With the NBA playoffs taking up most of my recent television time, I began to notice an abundance of commercials dedicated to “NBA Cares.” However, this made me wonder. Who does the NBA care about (besides the fans of course)? Therefore, I decided to do a little research about the program to find out.
According the association, NBA Cares is the league’s global community outreach initiative that addresses important social issues such as education, youth and family development, and health and wellness. The NBA, its teams, and players support a range of programs, partners and initiatives that strive to positively impact children and families worldwide.
Clearly, this is part of the league’s mission to demonstrate leadership in social responsibility. Despite the ever-so-often athlete mishap, current Commissioner David Stern has done an excellent job turning the reputation of the NBA right-side up. Since October 2005 when the NBA launched the campaign, the league has collectively raised more than $115 million dollars for charity, provided more than one million hours of hands-on service and built more than 460 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world.
Moreover, the league has focused its efforts on social causes that plague communities nationwide; however, one area of campaign that they focus on with great significance happens to be its green initiative.
The league has been taking steps to becoming a more environmentally responsible organization by launching campaigns such as “NBA Green Week.” Since media play a crucial role in persuading people to exhibit new habits, the NBA hopes that fans and others can learn by observing environmental tips from some the league’s favorite all-stars.
Moreover, the NBA teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to form the first ever NBA Green week. Here, NBA teams took part in reducing their carbon footprint firsthand while trying to inspire their fans to do their part as well. Teams hosted community events, which included tree planting, recycling drives, park clean-ups, Go Green Awareness Night, and the opening of green reading and learning centers nationwide.
The campaigned aimed at taking previously well-regarded role models from the league and having them promote sustainability and other environmentally friendly habits. In order to communicate these ideas to the public, the NBA used an assortment of media and social media outlets. During the week, teams wear special jerseys, which displayed the icon shown above. In addition, players promoted the cause through social media networks, and created short informational YouTube videos like the one below.
Photo credit: Laffy4k and Nico_’s on Flickr
Posted on May 31, 2010
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