League of Fans Asks Fans and Athletes to Also Become Sports Citizens
Ralph Nader announced today that his League of Fans organization is starting a campaign to recruit fans, athletes and other sports stakeholders to join the League of Fans’ effort to make sports more just, ethical and safe.
“The number of important issues and abuses in sports has never been greater,” said Nader. “Win-at-all-costs and profit-at-all-costs policies and decisions are warping the original intent of sports and gradually sapping the joy from them. We need to come together and work to take our sports back from those who view them as just another way to make a lot of bucks.”
Ken Reed, League of Fans’ sports policy director, said that sports, at all levels, have become so commercialized and professionalized that those who love sports need to become engaged beyond being diehard fans and active participants.
“We can’t just blindly sanctify sports anymore and look at sports with the romantic eye of our youth,” said Reed. “Sport is more than just another industry, or form of entertainment. It’s a major cultural practice in this country that greatly impacts our way of life, from the little leagues to the professional leagues. As such, the multitude of social, cultural, economic, health and legal issues in sports deserve serious attention. Those of us who love sports — but hate what they are becoming — need to join together and reclaim sports from those who are abusing them with their ego-and-greed-based actions.”
League of Fans is asking sports fans and athletes – of all abilities — to get involved and work to mitigate the negatives in sports while enhancing the positives.
“America needs more sports reformers, activists and change agents,” said Reed. “All significant social change begins not with government, or corporations, but with citizens – we the people. You don’t need to have a lot of power, status, or money to make a difference in your community, or even nationally. Just a strong desire to make sports better for you, your family, your community, your country, and the next generation. What we’re calling for is citizenship through sports activism.”
The announcement came in conjunction with the release of the League of Fans’ twelfth and final report from its Sports Manifesto, “Calling All Sports Reformers.”
The 12 Manifesto reports contain ideas for ways sports fans, participants, and consumers can get involved in the sports reform movement. Other ideas can be found on the League of Fan’s website: leagueoffans.org.
Fans, athletes and other sports stakeholders are encouraged to send League of Fans their thoughts, concerns and ideas regarding any sports issue or problem, as soon as possible.
League of Fans
P.O. Box 19367
Washington DC 20036
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