Athletes for Hope has been hosting an interesting, and in this day and age of yelling over one another and personal attacks, a very cordial debate about the “obligation” of professional athletes to give back.  You can hear and read commentary from Steve Nash, Tony Hawk, Ben Roethlisberger, Mia Hamm, (fellow Hoya) Alonzo Mourning, Jeff Gordon, Warrick Dunn, Annika Sorenstam and dozens of other athletes, along with your comments at:

http://are-athletes-obligated.org/category/are-obligated/

We will have a lot to say on this topic going forward but right now I will just say this:

We are trying to help create a feeling in individuals of all ages, whether they are pro athletes, amateur athletes or just sports fans, of wanting to do good. Obligation carries with it the connotation of burden, of being forced. We all know that added weight seems to slow us down or sap of us energy, even when trying to do good.  However, just think about when you want to do something, when you are excited about the prospects of taking on and completing a task, including one that will benefit others.  That is what we are trying to help build.