For morally conflicted football fans

[Ohiogal]

There are plenty of reasons not to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday evening between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eageles — the fact that we are watching men destroy their brains in real time; the fact that the NFL has botched its handling of everything from athlete activism to domestic violence to player safety; or the fact that the Patriots are playing in the game, yet again, and their owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady all have close ties to President Donald Trump.

And yet, most of us will be watching the game anyways, albeit with a pang of guilt and self-loathing as we devour nachos and cheer for our picks.

Thankfully, two friends are doing their best to turn that inevitable despair into something, well, good. Enter, #AGoodGame, an online donations campaign that encourages conflicted football fans to donate to charity every time their favorite — or, in the case of this Super Bowl, least-hated — team scores.

The idea was born last year, when friends and lifelong Patriots fans Josh Gondelman and Emma Sandoe were texting back and forth in the lead-up to the New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl. They both couldn’t help but dream of victory, and yet, as progressives, they found the relationship between the Patriots and Trump “distressing.”

Specifically, Gondelman said that the endorsement letter that Belichick wrote to Trump, which Trump read aloud at a rally in Massachusetts the night before the election, was “the one that broke me.”

“We’re fans, but their politics were making it feel morally questionable,” Sandoe said. “So we thought of this idea to give money each time they score.”

It really is that simple. People can pledge to donate money to whatever charity they prefer any time their team scores. That way, Sandoe says, everyone is rooting for a good, high-scoring game, so that charities receive more donations. Last year, more than $100,000 was raised thanks to the #AGoodGame campaign, and Sandoe and Gondelman hope that this year’s campaign can be even bigger.

However, Sandoe urges people to get creative with it. In 2017, some of her friends who didn’t have money to spare said they were going to make a certain number of calls to a member of Congress every time their team scored. Both Gondelman and Sandoe found themselves donating each time there was a jaw-dropping catch or other big play as well. And, they are aware that the Patriots are not the most well-liked team across the nation, so if you want to donate every time something bad happens to the Patriots in the game, feel free. As long as you’re donating.

more: https://thinkprogress.org/super-bowl-charity-campaign-good-game-da17422cd07e/

[CentralMass]

1. The charitable works of the Kraft family and their foundations

https://www.thekraftgroup.com/philanthropy/
"PHILANTHROPY
Overview
Robert and Myra Kraft each came from families that taught and practiced the principles of philanthropy. Fifty years ago, they began their own mission of philanthropy and taught their children the importance and value of giving back. Today, with more than $400 million in donations from the Kraft family and their foundations, the power of philanthropy has been felt by youth and families around the world by assisting programs that foster cultural diversity, education, family and health.

Examples of how the Kraft family has given back can be seen through the work of the Kraft Family Foundation, the New England Patriots and New England Revolution charitable foundations and the Kraft Center for Community Health Leadership. Some highlights of the family’s philanthropic outreach and projects include:

The Kraft Center for Community Health emphasizes an academic-community partnership that helps develop the careers of physicians and nurses from throughout the country who are committed to improving the health of our communities.
Kraft family gifts to Partners HealthCare establishes a permanent endowment to recruit, train and retain future leaders in the community health center system. The gifts, now totaling $20 million, will endow the Kraft Family National Center for Leadership and Training in Community Health.
The Kraft Family Blood Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has become one of the largest blood platelet collection centers and leading research facilities in the world in the pursuit of a cure for cancer. Robert Kraft established the blood donor center as part of his commitment to ensuring high-quality health care can be accessed in our communities.
The Kraft Center at Columbia/Barnard Hillel houses all aspects of Jewish life and is home to a wide range of social, cultural, religious and educational activities.
Myra and Robert Kraft Chair in Christian Studies at Brandeis University endows an academic position to foster interfaith relations and dialogue.
Myra and Robert Kraft Chair in Judaic Studies and Program for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Holy Cross endows an academic position to deepen the understanding of Judaism, Jewish life around the world and Jewish-Christian relations.
Robert Kraft’s grant program established in 2014 supports New England grassroots nonprofits through surprise gifts of $100,000. "

[PJMcK]

2. I won't watch the Super Bowl tomorrow night

My fiancee and I have much better things to do with our evening!

[CentralMass]

3. Robert Kraft donates more money to Democrats then any NFL owner.

https://nesn.com/2016/02/nfl-owners-political-donations-largely-republican-robert-kraft-more-democratic/


"NFL owners, or at least those whose donations were available, mostly donated to Republicans in both the 2008 and 2012 elections. But New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the owner most loyal to the Democratic side."

"
Kraft donated a total of $204,000 to Democratic PACs from 2008 to 2014, while Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank came second with $177,400. However, neither donated as much or as often as their Republican counterparts."

[CentralMass]

4. Some details on the Kraft Trump relationship.

http://www.businessinsider.com/patriots-owner-robert-kraft-loyal-to-donald-trump-2017-1

"Robert Kraft and President Donald Trump are close, despite the Patriots owner being a life-long Democrat.
Kraft gave an example of their friendship by noting that Trump called him repeatedly after Kraft's wife died, just to check up on him.
Kraft said Trump was one of only a few people who made that much of an effort.

The New England Patriots triumvirate of owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady have ruffled a few feathers in the heavily Democratic Commonwealth of Massachusetts for their friendship and loyalty to President Donald Trump.

For Kraft especially, the relationship is puzzling to many since Kraft is a life-long democrat and donated to President Barack Obama's campaigns.

While Belichick and Brady have largely stayed mum on the subject, Kraft opened up about his loyalty in an interview with the New York Daily News. Kraft brought up the time his wife died and how Trump was one of the few people who was truly there for him, a time that seemingly cemented Kraft's loyalty to their friendship.

"When Myra died, Melania and Donald came up to the funeral in our synagogue, then they came for memorial week to visit with me," Kraft told the Daily News. "Then he called me once a week for the whole year, the most depressing year of my life when I was down and out. He called me every week to see how I was doing, invited me to things, tried to lift my spirits. He was one of five or six people that were like that. I remember that."

[CentralMass]

5. Asking someone to donate money anytime something bad happenes to a football player is reprehensible

[world wide wally]

6. But don't forget...

Several Patriot players didn't go to the WH because they can't stand Trump. Brady's wife can't either so that stifles him about it. All in all, they are the same as any other team when it comes to politics.

[CentralMass]

7. Brady didn't go but I don't believe he gave a political reason

I'm not clear on his politics and don't really care.