Athletes making plays in and out of the game

Do you ever wonder what your favorite professional athletes do outside of their sport?

Well we see NBA players return from quarantine and work to prepare for playoffs, we also recognize that they are also working to give back and help provide resources to benefit citizens and our country.

Lebron James created a new program called More Than A Vote and has partnered with other Black athletes and entertainers. This project focuses on encouraging people to vote in the U.S. elections and why it is so crucial. James said to New York Times that the project will encourage people to vote and give a tutorial on what to do. “Yes, we want you to go out and vote, but we’re also going to give you the tutorial…We’re going to give you the background of how to vote and what they’re trying to do, the other side, to stop you from voting.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has decided to partner with James. He realized such in a tweet using the program’s catchphrase “Change isn’t made by watching from the sidelines. Let’s do this.” Mahomes has pledged to start a voter registration and involvement project in Kansas city.

The organization is looking at transforming sports venues into polling sites for the election in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Denver, and Miami. In addition, they are also paying debts for former felons who are interested in voting in Florida.

Kyrie Irving may not be actively playing but he hasn’t stopped working outside of basketball. Irving donated 1.5 million dollars to support WNBA players who have opted out of this season. He’s also donated $323,000 to help fight against food insecurity amidst the pandemic. Furthermore, he has donated 200,000 Beyond Burgers to the NYC food bank.