Professional Sports Teams Supporting Autism
Professional sports teams are known to support various charities and offer special events to benefit a variety of causes. Thus, countless professional sports teams support ASD.
The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League are one of the great supporters of autism. For example, the team sponsors the Mike and Jessica McCarthy Golf Tournament, which raises money for the Autism Society of Northeast Wisconsin.
Some Major League baseball teams also advocate for those on the spectrum by holding special “autism awareness nights.” For example, the Minnesota Twins sponsors an annual autism awareness day that supports The RT (Reece Trahan) Autism Awareness Foundation, dedicated to making people aware of autism and the effects it has on individuals and their families (“Autism Awareness with the Minnesota Twins,” 2014). The San Francisco Giants have a similar event every season, with proceeds going to non-profits in the autism community. The Philadelphia Phillies’ autism nights not only raise money for autism but also provide a sensory-friendly atmosphere for spectators with ASD in the stands by lowering the address system volume and training game-day employees on how to interact appropriately with those on the spectrum (Toner, 2014).
Finally, autism awareness nights can also be observed at the Scottrade Center, where the National Hockey League’s St. Louis-based team, The Blues, play. This event increases awareness of autism spectrum disorders and advocates for the needs of individuals with autism and their families who love hockey.
But it is not just the professional teams that are supporting autism. Eighty college basketball coaches wore a puzzle piece on their suit jackets this year as a part of an effort to raise awareness for the disorder.
These are just a handful of the sports teams that raise awareness about ASD.
References
Autism awareness with the Minnesota Twins. (2014, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.rtaaf.org/events/autism-awareness-w-mn-twins.php
Toner, K. (2014, December 17). Taking autistic kids out to a ball game. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/19/living/cnnheroes-ross/index.html
