Contrary to ample evidence, athletes often receive a bad rap as self-serving. Even if they do something nice for others, they can end up seen as doing so for the accompanying good press. Convincing anyone of that negative motivation can prove a hard sell when children are involved, and Ohio has twice countered that mindset since Monday. First, basketball superstar LeBron James opened his I Promise School in Akron, and now the Cleveland Browns announced they will help Lorain City Schools outfit more than 1,500 students in new uniforms.
Browns to provide school uniforms for Lorain city schools https://t.co/Jg6k0Mt8Jc
— The Browns Wire (@TheBrownsWire) August 1, 2018
The latter matter takes center stage for us today, with the football franchise continuing a relationship with the district that includes last week’s NFL Play 60 camp at Lorain High School. Anyone who follows the NFL knows the Browns are the epitome of a long-suffering organization, especially since the last two seasons yielded a whopping 1-31 record. While they have struggled to distinguish themselves on the field, they have no such trouble within the community, as the team’s Give Back program will provide each pupil with three polo shirts, two pairs of pants, a belt and a Titan Pride T-shirt. The last item is an eponymous link to the district’s Titan Pride Apparel Equity Program, which, come the 2019-20 school year, will look to endow every student with a set of uniforms.
Despite discounted rates offered by the district, some families struggled with the cost of uniforms. The youths in kindergarten through ninth grade who will receive 10,500 articles of clothing through the altruistic gesture represent more than a quarter of Lorain’s total student body, a sizeable tally of apparel that the district’s overseers are hoping will help reduce the 39 percent chronically absent rate that plagues their institutions.
https://twitter.com/Juscause80/status/1022487640615084033
“We are humbled to receive this level of support from the Browns organization,” district CEO David Hardy Jr. said. “It is clear that [owners] Dee and Jimmy Haslam not only care about athletics, but the importance of education as well. The excitement they have created for our community and our school district is remarkable. And because of their support, we are seeing more and more supporters, locally and nationally, who are finding ways to support our district’s transformation. There is a path towards success, and we are clearly on it.”
Football is a rough-and-tumble game, so the addition of a feel-good tale to its overall narrative is always a welcome element to one’s appreciation of the game. With this extension of their partnership with the district, the Browns will surely win a few accolades. Here’s hoping that come the regular season, they convert that momentum into some gridiron-situated victories.
