Technical Knockout: The Boxing Hall of Fame: An Ultimate Embarrassment

Got PR?

Well, International Boxing Hall of Fame, you will certainly need some after your plans to induct two terrible men; one of which is the worst possible choice I could imagine.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this post first and I'll just wait here.
Waiting...
Waiting...
Done? Ok, great.

 Let's first talk about Mikey T.
Once named "The Baddest Man on the Planet" along with other monikers such as "Iron Mike", "Kid Dynamite", "The Unbeatable Retard", "The I Guess He's Beatable Retard"and eventually the "Manhattan Molester", we must remember the past of Mike Tyson.
At an incredible 20 years old, Tyson knocked out the aging Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavy weight champion of all time. He finished his career 50 wins (44 KOs) and 6 losses (5 KOs). But most impressively, Tyson simultaneously pissed off the entire boxing community, most of the USA and eventually most of the world. How?
Total Recall: Rape. Prison. Conversion. Comeback. Failed comeback. Bankruptcy. Retirement.

I guess PR was just promotions back then since both Don King and Teddy Atlas failed to protect a mentally destroyed boy by introducing him to society and not a shrink.

Tyson deserves to be in the boxing hall of fame, but when he dies. He doesn't deserve the ego boost or the press surrounding this introduction.
If you truly dislike Mike Tyson, check out this site for a good laugh. Also funny, Tyson won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1989 - I bet they wish they could revoke that.
Next candidate SYLVESTER STALLONE. Yes, that's right. A movie star, NOT a professional fighter, will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. We're talking about an actor, not even his character Rocky Balboa, will be granted this honor. Stallone has never been in a professional fight in his life. But I can understand why they granted him this honor; he created such a great character. Or not. But wait, he based 'Rocky' off of a real person. But, wait, Rocky wasn't original at all. But wait, he made 5 movies. But, wait.

This is the worst thing I've heard the IBHoF doing. Call me when you finally induct your 12 fighters for 2011 and I'll give you some free advice on why your campaign turned ugly and you've lost your crediblity. Hint: Learn from Sesame Street: "One of these things just doesn't belong here": "One of these men isn't really a fight-er."

My suggestions, add Rocky's lady-friend into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and then close it down until MMA and boxing collaborate, selfish children.

While Alex Rodriguez will have asterisks next to his name, Stallone will have a quote: "I feel like a kangaroo... all this stuff in my pocket."

Expecting a call in early 2011, before boxing turns into this.

Hit and Miss - Tom Brady and Peyton Manning: A Case Study

The "changing of the guard" has come for Peyton Manning.
He has lost the yearly competition with Tom Brady for the 'Ultimate Quarterback of the Universe', especially when public relations is involved.


Hit- After having an argument with friends over Tom Brady, here are some conclusions I have come to.
A- Amazing. Not much of a conclusion, I know, but the truth is he has 27 Tds and 4 picks all year. Pretty impressive numbers, all around. Numbers speak louder than words and we all love stats! Free pr.
B- Bundchen, Gisele. He has a gorgeous, super-model wife. If you have an argument, he will always have a hotter wife, end of story. And what a story that the media eats up any chance they get. Remember when Brady had a hurt leg and was using a cane? Good PR move to escape that one.
C- Cassell. People said that the offensive line with the was the reason that Matt Cassell was so good when Brady was hurt. The Pats O-Line is pretty good, but in actuality, Cassell looks pretty good. He started 3-0 with KC and they are currently 8-4, probably making the playoffs and leading the AFC West.
D- Decisiveness. Recently, a small minority of people claim that Brady's receivers are the reason that he has been so successful.

Incorrect. For two reasons:

1. Brady decides who to throw to based on a number of factors such as their position on their field, his ability and the judgment of their ability.
2. Tom Brady shares the ball. Name one receiver that has played with the Patriots in the last few years that has become a standout, incredible player with the Pats and continued to be good anywhere else. Brady makes his receivers good.

