Sports Philanthropy Archives - Athletes for Hope

From Charity to Community Leadership: How Pro Sports Helped Redefine Impact Over the Last 20 Years

Posted: March 30, 2026 Updated: March 30, 2026 by Jasmine Moore

By Chris Wyttenbach, Chief Program Officer, Athletes for Hope

If you’ve ever watched a professional sporting event, you’ve probably seen it: players visiting schools, teams hosting youth clinics, leagues spotlighting causes during nationally televised games.

It can feel familiar — almost expected.

And in some ways, it always has been. Think about Babe Ruth visiting kids in the hospital — an image so iconic it’s etched into our collective memory, even for those of us who weren’t around for it. That’s always been part of what athletes do. Part of who we expect them to be.

But what’s changed dramatically over the last 20 years is the scale, the intention, and the infrastructure behind it.

Twenty years ago, community impact across professional sports looked very different. There were charitable moments, individual player initiatives, and local team foundations — but little coordination, few league-wide strategies, and minimal infrastructure to support athletes as community leaders.

Then, something changed.

In the early 2000s, professional leagues began to recognize their cultural power. Athletes stepped more confidently into leadership roles. Corporate partners started investing not just in exposure, but in purpose. What followed was a transformation — from isolated charity to intentional, values-driven community engagement.

In 2026, Athletes for Hope (AFH) celebrates its 20th anniversary. I’ve been part of this organization for most of that journey, and that milestone means a lot to me. AFH was founded at the very beginning of this shift. For two decades, we’ve grown alongside the leagues — helping athletes find their voice, supporting teams in building impact strategies, and advancing a vision of sports where purpose is part of performance.

This is part of the story of how professional sports evolved its approach to community — and how athletes became catalysts for change.

The Early 2000s: A Turning Point

While leagues had long participated in charitable giving, the early 2000s marked a real inflection point.

That era saw the emergence of formal community platforms:

The NBA launched NBA Cares in 2005, becoming one of the first professional leagues to establish a dedicated, branded community impact pillar. MLB expanded long-running youth initiatives like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) while strengthening league-wide coordination. The NFL continued to scale outreach through club foundations and national campaigns focused on youth development and service.

Sports didn’t just entertain — they shaped culture. Leagues were starting to act like it.

Athletes were becoming more visible beyond the field. Fans were expecting more. Sponsors were looking for meaningful engagement. And leagues began investing in structured programs that aligned community impact with their broader identity.

At the same time, Athletes for Hope was being built — grounded in the belief that athletes, when supported with the right tools and guidance, could be powerful leaders for good.

From Charity to Community Leadership

Over the past 20 years, leagues have moved from isolated acts of giving toward coordinated, values-driven community engagement.

MLB deepened its focus on youth access and legacy through initiatives tied to icons like Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, while continuing programs such as RBI. More recently, MLB Together unified the league’s social responsibility efforts under one umbrella — connecting diversity, equity, inclusion, health, and community engagement.

The NBA set the standard with NBA Cares, which has helped build more than 2,000 community facilities worldwide, engaged millions of young people, and mobilized players around education, health & wellness, youth development, and civic engagement.

The NFL expanded its community footprint through league-wide initiatives and club-led programming. Every Super Bowl host city now receives years of coordinated community investment planning, and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award — honoring player impact off the field — is among the most coveted and respected honors in the league, the kind players genuinely aspire to win. It’s presented at NFL Honors, the league’s annual awards event, which says a lot about how central service has become to the NFL’s identity. I’ll admit I might be a little biased here — Walter Payton was my favorite player growing up, even if my team was (and remains) Green Bay. But I don’t think you have to be a Bears fan to appreciate what his legacy means, on and off the field.

The WNBA emerged as a national leader in civic engagement and social justice, formalizing its work through the Social Justice Council and elevating player leadership around racial equity, LGBTQ+ inclusion, voting rights, and public health.

The NWSL represents a newer generation of leagues where community impact and player wellbeing are increasingly intertwined. Through league initiatives and strong player association leadership, the NWSL has advanced mental health support, safety standards, and inclusion as foundational priorities. Clubs regularly activate around Pride, racial justice, and youth empowerment, while players continue to shape a culture centered on advocacy, care, and community connection.

The NHL has long invested in youth access, health, and education through hockey. Today, much of this work is carried forward by the NHL Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen communities and improve lives by promoting access to the game and supporting the health and wellbeing of individuals and families.

MLS embedded community impact early through MLS WORKS, with Soccer For All explicitly naming inclusion and belonging as core league values.

The PWHL, which began play in 2024, represents a modern approach: player wellbeing, mental health awareness, mentorship, and inclusion were built into the league from day one. It’s a sign of how far the field has come that a new league now treats community impact as table stakes, not an afterthought.

Community impact is no longer peripheral across any of these leagues — it’s woven into strategy, player identity, and how fans experience the game.

Athletes at the Center

Perhaps the most important shift over the last 20 years has been the rise of athlete leadership.

Players today are not just ambassadors — they are advocates, mentors, and community builders. Across leagues, athlete voices have helped push impact efforts into areas like mental health, equity, and civic engagement, alongside traditional causes like youth sports and education.

