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Professional Athletes Are Expected to Use Their Star Power for Social Good With so much societal unrest in the past year, professional athletes have no longer been able to sit on the sidelines about important social issues. Now more than ever, these sports stars will be expected to use their celebrity status for social good to talk about issues that are both important to them and relevant to their fans. For example, NBA player Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers has long been an advocate for mental health, and has spoken publicly about his struggles with depression and anxiety. His outreach is nearly universally praised, showing that anyone can struggle with these battles. He’s expressed his gratitude that the NBA has supported his efforts and helped give him an audience. “We have our social footprint,” Love said. “If we wanted to do a PSA surrounding mental health, [the NBA presses] one button, and that’s going to tens of millions of kids [and] hundreds and millions of people.” n
Kevin Love, basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and advocate for social change on mental health.
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The Business Review | April 2021
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