Hood Today

The devastation that was the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 12 has left the deprived country in shambles. Buildings crumbled, bodies lying in the street, people fearing that they may have lost their loved ones. But it is times like these that the true spirit of people comes out, as millions of dollars have been raised in the three short weeks since the violent quake.

The sports community has shown on enormous amount of leadership in spear-hearing campaigns promoting the fans of their teams to donate whatever they can in order to send some relief to the battered country. The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, numerous sports teams and individuals have donated millions upon millions of dollars to show how much this issue is not just a Haitian issue or American issue, but a world issue.

Among those giving donations have been: the New York Yankees, Lance Armstrong, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Redskins, the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, the University of Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, NASCAR owner Rick Hendrick, former NBA star Alonzo Mourning and others.

Each of the four major professional leagues in the United States has donated substantial amounts to the Haiti relief effort. Both commissioners from the MLB and NFL have announced $1 million donations on behalf of their companies and teams. The NHL also announced a $100,000 donation in support of the relief efforts.

There are several professional sports athletes that currently play one of the four sports in the United States who are from Haitian descent. Samuel Dalembert of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers taped a public service announcement for UNICEF, an organization for supporting children in impoverished areas of the world and an official partner with the NBA, urging people to give donations or whatever they can for Haiti. Dalembert was born in Haiti and still has many family members that live in the country.

"It's so tough because I'm here and there hasn't been much I can do," Dalembert said in an interview conducted a day after the earthquake on NBA.com. "I've been trying to reach family, friends and other people to know to see if they're OK. But Haiti isn't like here. Getting a hold of people isn't always that easy. Knowing what has happened, it's even harder. I basically feel helpless."

Pierre Garcon of the Indianapolis Colts is another Haitian-American who's been trying to deal with the effects of the earthquake while still trying to produce on the field. Garcon's mother is from Haiti and he still has many relatives that currently reside there. Garcon says he tries to use football as an escape and the events of the earthquake as motivation on the field.

``I wonder if they're watching the games or not, if they're all right, if they're able to watch, if they're safe,'' Garcon said in an interview with the Miami-Herald. ``I try to use it as motivation. The people would be mad at me if I went out there and played terribly, had a bad game. I'm representing them.''

Garcon has certainly used the events as motivation in the Colts two playoff games. In the third quarter of the Colts game against the Baltimore Ravens, Ed Reed picked off a Peyton manning pass intended for Garcon and it seemed like the momentum was swinging towards the Ravens. But Garcon didn't give up on the play, chasing down Reed and causing him to fumble, which was recovered by the Colts.

In the AFC championship game, Garcon had a career day, catching 11 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Garcon was named MVP of the game and when he was called to accept the award and raise the AFC championship trophy, Garcon had the Haitian flag in hand, showing his support for his country.

Even stars whose character has been questioned in the past have been quick to act. Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Dante Stallworth, and Michael Vick all have pledged money to relief efforts.

Haiti is going to be affected by this disaster for years to come and it's going to take a lot of support to help their country rebuild. Athletes are often looked at as greedy and selfish, but in times like these, their true colors show.

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