Sunday, September 2, 2012

Andy Roddick and American Athletes

Andy Roddick, an American tennis idol, announced a few days ago that he would be retiring after this years U.S open.  This announcement came as a shock to most tennis fan, especially those that grew up admiring his powerful game style. A tennis friend and I had a discussion about what affect a professional American athlete has on the community, and if the athlete is more than just an entertainer. Given Roddick's recent announcement and his popularity with the public, Roddick seemed like the perfect example for this discussion.

The first argument one could make was that Roddick inspired many young American kids to become active and play tennis. Roddick endorsed many different children's tennis products to do exactly that. Additionally, Roddick takes a portion of his salary (over 20 million throughout his tennis career) and gives it back, by donating to charities. Some such charities are: "City Harvest", "Willow Foundation", and "Laureus Sport for Good Foundation". His largest charitable contribution is probably the starting of his own charity called the "Andy Roddick Foundation". "The goal of the Andy Roddick Foundation is to improve the quality of life and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all children based on the principles of respect for family, education and morality." Andy Roddick decided to be a part of something larger than just tennis, and that's why I believe he is more than just an entertainer.
Today in sports, many athletes are viewed as being overpaid. But a good question to propose is whether there is a reason for that? With Andy Roddick I believe there is.  

18 comments:

  1. I found your post very interesting because I am a fan of sports. What do the other charities benefit that he donates to? and is there a salary cap on tennis like all other sports besides baseball? Have you been paying attention to the blackhawks? Because they may be going on strike over their salaries, but if I were making 10+ million dollars I would not be complaining.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for commenting Hannah. His donations to "City Harvest" help deliver thousands of pounds of excess food from restaurants and more to community food programs. The goal of the "Laureus Sport for Good Foundation" is "Celebrating the universal power of sport to bring people together as a force for good, passionately embodying the very spirit of sport" (Charity homepage). Finally, "the Willow Foundation is a national charity that provides special days for seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds throughout the UK" (Charity homepage). Roddick is a large contributor to each of these charities.
      Regarding your second question, tennis and baseball are alike in the respect that they both don't have salary caps. One earns their salary in tennis purely based off of their results in the tournaments played and endorsements received.
      And yes I have been following the controversies over the upcoming hockey season and I completely agree. It makes very little sense to complain over salaries that are unbelievably high.


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