The 10 most charitable athletes worldwide

BY THE BORGEN PROJECT ON JULY 31, 2023SPOTTED

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Athletes have a significant influence on our society. Soccer, basketball, tennis, motorsports and swimming are a few of the most popular sports worldwide. Sport gives hope, strength and confidence; it inspires and unites the globe. A lot of professionals not only achieve success through their determination and persistence. The most charitable athletes choose to make a change, fight poverty, help communities and donate to create a safer and better world for humanity and people in need. Here are the 10 most charitable athletes worldwide:

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most charitable professional athlete in the world. The soccer player is famously supporting his home country, Portugal. Ronaldo is an ambassador for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision. He notably donated $1 million to Portuguese hospitals to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and $83,000 to a young Indian boy who needed brain surgery. The celebrity does not have tattoos, for a charitable reason. He donates blood frequently in his hometown.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is one of the world’s best tennis players, and she is known for her activism. The Serena Williams Foundation has made relevant changes so far. Her foundation helped to finance a Secondary School in Matooni as well as a school in Jamaica. Williams has been awarded multiple times by the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador program, including the “Young Heroes Award” and the “Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award.” She encourages young people to achieve their dreams, and her philanthropy speaks for itself.

Lionel Messi

This soccer player created a non-profit organization, The Leo Messi Foundation, with a focus on giving children the same opportunities to make their dreams come true. Messi’s foundation donated €1 million to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Leo Messi has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2010. He was involved in helping Syrian children to attend school by rebuilding establishments —1,600 Syrian children got the opportunity to go back to education.

Michael Jordan

The retired NBA player is a philanthropist. A multimillion-dollar donation from Michael Jordan to the organization of Friends of the Children helped a national campaign for children’s support. The athlete founded the James R. Jordan Foundation in honor of his father. The foundation supports poor

communities in North Carolina and Chicago. Michael Jordan’s brand, Jordan Brand is committed to donating $100 million between 2020 and 2030.

Colin Kaepernick

The former NFL player’s activism manifests itself in the Know Your Rights organization, which helps the young to attain social justice and education in struggling social layers. The Know Your Rights COVID-19 Relief Fund took on the responsibility to help out those who needed help to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Nascar driver has helped with his philanthropy worldwide. In 2018, Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen got a new partnership with the Earnhardt family to provide knowledge about home fires. The motorsport athlete donated $400,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital a year earlier. He envisaged supporting people affected by hurricanes and wildfires.

Eli Manning

The former American football star volunteered to deliver water, baby formula and other needs to people affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Eli Manning Children’s Clinics Foundation gained donors after the athlete got involved. He created the campaign named Eli’s Challenge for the organization to fight cancer, Tackle Kids Cancer. Manning donates a significant amount of money every year.

Michael Phelps

The Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer created the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2008 after winning $1 million from his Olympic performance. He aimed to generate a healthy lifestyle for children. Financial assistance and water safety are among his most important goals within the organization. According to the Forbes list of the world’s most generous celebrities, he is one of the most humanitarian athletes.

Maria Sharapova

The retired Russian tennis player founded the Maria Sharapova Foundation in 2007. The organization focuses on children from socially deprived communities. Financial support and educational chances are at the center of the foundation. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Maria Sharapova is working on poverty issues. She raised money for Chernobyl-affected students to get scholarships.

Athletes are taking action and fighting against poverty for humanity to have a better life globally. The world’s best achievers are emphasizing the issues of our society and raising awareness with their campaigns to the most burning problems of the world. The most charitable athletes can make a difference by dedicating their activism to the most imperative issues around the world.

– Klaudia Laura Sebestyen
Photo: Flickr