Meek Mill (r) is among a slew of celebs who have agreed to participate in Rubin's All In ChallengeNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Fanatics Founder & Exec Chair Michael Rubin has created the All In Challenge in effort to raise money around coronavirus relief, and said the “real thought process here was to get everybody working together for an incredible cause." The initiative involves some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, and Rubin this morning during an appearance on CNBC said the goal is to have "every celebrity, every artist, every athlete go all in and contribute one of their most important prized possessions or create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to get tens of millions of people involved with this.” Participants can post a video explaining why they are "All In," plus what possession or experience they are donating, then challenge others. Every donated item/experience will be showcased on allinchallenge.com. All proceeds go to one of five charities: Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, America's Food Fund, Feeding America and World Central Kitchen. Participating celebs already include Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Justin Bieber and Meek Mill. Rubin: “In a crisis, and there's no bigger one than our country has ever faced, it's the responsibility of the leaders in sports, entertainment, business to really step up and figure out how to make a big difference" (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 4/15). In N.Y., Ian Mohr notes Rubin teamed with Alan Tisch and Gary Vaynerchuk "to launch the initiative." Rubin personally is putting up an "ultimate fan package with tickets to the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup finals, a World Series game, the college football and college basketball championships, the Daytona 500, the Masters, and more" (N.Y. POST, 4/15).
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: ABC’s Michael Strahan said fans can donate $10 to win dream scenarios, like attending QB Tom Brady’s first game as a Buccaneer or “shoot hoops" with O’Neal. ABC’s Will Reeve said the challenge is “gaining speed.” Reeve said a minimum $10 donation “gets you 10 entries, and the more you donate the better the odds to score a chance to have some serious fun.” The sports-related offerings include a “double-date” with Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and wife Ciara starting at $10,000. Another, featuring actor and LAFC co-Owner Will Ferrell, offers a "chance to sit with him in the owner's box” at an MLS game (“GMA,” ABC, 4/15). Here are some more of the sports-centric offerings:
- Attending Tom Brady's first Buccaneers home game, acquiring his game-worn jersey and having dinner with him
- Playing golf and having dinner with Peyton Manning in your hometown
- Owning Peter Guber's '15 NBA Championship ring
- Getting batting lessons from Alex Rodriguez and acquiring his '09 World Series trophy
- Skating and playing with the Stanley Cup-winning '94 Rangers
- A TD Garden experience with Jayson Tatum
- Having dinner with and receiving a gift from The Undertaker
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCES: ESPN Radio’s Trey Wingo said the initiative is “really, really cool.” Part of the Brady experience has the winner taking home the uniform he will wear for his first game as a Buccaneer, with Wingo noting, “The last time someone took Tom Brady's jersey, it was a much bigger deal. It became an international event.” ESPN Radio’s Mike Golic Jr. said there are "so many people trying to step up and do good right now (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 4/15). At presstime, the challenge has raised nearly $2.6M (THE DAILY).
