Since Sunday is Sports Day in my house, I exercised my research muscles (if no other kind) and went through online disclosures of donations from the sporting world to New York-New Jersey metro area Hurricane Sandy relief. These are limited to cash-only or primarily cash donations and do not include proceeds from fundraising events or ticket sales. Of course, many individual area athletes have been pitching in with cleanup and relief efforts and are to be applauded for their generosity of time, labor and spirit.
Notably absent from the list: the National Hockey League, with three teams based right here in the metro area. The NHL is blaming their inability to donate right now on ongoing negotiations with the players’ union, although a statement from the league encouraged fans to "donate to the Red Cross disaster relief fund to help victims". Boooooooo! It's the penalty box for you, NHL. Many thanks, though, to the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and minor league Bridgeport Sound Tigers hockey teams for organizing charitable events.
It is especially interesting and gratifying to see the Soccer Federations of Brazil and Colombia on the list of donors. It's nice to see some foreign aid coming our way for once.
Meanwhile, if they’re playing today, I’ll be rooting for these generous teams and individuals who are making recovery a little easier for my neighbors in New York and New Jersey:
$1 million
Mark Cuban (owner, Dallas Mavericks)
Major League Baseball & MLBPA
National Basketball Association & NBPA
National Football League & NFLPA
New York Road Runners, Inc. (sponsors of the New York Marathon)
$500,000
Madison Square Garden, L.P.
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
New York Jets
New York Knicks
New York Yankees
$400,000
U.S. Tennis Association
$250,000
New York Red Bulls (major league soccer)
$210,000
Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat)
$100,000
Brooklyn Nets
Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Vikings
New York Racing Association
Charles Woodson (Green Bay Packers)
$50,000
Soccer Federation of Brazil
Soccer Federation of Colombia
$25,000
Orlando Magic
Jeff Wilpon (COO, New York Mets)
Undisclosed figure
NASCAR
New York Mets
New York-Pennsylvania League (minor league baseball)