Kaka is a name well known to the football masses. And we all know how much he loves Jesus. In addition to wearing a shirt that says, “I belong to Jesus” that he frequently displays after scoring goals, the phrase “God is faithful” is stitched into the tongues of his boots. Regardless of what one’s take is on religion, the fact that such a prominent player displays his deeply held convictions quite literally on his chest (and feet) is a powerful testament to the role that top players can play in promoting messages beyond your average product endorsement deals.
Top players have earned the right to generate income by whatever legal means available to them. Professional athletes often have small windows to generate income from their physical skill sets before their ability starts to deteriorate. Given that so many footballers spend their entire lives training and playing as a profession, one might argue that focusing on anything but the skill sets that put food on their tables is beyond the realm of their responsibilities. But the Kaka example shows that often these limitations are self-imposed.
Sure Kaka is just one of many athletes who voluntarily dedicate significant time to outside non-product endorsements. And for every Kaka, there are countless athletes who promote causes behind closed doors. But part of the allure of superstars publicly associating themselves with a cause is their ability to reach audiences that many of us would be unable to reach. It’s simply a matter of efficiency. In ninety minutes, Kaka’s shirt and shoes reach audiences that press releases and grassroots campaigns could only hope to reach after years of dedicated work.
Now imagine if Leo Messi belonged to poverty in the same way that Kaka belonged to Jesus. Imagine if Andrey Arshavin belonged to democracy. Imagine if Park Ji-Sung belonged to reconciliation. Imagine if Landon Donovan belonged to health care. Imagine.
Sure belonging to these massive issues is complicated. But so are these issues. Many fans may be slightly turned off by their favorite athletes associating themselves with controversial topics that, in their minds, pollute the sporting environment. But the corporate takeover of sport has certainly had a polluting effect to many. And in spite of segments of fans rebelling against corporate interests, fans have largely become accustomed to this reality. I mean how else can clubs afford their next transfer target in the current football environment? When one compares the slight intrusion that associating with these issues brings into the lives of fans to the enormous impacts that could be derived from these associations, standing up for one’s convictions becomes a more acceptable prospect.
I’d belong to water rights and pancakes. How about you?
You have to give Barca credit for belonging to UNICEF. A club of that stature can be pulling in major sponsorship dollars for their shirt, but they thought otherwise. This is even more astonishing to me from a financial standpoint because their bitter rivals, Real Madrid (you know the team who spent nearly half a billion dollars this year on a few signings) would make their jersey look like a Nascar uniform if they could, so they can keep spending.
Barca certainly gets credit for the UNICEF affiliation. Unless its contractually forbidden, I want to see players start to publicly associate with important causes. Give us more than the mandatory photo op.