In fact, try to name the best receivers for the Pats and then compare them to any other receiving core. Almost Randy Moss, but his best years were way behind him before he came and left the Patriots.
*Wes Welker hasn't played anywhere else yet, so we'll leave this point like Barry Bond's career; an asterisk.
E-Ego. As in keeping it in check. Although Tom Brady might be one of the most confident people in the league, I'm not a statistician, but I'm sure he is one of the league leaders for comebacks; especially in the fourth quarter. He has always kept his cool, from press conference to field. Peyton has been noticeably 'off' of his usual self while the Colts have struggled and this has been evident in his conversations with the media. I guess the clever MasterCard commercials he was in didn't cross-over into showing his real personality.
I could go onto F but I relieve you of my profanity.
As much as I am happy for Brady, there is still hope for Peyton to prove to be the better of the two. In the next three weeks, he is set to play the Texans, who have a pass defensive ranking that is dead last, KC who is ranked 21st and the Titans; who showed that they couldn't stop Indy on Thursday Night Football, December 9th.

Miss- The miss, in Manning's case, is the playoffs. The 7-6 Colts may be near the top of their but they have to play two up and coming teams that will look to literally run all over the 29th ranked rush defence. The Houston Texans, with incredible running back Arian Foster, and Kansas City's HB Jamal Charles, will likely have record setting days with the help of the struggling Indianapolis D. Also, the Texans' and Chiefs' rush defense is slightly above average so watch for them to completely shut down the last ranked and non-existant run game of the Colts.
 
There is hope for Indy to squeak out another win over the Tennessee Titans (Defense Pass Rank #25) at the end of the regular season, who will surely be unforgiving since their two point lost on Dec. 9.

Can't wait to hear the disappointment in Manning's voice when he has to tell the league he is retiring on account of his team being bad and ruining his stats!

Admission: Vick is quite Sick, McNabb is McBadd.

I have to admit: Michael Vick is still quick, slick and a great pick for comeback player of the year.

Even though he has just signed a brand new contract at $40-million to $80-million, Donavan McNabb had 3 turnovers last night. But, Washington front office will only owe McNabb under $4 million, if he is cut within 10 games.

After last night's game, the domination of the Redskins by the Eagles, Vick looks as good as ever. I only hope that for Vick, this isn't his last hooray before the end of the season. The 6-3 Eagles should easily make the playoffs at this point. Their toughest competition coming next week against the 6-3 Giants and again a few weeks later.

Unfortunately for them, they don't get to plow over Washington, again.

Hit and Miss: Sunny in Philadelphia, Heat Turned Off in Miami

It must be cold in Miami! The 5-4 Heat, stacked with Bosh, James and Wade, have been in the off-position. For a team that should easily be putting up 125 points a night, the Heat should change their name to the 'Cold'. Perhaps this way their opponents will get sick and...I don't know where I was going with that. Anyways- for a team that plays their starters for the whole game (James and Wade are playing 44 minutes plus per game), one would expect a blowout win every night.

Vick looks sick. Lebron, Dwayne and Chris must feel sick.

First off - Michael Vick, welcome back. I guess if you're a celebrity, you really can get away with murder.

I am still going to praise you. Even after taking a huge hit to your career due to dog fighting charges (and the one by DeAngelo Hall), you have played well and kudos to you.

Enough about you, you still need to earn your respect back. You'll be putting your PR team's kids through University with all the money you owe them.

But here's a list of PR-related things that are missing from this season's dream-team Heat:

• A blowout win every night
• David Stern to fine them every game for showboating
• David Stern declaring them the 2010-11 NBA champions after 10 games
• Club shooting where Lebron, Wade and Bosh each get shot 8 times and make a rap video soon after.
• The league to ban firearms in the locker room - Oh sorry Gilbert, who would have guessed they would have done something like that?!
• W, B and J to quit basketball and dominate every other team sport - Florida Panthers, Florida Marlins, Miami Dolphins...

Thanks for reading...and remember: 

When athletes f--- up, there's always PR.

  

1-800-SEX-LINE - Good work, team!

Unlucky Number 113 for Lyoto Machida ...PR for Koscheck

IT IS ALL OVER!

A classic scream from ringside announcer Mike Goldberg. Mauricio Shogun Rua knocked out Lyoto Machida within minutes of the first round at UFC 113. Making quick work of what he could not finish, Rua made sure his hand was held at the end of the fight, which was quicker and less painless to watch than UFC 104. And so he should have. With nothing to lose, Shogun came out throwing. In my opinion, Shogun was also the better of the two fighters last time in Montreal at UFC 104. Now that the main event is out of the way, let's get involved with a more interesting topic...

Public Relations...

