The Trail Blazers and Chair Jody Allen are committing more than $1.4M that will "help game-night employees affected by the NBA season’s postponement and go toward coronavirus relief efforts." The team in a statement said that part-time Rose Quarter employees will be paid for the "nine postponed Trail Blazers home games that remained on the schedule" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/20)....The Ballmer Group will donate a total of $1M to "community groups in Los Angeles," while the L.A. County’s Office of Education and the L.A. Unified School District both announced yesterday that they had "received $250,000 donations." The donations in L.A. follow Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer’s $3M "pledge last week to a fund created by the Seattle Foundation" (L.A. TIMES, 3/20)....NFL Panthers Owner David Tepper has donated $1M to the "COVID-19 Response Fund through the David A. Tepper Charitable Foundation" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/20).
TEAMS CHIP IN: The 49ers are committing $500,000 to support employees and the local community. The team is partnering with Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Comcast and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to assist the region's most vulnerable populations. The 49ers immediately will invest $49,000 to support a newly created fund for nonprofit organizations in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties addressing this crisis (49ers)....The Dolphins and Owner Stephen Ross have pledged $500,000 to help the youth and the elderly in South Florida (Dolphins)....The Pirates and Pirates Charities are donating $50,000 to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (Pirates).
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS: Golfer Brooks Koepka is donating $100,000 to his eponymous foundation that will go "directly to the Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund for Palm Beach and Martin Counties" (GOLFWEEK.com, 3/19)....Suns G Devin Booker, in partnership with Phoenix Suns Charities, will raise money through live-streaming on Twitch to support non-profits that best serve the needs of the most vulnerable in the community. Booker pledged $100,000 to tip off the giving (Suns)....Rams OT Andrew Whitworth and QB Jared Goff are "each donating $250,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank" (USATODAY.com, 3/20)....Bills C Mitch Morse and his wife, Caitlin, made a "donation of $100,000 to FeedMore WNY, formerly Meals on Wheels and the Food Bank" (BUFFALO NEWS, 3/20).
SEASON OF GIVING: Cavaliers F Larry Nance Jr. is donating $50,000 to both the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank (PLAIN DEALER, 3/20)....Browns QB Baker Mayfield also is donating $50,000 to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (PLAIN DEALER, 3/20)....Warriors G Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, announced the "creation of a fundraiser on Facebook." The Currys’ foundation has a "goal of $200,000" and "all of the proceeds will be funneled to Feeding America" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 3/20)....Colts CB Pierre Desir pledged a donation to the St. Louis Food Bank "large enough to provide more than 20,000 meals to struggling families" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 3/20)....Pirates P Nick Burdi "started a #MLBbloodDonationChallenge" after donating himself in order to draw attention to a nationwide shortage of blood amid coronavirus (MLB.com, 3/19).
HELPING ARENA WORKERS: The Golden Knights will "pledge a minimum of $500,000 to assist part-time arena staff and its own part-time employees who were scheduled to work the remaining four regular-season home games" at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights were "one of the last NHL organizations to announce a plan to pay arena workers, who are not team employees." T-Mobile Arena is co-owned and operated by MGM Resorts Int'l (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/20)....The NBA Kings are partnering with Legends Hospitality, ABM, Fanatics and SAMMCO to "provide compensation to their employees who work at Golden 1 Center through the end of March." The Kings "previously announced they would pay about 800 part-time, hourly Kings event employees." The team said that Thursday's announcement "ensures 1,400 Kings and arena employees will be paid until the end of the month" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 3/20).
