At charity events this year, I saw folks throw footballs or
hit tennis balls to people. I heard wild stories about ballgames and
boxing matches. And I witnessed some moments of generosity and respect
worthy of the holiday season.
Regular readers of this blog may know that when I’m not lounging in
the palatial Fort Worth Weekly office suite, I do other creative work. A
good chunk of it involves adding to the presentation of events, and
especially sports-related charitable ones. Read on for some detail on
some event-related moments that left an impression.
Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball
February, 2017
photo by Thomas GarzaFrom a sports content standpoint, it might not get better than this,
especially if you’re a boxing fan. At the end of the evening, a
roundtable discussion moderated by ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris
featured Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and Lonnie Ali (Muhammad’s
widow) talking about Muhammad Ali’s legacy. We streamed it via Facebook
Live and you can watch the panel, plus Lonnie Ali receiving an award, here.
Taste of the Cowboys May, 2017 photo by Lori Gunter FrenchThis event raises funds for the North Texas Food Bank, and the Dallas
Cowboys serve as the face of the event (especially the bearded face of
Travis Frederick and his fellow offensive linemen). They held this
year’s event at the team’s new practice facility, The Star. It features
prominent local chefs serving samples of signature dishes, so the food
is a highlight, but the most fun part might involve football. After the
live auction concludes, a bunch of current and former Cowboys players
take the stage. The auctioneer requests additional donations to the food
bank, and when an audience member raises his or her hand to contribute,
a player throws him or her a football. The completion percentage isn’t
terribly high, but you do see a few good catches interspersed. It’s a
cool spectacle and no doubt drives donations.
Behind the Masque Gala May, 2017
Former Stars goaltender Marty Turco runs a charity called C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, and they do amazing work
helping kids from challenging backgrounds navigate their teenage years
and get into college. They annually hold a masquerade ball as a
fundraiser, and this year the featured entertainment involved an
improvisational comedy troupe from the Hideout Theatre.
The comedians managed to lure the easygoing Turco on stage, where
they quizzed him about his day, which included hot yoga, picking up
spirits for the event, and playing nine holes of golf. They then made up
a song about his activities. In the middle of the routine, Turco
laughed so hard his chair broke. It couldn’t have been scripted any
better.
Talk of the Town July, 2017 photo by Carrie AdamsMaybe the most poignant moment of my year came at the Talk of the Town event. I’ve written in detail
about why, but the quick holiday summary involves a Skype appearance by
Dallas Stars announcer Dave Strader. Strader’s fight against cancer had
prevented him from being physically present at the event, but he wanted
to participate. So he joined his counterparts from the Mavericks,
Rangers, and Cowboys electronically and it lit up the room, especially
the table full of his Stars co-workers.
Nancy Lieberman Charities Celebrity Golf Classic September, 2017 image by Dave FrenchOne reason golfers play this tournament is the opportunity to rub
elbows and trade foot wedges with notables from the worlds of sports and
entertainment. It was nice seeing the likes of Seth Curry, Tony
Casillas, Jose Guzman, and others show up to the support the charity,
but one of the highlights was talking to comic actor Burton Gilliam near
the 10th tee. My work that day involved shooting video, and we got to
talking about camera technology. When he first got into the business,
there was no digital technology allowing you to see what you had just
shot as soon as you’ve done it. One shot movies on actual film, and you
didn’t know what you had until it had been developed. Burton told me
they once had to completely reshoot a scene when he was making Paper
Moon because of something they hadn’t seen the previous day. It gives
one an appreciation for all the scenes moviemakers did get right back in
the day. The main reason this one made the list though, is the scene at the end of this video. You’ll note Mr. Gilliam still has his acting chops.
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic September, 2017 image by Dave FrenchDirk and Jessica Nowitzki have put on a celebrity tennis event
the last two falls at the SMU tennis center. The tennis was a lot of
fun, with a mix of world-class players like Donald Young and celebs from
other professions like Owen Wilson and J.J. Barea. The evening before,
they hold an exclusive VIP dinner
and a silent auction. My personal favorite moment came when a video we
had edited elicited tears from some audience members, but the best
overall moment came during the silent auction that followed. As bids
rose for various package, celebrities started stepping up. Former Dallas
Star Mike Modano offered to fly in for a dinner package that already
included Dirk, and other celebs joined. There were a number of cool
gestures made and a lot of generous bids made it a six-figure night for
the children’s causes helped by the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation.
Those are just a few highlights of the year in sports charity events, and I could name many more
great moments and events (and I do feel guilty for not mentioning every
single event I worked or attended in 2017 – they were all fantastic).
Sport can be a force in doing good things, and a lot of people
contributed a lot of time, energy, and money to improving people’s lives
this year. Here’s to more of that in 2018.
Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for
sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns,
television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities
through Rush Olson Creative & Sports, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine
Productions.
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