After a slow fight again Paul Daley, and a questionable knee, Josh 'Kos' Koscheck received more than just a win. He will need a publicist soon to help him as he is now the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter. Seeing how his hair speaks for him, a great move on his behalf would be to hire some great sport's PR person to actually speak for him (not dropping any names, "me") and start promoting the hell out of this opportunity. His name has never been as big as it is now, especially since he is about to fight one of the world's most popular athletes: George 'Rush' St. Pierre. GSP is expected to be the other coach and in true TUF fashion, will end the  season with a (successful) title defense against Koscheck (AGAIN). Yes, they fought in UFC 74, which ended in a unanimous victory for GSP. - Check out the fightmetric stats here.

Koscheck needs to make sure people remember who he is before he fights GSP. It appears ratings for TUF have been struggling so look for Koscheck to be in the news for some 'goonery'. Actually, as I wrote this, I noticed that Koscheck has refused to fight in Montreal. As much as I want Kos to be successful, he doesn't have a chance again St. Pierre, he's arrogantly American and his personality sucks.

...And the winner is Dana White for giving Koscheck the opportunity to make a name.

May 1st Massacre - Mayweather Murders Mosley

Over the Hill: Lucky Number 41

The most complete fighter on the planet, Pretty Boy Floyd provided everything a typical Mayweather fight should have:

Celebrities - In attendance: Mark Wahlberg, The Governator, Jamie Foxx, the Real and Fake Mohammad Ali (& Will Smith), Michael J. Fox sitting next to Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya (aka Mosley's promoter), Nick and Mariah Carey (see what I did there?), Magic Johnson, Paris Hilton, Mike Tyson, Eva Longoria [and they even helped Chris Brown revamp his career by letting him sing the national anthem].


Offensive - Although he still provided his incredible (or should I say impregnable) defense, Mayweather decided to push the fight, rather than taking to the defensive.

Money - Money Mayweather accumulated $22.5 million, not including pay-per view buys or other endorsement deals. As a reminder, his first competitive fight he earned $2,500.

Pacquiao - The only man who can compete with Mayweather, Pacquiao made the prediction that Mosley would win the fight. Now, if all goes well, a 'super-mega-monster fight' will happen between these two. Let's hope drugs, blood and urine have nothing to do with it...Last time I'll say that.

Landing punches - Talk about numbers! Check out the CompuBox numbers for Floyd: 17 of 40 power punches. Normally, his average is about 17 per 38 power punches. His opponents usually land 7 of 47; Mosley landed 8 of 40.
Excellent speed - This has always been a clear trait of Pretty Boy. Mosley couldn't handle him from the get go and Mayweather punished Mosley for being too slow.

Toughness - Almost getting knocked down in the second with a lucky right hook from Mosley, Mayweather showed his ability to handle a punch by throwing right back at Mosley. After that round, they should have just called the fight in Mayweather's favour...
Exciting - The second round provided some dramatic entertainment but from beginning to end, everyone at MGM Grand Garden Arena truly knew what was going to happen.

Mayday May Day Mayweather Mania. Alliteration that's priceless.

CAN FUND | Vancouver Medalists Keep the Momentum Running in Ottawa

CAN FUND | Vancouver Medalists Keep the Momentum Running in Ottawa

Passing the PR Puck - Ovechkin to Crosby

Sid the Kid Officially Becomes Generation Y's Gretzky

Love him or hate him, Sidney Crosby has become the new household name for hockey. Personally as a Ovechkin fan prior to this Olympics, my hat is off to Crosby and his self-made branding. Sidney Crosby, in case you were living on another planet, scored the winning goal, in overtime in the Gold Medal game of the Vancouver Olympics, on Sunday. At 22, he's won everything...literally (World Championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup- Ovechkin has none of the above. He would need a telescope to see Crosby). Winning the gold, although not single-handedly, allows him to truly call himself 'Captain Canada' (but he's WAY too modest for that).  Despite my secret dislike for Crosby, there is no better spokesperson for Canadian Hockey right now. Ok, enough ego boosting. Here's my issue: Crosby has had a ton of media training, been in thousands interviews and is on television everyday; yet he still talks to the media like a robot. Reminds me of Tiger Woods sans all the women.

Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian antagonist to Crosby, is exactly that- Cro-pposite. He has incredible emotion on the ice, loves talking to the media even when the heat is on and above all, he gets away with his antics. Last week, when Canada beat the Russians (something I enjoyed ever so much), Ovechkin pushed a female RUSSIAN fan and smashed some paparazzi camera. What could have been a PR nightmare, Ovechkin cleared up in a matter of seconds. He apologized later but said "he would not focus on failure". Immediately the limelight is off of him since he has that personality. If Sidney Crosby had done that...well, it's just so unimaginable. Probably would hear about it for...about....oh I don't know...eternity!

But who's a better online PR guru?

Here's a fun True or False game I came up with:

1. There are more YouTube videos about Ovechkin then Crosby        T or F

2. Crosby's website has more hits then Ovechkin's                              T or F

3. Ovechkin has more Facebook fans than Crosby                              T or F

4. Crosby has more twitter followers than Ovechkin                            T or F

Answers: 

1. F- Crosby has 9,000+ videos, Ovi only has 2,000+
2. F- Oveckinfans.com has 393, 138 with 602 per day. Crosby's website is under construction officially.
3. F- Crosby has 41,468 Facebook fans, opposed to Ovi's pitiful 7,804 fans.
4. F- Ovechkin has 32,000+ followers, Crosby has 10,000+

The winner of social media goes to tie..well...Sidney Crosby. Does he lose anything in his life?

ANYWAYS, the value of hockey has skyrocketed since the United States made both men's and women's Gold Medal game(s). They actually had some viewership, too! I thought that was an important fact to conclude with. Analyze THAT impact, MRP!

Crosby's Whining = Gold Medals, Stanley Cups, Trophies, Plaques and American Idol (probably)

TOUCHDOWN or FUMBLE? A case study for the Olympics

Judging the Vancouver 2010 Games on Style and Performance.

To take a page out of the Veritas Communications handbook, this will be my first edition of touchdown or fumble. In this case, the culprit: The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games (copyright, double copyright, re-use and redistribution restricted, all rights reserved, black magic swallow the key, etc).

FUMBLE

The Olympic Committee decided, as they have in the past, to establish an official website. Great. Now the public has the opportunity to become a 'facebook fan' right away! Currently on their facebook page, the Olympics have approximately half a million fans. On their official twitter page- only 9,976. With the obvious emergence and I would argue necessity of social media, why are the Olympics failing to bring in worldwide youth via internet networks? I couldn't tell you how many people watch the Olympics but I bet it's a WHOLE BUNCH! Maybe a billion? Anyways, the less popular "winter" aspect may not prove to be as interesting but as we know, the most developed nations with high internet connections are all located in the cold. Why are we not utilizing our capabilities to watch the Games on the internet or to socialize about them on 'fb'?

I can (try) to answer that.

There is a lack of communication between the Olympics and the public. While watching the Superbowl, I noticed that CTV shoved the Olympics down the view ship's throat every commercial break. (If I hear that 'I Believe' song one more time...) There was a serious failure to mention to audiences about the capabilities of the website. The website itself is actually quite impressive. They have up-to-date medal coverage, videos, news, alerts, podcasts and you can even watch the coverage live. Too bad few will ever see it.

TOUCHDOWN

As a huge fan of crisis management, I BELIEVE the Olympics dealt appropriately with the death of young luger (pronounced loo-zh-er, not loser) Nodar Kumaritashvili, from Georgia. They immediately checked the track, made modifications such as not racing immediately, testing the track, deciding on appropriate start and finish distances. Officials also talked to the media explaining the science behind what happened in terms of trajectory and other physical components. They were incredibly professional and posted information on the website appropriately. It has been so successful (as of writing this) that the Olympic games have continued on without any further discussion regarding the tragic accident.

Touchdown - Wayne Gretzky lighting the torch

Fumble - Not-so cute characters as mascots

Touchdown - Remembering to put everything in both French and English

Touchdown - Aboriginal participation in the games (also included on the website

Fumble - CTV seems amateur to NBC

Undecided - Cassie Campbell still a hockey analyst

Touchdown - Dealing with weather conditions, global warming and not letting Al Gore attend the Games
Fumble - Olympic theme song - no question about that.

The Vancouver 2010 Games win the Bronze, not Gold, in Social Media.

A PR SUCKER PUNCH: Mayweather-Mosley Mayhem May 1

Mayweather-Mosley Mayhem on May 1st Might be a Mega Miss-Match.