This has been especially visible in women’s professional sports. The WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL have each shown how athlete-centered models can accelerate progress — whether through formal Social Justice Councils, player association-led wellbeing protections, or league-wide mentorship and inclusion initiatives. In these leagues, players aren’t simply participating in impact work — they are helping design it.

At Athletes for Hope, we’ve supported this shift through workshops and programming with NBA, NFL, MLB, and WNBA teams — helping athletes clarify their purpose, develop leadership skills, and build real relationships with the communities they serve. I’ve been in a lot of those rooms, and when an athlete connects their platform to something they genuinely care about, something shifts. The work stops feeling like an obligation and starts feeling like a calling.

When athletes are given structure, support, and space to lead, the impact gets deeper, more sustainable, and more personal. We’ve seen it again and again.

Mental Health: From Care to Community Conversation

Another major shift over the past two decades has been the growing focus on mental health — and nothing illustrates that better than what we’ve seen at the Senior Bowl.

When AFH first started working with the Senior Bowl, mental health wasn’t even on the list of causes players were signing up for. Now, almost ten years later, roughly 70 percent of Senior Bowl participants identify mental health as their cause. That’s not a small shift. That’s a generation of players entering the league with a completely different relationship to the conversation.

A lot of that change traces back to individual athletes being willing to go first — Kevin Love, Simone Biles, and others who told their stories publicly at real personal risk. When athletes at that level say “this is something I’ve struggled with,” it gives everyone else permission to do the same.

Most leagues now provide internal care systems and clinical support — a necessary foundation. But increasingly, athletes are also using their platforms publicly to reduce stigma, share their stories, and educate fans.

Women’s leagues have led the way here. The WNBA has elevated mental health and wellbeing as part of its broader justice framework. The NWSL Players Association helped embed mental health care and safety standards directly into collective bargaining agreements. The PWHL launched with league-wide mental health partnerships and awareness programming built in from the start.

Mental health is no longer treated only as a private matter — it’s becoming part of a larger public conversation, and athletes are driving it. That takes real courage, and it’s having a real effect.

That combination — mental health as care and as community impact — allows athletes to connect with people in ways that go well beyond the game.

Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter

As Athletes for Hope turns 20 in 2026, I’m proud of how far we’ve come — and genuinely excited about what’s next. We’ve been part of this from the beginning, working alongside leagues, teams, and athletes as sports philanthropy grew into something that looks a lot more like community leadership.

The progress is real. Professional sports now mobilize millions of volunteer hours. Athletes are shaping conversations far beyond competition. Corporate partners are investing in purpose. Fans are engaging not just with games — but with values.

And yet, this work is still young.

The next chapter will be defined by deeper athlete leadership, stronger mental health advocacy, and smarter community partnerships. And when I say smarter, I mean that seriously — one of the things I think about most in this work is efficiency. It’s not enough to do good. We have to find the most effective ways to create social impact, and we have a real responsibility to be good stewards of donor dollars. That means building partnerships that are strategic, measurable, and designed to go the distance. Our work with the NFL is a good example of what that can look like — a long-term relationship built around education, athlete empowerment, and outcomes that actually move the needle.

At AFH, we’re committed to helping athletes lead with purpose — because when athletes thrive, communities thrive. And when sports embrace their full potential, everyone wins.

Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Thomas Joins Athletes for Hope Athlete Leadership Council

Posted: January 15, 2026 Updated: January 15, 2026 by Jasmine Moore

Thomas joins fellow Olympic gold medalists Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, and Elena Delle Donne on AFH’s Athlete Leadership Council

BETHESDA, MD, January 15, 2026 – One of America’s most celebrated track stars, Gabby Thomas, is stepping into a new lane of leadership off the track. Today, Athletes for Hope (AFH) announced that the three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas joins Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, and Elena Delle Donne on the organization’s Athlete Leadership Council. Thomas’ new role follows in the footsteps of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a founding athlete of Athletes for Hope alongside Olympic icons Muhammad Ali, Mia Hamm, and Andre Agassi.

With global attention building toward Milan-Cortina 2026 and LA28, Thomas is using her platform to highlight the importance of giving back and inspire others to do so, drawing on the role community has played throughout her career and her desire to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.

“Sport has given me so much, and community has always been at the heart of my journey,” said Thomas. “Working with Athletes for Hope is an opportunity for me to give back and use my platform to show how sports can make a difference in the lives of others by turning passion into impact.”

In joining Athletes for Hope, Thomas will champion the organization’s CHAMPS program. CHAMPS is a school-based program that uses sport to promote mental and physical wellness, leadership, and daily movement among underserved elementary school students. Each month, the program impacts over 318,000 kids across more than 1,300 schools nationwide. Led by professional, Olympic, Paralympic, and collegiate athletes, CHAMPS connects students with athlete mentors and an expert-designed curriculum that builds healthy habits, confidence, and mind-body connection.

“Gabby brings extraordinary credibility as a world-class athlete and leader who understands the power of service,” said Jason Belinkie, CEO of Athletes for Hope. “Her commitment to inspiring the next generation will help us expand the reach and impact of our CHAMPS program, empowering young people to build confidence, leadership skills, and lifelong healthy habits.”

