it all. One year, I even enjoyed a special gift of seats at the championship game where the Giants won 41-0. What a thrill!
However, just a few years later, something changed. I had for years thought about by purchase and patronage of businesses and the impact my consumer decisions have on the world. I was buying organic and fair trade food whenever possible, supporting local business, trying to buy in ‘made in the USA’ and avoid sweatshop products. I searched for union made products and even began researching the foundations of large corporations and where they gave their money.
The process of being this careful is both enlightening and daunting. I had the luxury of being able to afford choose where I shop. I avoided Wal Mart and Regal Cinemas and did my best to be aware of as much as possible. However, I never thought about my sports teams. Why would I?
Professional sports teams are brands and regardless of whether a the National Football League or National Baseball League are officially non-profit clubs, the leagues, team owners and companies selling team brand merchandise make a lot of money.
Then a good friend told me something that changed my life (in a sense). She informed me that the New York Giants Foundation, run by the owners of the New York Giants, were large donors to organizations like the Eagle Forum and Focus on the Family. These two organizations were particularly troubling to me due to their work against women’s access to reproductive health care. I was already working for a reproductive rights organization and here I was patronizing an organization whose owners were working against me.
Of course I did not just take my friend’s word for it. I did my research. It can be more difficult than you think. I could not get the information I was looking for on the Mara Foundation web site. So I went to a better source: Guidestar,org. This site let’s you view foundation and nonprofit tax forms where they have to disclose to whom they give money or from whom they receive money.
Gahhhh! She was right! It was all that and more. So now I was in a tough spot. How would I keep to my values and still enjoy professional football? Would I compromise my values and stick with a team I had loved and cheered for most of my life? Would I keep my team shirt and hats? Yes, that was an important question.
When I shared my concern with my family and friends they scoffed. “It’s just football,” “You’ve been a fan since you were a kid,” were just a few of the nicer comments I received. It was still a serious issue to me and I was troubled that my support would help an organization which is fighting against the very freedoms I worked every day to achieve.
Could I be a football fan and still remain true to my values? I was determined. So I bid farewell to the Giants and spent a full year trying to decide to which team I would switch my allegiance. I looked through many web sites and organizations. Many NFL teams have foundations focused on youth activities and nutrition, education and poverty.
The New York Jets Foundation looked like an excellent organization and I would still be cheering for a team in my own state. Two of my brother-in-laws were also fans and I really liked the head coach and quarterback at the time, Herman Edwards and Chad Pennington. What a relief! I had made a decision! I threw myself back into the sport, learning new players and a new history.
It took some time to really get excited about the game again. I did not want to give up watching a sport I love, nor did I want to support people I did not believe in. So here I am, a New York Jets fan!
In the end, I am glad I took time to pause, think and research where I am putting my money and support. Is it possible to be a consumer who only buys and supports companies and organization with which you are completely politically aligned? I am not sure. I try as much as I can. This year, I am rewarded in watching the New York Jets play for the AFC Championship, and maybe, just maybe, the Superbowl!
No comments:
Post a Comment