Ignore the alliteration-please! For after years of name calling, fight ducking and more name calling, Sugar Shane Mosley will fight Pretty Boy (actually he goes by 'Money' now) Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May Day. If you remember, yet hopefully you forgot, Mayweather was supposed to fight Manny Pacquiao but after the dramatic 'blood test' incident the fight was canceled and instead a lawsuit began. Both fighters were looking at making minimum $40-million a piece.
Mayweather unfortunately has settled to tangle with a 'past-the-due-date' Mosley. All brought about by the earthquake in Haiti, Mosley was sent to fight 'up and comer' Andre Berto. Mosley is lucky to fight Mayweather out of this because a loss to Berto, which I believe would have been the outcome, could not give Sugar Shane the opportunity he has now.

 My prediction is that Mayweather wins by score cards.

Rather than trying to hype the fight up to what it isn't (by holding it in Cowboys stadium à la Pacquiao), the Mayweather-Mosley fight is using the proper technique of creating a sold out crowd at the famous MGM Grand Garden Arena.
This is great PR. Strike that- AMAZING PR! Hold a fight, though it has the possibility to be a snore, in a historical arena where some of the biggest names have upset and been upset through the past century. The outcome of the fight is more interesting than the fight itself since both boxers will probably counter-punch each other until the crowd falls asleep and one of them gets bored.

A nightmare for Mosley's PR team is his former EPO use and the constant heckling he gets for his alleged steroid use. Guess we know what the 'Sugar' stands for. Such an up-hill battle will take most of his energy before the fight and watch for Mosley to be yawning during the fight like the rest of us. Of course with Mayweather's strategic use of urine and blood samples prior to the date, this fight may bear witness to two of the cleanest athletes in all of professional sports.

May 1st conveniently happens to be the same day as UFC 113- take that Dana White! (despite you're wonderful business sense)

As for 'Punch Drunk Pacquiao' versus Joshua Clottey - the boxing community's: "whoever that is" - he'll win but I guarantee there will be empty seats. Out of 100,000, there will be 60,000 empty seats. Mayweather-Pacquiao could be and should have been the biggest fight ever, in terms of profit, pride and punches- truly a boxer's public relations wet dream.
Apparently the winner is set to fight Pacquaio, says Freddie Roach.

Re-coining the term: 'Rope-a-Dope' as Mosley's nickname

STRIKE THREE: Roberto Alomar

The Spit Heard 'Round the World

It's not Cooperstown, but at least Roberto Alomar made it into some sort of baseball hall of fame. The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Alomar today, but, really, who cares. Our Baseball Hall of Fame should really be called the 'Toronto Blue Jays Hall of Fame' and I don't need to explain that one. Although considered one of the best second basemen in MLB history, the memory that sticks out the most is Alomar's famous blunder: Spitting in umpire John Hirschbeck's face. Every time a player comes rushing at an umpire, Indians fans' subconscious screams Alomar! Apparently they are friends today. Kids, spitting will earn you a poor reputation and despite your numbers, you won't make it into the REAL Baseball Hall of Fame by eights votes.
'Spitter': Strike One.

Even great communications can't fix what he did but there are things that he can do to make sure his reputation isn't tarnished forever. PR to the rescue: It is essential for Alomar to put pressure on his new relationship with Hirschbeck to convince the rest of the baseball community that he was penalized, everyone makes mistakes and he is sorry.
'Failure': Strike Two.

On a side note, Alomar also quit the Jays a week earlier than his contract ended since he was worried his batting average would go under .300.
'Quitter': Strike Three.

What a team player.

DOWN FOR THE COUNT: Why Brett Favre should just stay down

                         What Were You Thinking? 

Do yourself a Favre...

I hate to say it: Brett Favre has reached his expiry date.
Someone had to say it. But it is the truth. He was on the ropes for a while, too. Fighting back from a flurry of small injuries, the 40 year old is still punching his way through an addiction to painkillers. Yet, after Sunday'game of 'butterball', Favre should be handed a pink slip. If you don't  know what I mean- check out the interception or read about it. Two picks and a botched handoff to Adrian Peterson, who didn't play his best either. This blunder will be the end of his career. Reputation down for the count! The CBS announcers didn't hold back either. Troy Aikman basically explained to listeners that Favre made "a huge mistake", stating that he shouldn't have thrown the ball. "Throwing across his body into the middle of the field is the first thing they teach you not to do". I wish I could put that as my ring-tone.

