Earlier this month, a fire erupted in an Oakland warehouse, killing 36 people. Many local sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, have contributed money to the Oakland fire relief efforts.
The Warriors announced this in a tweet on December 7. While many fans were supportive of Golden State’s donation, others were not pleased by the amount of money, $75,000, that the Dubs pledged.
This $75,000 donation came after a $50,000 donation made by the organization the prior week. Some uninformed fans, like the one above, did not know of this additional $50,000 the Warriors pledged. However, even if fans who shamed Golden State for only pledging $75,000 knew that the total the Warriors gave was $125,000, they would not have been appeased.
The reality is that no single amount given by a large, reputable organization like a sports team, is going satisfy everyone. $125,000 is less than how much a player makes on a partially guaranteed deal, they’d argue. Would $200,000 have been enough? $300,000? $500,000? $1 million? $1 billion?
Okay, now that’s just being unreasonable.
When looking at just the amount: $125,000, yes, it’s only a fraction of one basketball player’s salary, but it’s still a significant amount of money. That’s $125,000 less than the Oakland fire relief would’ve had, had the Warriors not given anything at all.
One sports team isn’t going to fully aid in relief efforts of any tragic event. Relief efforts are successful through the collective action of many, and this isn’t limited to just sports teams. There are the common citizens, like yourself and the people who weren’t satisfied with Warriors’ donation, and the relief organizations themselves, like the American Red Cross.
What’s most important is that the Warriors are doing something and giving something to aid in such a tragic event. And that should be more than enough reason for them to be praised for their contributions to the Oakland fire relief. Rather than looking at the donation amount, people should look at the donation itself, the fact that Golden State decided to pitch in to a disaster that hit close to home.
It can be argued that anyone: athletes, sports teams, other reputable figures, and even yourself, could always be doing much more to assist their community. There’s always more money that could’ve been given. There’s always another library that could’ve been built. There’s always another hospital you could’ve visited.
However, when something dire happens and someone chooses to help out, this should not be the first thing that comes to mind. It’s the act of kindness that should not be overlooked.