Thomas will begin her work with Athletes for Hope immediately, supporting the organization’s CHAMPS program through youth-focused engagement, athlete mentorship initiatives, and community-based programming designed to make a lasting impact in the lives of students and athletes.

To learn more, please visit AthletesForHope.org.

About Athletes for Hope

Founded in 2006 by Muhammad Ali, Mia Hamm, Andre Agassi, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Alonzo Mourning, Jeff Gordon, Warrick Dunn and 5 other legendary athletes. AFH educates, encourages, and empowers professional, Olympic, Paralympic, college and high school athletes to find their philanthropic passions and volunteer with community organizations and schools across the U.S. AFH is now led by the next generation of athlete leaders, including Stephen Curry, Katie Ledecky, Nathan Chen, and Elena Delle Donne, and has become the largest athlete-led sports non-profit in the U.S. with thousands of athlete members. Our core programs focus on underserved youth physical activity, leadership, mental health, positively impacting more than 318,000 underserved students every month.

Athletes & Sports Philanthropy 101

Posted: March 27, 2023 Updated: March 27, 2023 by jbelinkie

The Map That Helps Athletes Give Back

By Chris Wyttenbach, AFH Chief Program Officer

Often, athletes want to make a positive difference in the world, but they don’t always know how to begin or how to turn their charitable passions into action. That is where the Causeway comes in.

The Causeway can seem like a complicated topic, especially for athletes who are new in their sports philanthropy journey. However, you will come to find out that it isn’t a race to the finish line, but rather a lifelong road map that leads to education, discovery, connection, and partnership.

Getting Into The Roadmap

What is the Causeway?

Athletes should approach charitable involvement in the same way that they approach their sports, and that’s what the Causeway does. It’s a series of steps that focus on education, reflection, improvement, and, ultimately, impact. It provides a structure that prevents athletes from getting ahead of themselves and gives them the opportunity to truly understand their platforms as agents of change for the causes that they care about.

The Causeway is a road map specifically designed to help athletes map out their charitable involvement.

When was the Causeway created?

The Causeway came together a few years after the creation of Athletes for Hope. Taking from the leadership of our Founding Athletes and the feedback from all of our AFH Athletes, we recognized that there was an opportunity to formalize the charitable journey for athletes. So, working with one of our pro bono partners, we took a deep dive into the many elements that are within sports philanthropy. The end product was the Causeway, which is now at the root of all that we do. We didn’t just stop with the creation of the Causeway concept, though. We went on to incorporate the important takeaways from the Causeway into a series of workshops that make it easier for athletes to understand and apply to their own charitable involvement.

Why is the Causeway Important?

The Causeway is full of important tips that athletes can easily incorporate into their charitable involvement. All of these tips equal an approach that leads to smart philanthropy for athletes. For example, as with anything, skipping key steps in a process can set you back. This doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens more than you would think regarding athlete charitable involvement. The Causeway’s structure prevents you from moving too fast. As we say to our athletes, it’s not a race. More broadly speaking, the Causeway leads to a greater level of efficiency, which is so important when it comes to social impact.

The Causeway leverages the good work that non-profits are already doing and allows athletes to easily combine efforts, learn about the issue, and make an impact.

What are the different destinations in the Causeway?

The Causeway has six steps, or destinations, starting with “Educate.” Education is at the beginning of every charitable athlete’s philanthropic journey. Our workshop series helps athletes start thinking about the concept of giving back from an athlete’s perspective and helps them map out their course.

The next step is “Discovery.” Here the athlete takes a moment of self-reflection to identify their passions and motivations. The athlete is now ready for “Connection.” At the Connection step, athletes begin to get into the community and determine what organizations align with their interests and availabilities. Assuming the athlete finds the right organization, they can move on to the next step which is “Engage” where the athlete starts to dedicate more time and resources to this one organization.

Then, if the athlete and organization are ready, the athlete moves to “Partner.” Athletes at this step are leaders in the space and publicly stand with the cause in the public eye. The athlete is a part of the team for their partner non-profit and consistently leverages their platform on behalf of their partner. The last step on the Causeway isn’t for everyone. “Establish” is if an athlete is ready to create a foundation, donor-advised fund, etc. An athlete should go through a series of exercises to determine if this is the right course of action.

It’s important to remember that charitable involvement is not a race and an athlete can stop at any point along the way.

The Causeway works well and its structure recognizes that each athlete’s philanthropic journey is as different as the athlete themselves.

What are some misconceptions surrounding sports philanthropy?

The Causeway addresses some of the major misconceptions around sports philanthropy. For example, you don’t need to be a superstar to make a difference in your community. There are thousands of examples of AFH Athletes making an impact with their causes in their local communities and nationally.

The athlete platform is not something that only household-name athletes have, rather it’s something that all athletes have.

That’s the power of sports. And, put simply, athlete foundations aren’t necessarily the gold standard for athlete social impact. For some athletes, foundations make sense. But, there are many other ways to make an impact. The Causeway helps find the right path for you.

If you are an athlete looking to begin your journey into sports philanthropy, contact us here.