I know, I know- Through the season he demonstrated the power and ability a player 'over the hill' can have, yadda, yadda, yadda. Don't  get my wrong, growing up-I loved watching him play! Even this season I jumped on the Vikings band wagon. The locker room antics were hilarious too!

Here's where the PR team comes in. Favre, who has lost his touch, needs to throw in the towel. Here's an idea: Become a quarterback coach. Give up playing! Make money in other ways; diversify your bonds. Your body will thank you in the long run and those cortisone shots will stop giving you nightmares. If all else fails, be like Emmit Smith and act in Just For Men commercials.
 He was a gladiator but even Russell Crowe died in the end of the movie.
What was all this buzz worth? Not even an NFC Championship Ring. Any publicity is good publicity? Nope.

Technical Knock Out, Round: 18.

FIRST PERIOD: OPEN HEARTS, OPEN DOORS

In November 2009, myself and 4 other students enrolled in Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Centennial College held a fundraiser at Myth Restaurant on the Danforth. The event was called Open Hearts, Open Doors and aimed at raising money for Covenant House Toronto. With the help of a great auctioneer, Andrew Gillespie, our team kept the bidders interested. The event included a live and silent auction in front of nearly one hundred people, music by DJ Hussey, free appetizers, a cash bar and more than 30 prizes ranging from $30-$500 in value.
But, how is this all related to sports?
Some of the prizes included:
- Signed and framed Andrea Bargnani Toronto Raptors jersey
- 18 holes of golf for 4 at Tam o'Shanter golf course
- Two pairs of Maple Leafs tickets
- Golf lesson over 9 holes with CPGA golf pro at Muskoka Bay Club
- Pair of Raptors tickets
After raising over $4,000 for Covenant House, I realized there is a great opportunity for athletes in fund-raising. Here are some components:

• Exposure -Donating your jersey will provide a new item to an (hopefully) endless collection of fan memorabilia. As an athlete and not quite established yet, auctioning off some of your personals could lead to some well needed recognition in the community. Sports fans are dying to get a piece of 'the next-big-thing'. In Toronto, Maple Leaf tickets are not as accessible as most of us would like. The donation of tickets by Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment makes the public aware of the organization. If you didn't know who they were before, the value of the prize is often enough to raise some thought about who they are. This method works for athletes and organizations, alike.
• Reputation -Through association, an athlete's name can become 'one' with charity. I like to think of it as an opportunity to brand themselves. The continuous support of a charity, donating time and copious amount of dollars will not go unnoticed by those that look up to them as well as the forever watching media. Charity is nothing but a positive attribute for an athlete and it comes at an affordable price (thank God for tax receipts). For the athletes in the 'bad-books', often a contribution helps relieve their misbehaviour, provided it is appropriate. Plaxico Burress teaching children in New York about gun control is not the best approach. On a side note, I expect Tiger Woods to be donating a hefty sum to his charities this year; maybe a house or two if he has any left by 2011. May I suggest 'Hope for Haiti'...
  
• Community Involvement - Providing charities with material keeps athletes out of trouble. For the most part, this statement is true. The more time athletes have off the field, ice, mountain, octagon, etc, the more time they have for socializing. Unfortunately this can transcend into trouble for some. Stay Busy! In a true PR standpoint, athlete's focus should be on their performance- not partying. Community work keeps them busy, gives them a positive aura and makes them choose a cause to donate their millions to. For their agents, managers, trainers and families, an athletes involvement in the community gives them faith that they are behaving themselves.
• Image - Talk about help or hindrance! To an athlete's image, charity is a serious contributor itself! Roger Federer's squeaky clean image happened via donations and charity tournaments. No, sorry Gillette, not you. Kids look up to him, parents 'look to him', athletes want to be him and fans are all the above. Charity truly is good PR.

This information is not exactly a secret. So many if not all professional current and retired athletes support at least one charity. From Alan Shearer (more modern? Fine, Andy Roddick) to Zinidine Zidane (fine, Yao Ming) support charities. Many established athletes even go in the direction of creating their own charities and foundations. For example, both the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Wayne Gretzky Foundation provides less fortunate youth with the opportunity to experience sports. Events such as street hockey tournaments and celebrity golf tournaments are huge successes.

...so are live and silent auctions.