The 2013 LA Watts Summer Games (LAWSG) is an interscholastic athletic competition that promotes positive interaction, respect and achievement among high school youth. The Games take place on June 8-9 and 14-15 this year for healthy competition among more than 4,000 California high school athletes. The first LA Watts Summer Games were held at Locke High School and consisted of 150 student-athletes competing in three different sport competitions. Over the past 45 years, close to 300,000 student-athletes from diverse socio-economic backgrounds have participated in the LA Watts Summer Games, including 8 Olympians and 6 Hall of Fame recipients, and star athletes such as Florence Griffith Joyner, Lisa Leslie, John Elway, Michael Cooper and many more.
This year marks the first annual LA Watts Summer Games Leadership Summit on May 4, with the aim to provide education about the mission and history of the Games and to provide a platform for leadership skills development for coaches and team captains. The half-day conference is designed to bring together coaches within the Southern California area currently involved in youth sport programs and high school-aged student athletes serving in the role of team captains for their team.
We'll be leading a panel of experts as we dive into the always hot topic of "Student Athletes and Social Media," focusing on both what to do and not to do on social media. There have been several cases recently of student-athletes who've been too outspoken on Twitter or Facebook, and their comments have been damaging to both their athletic programs as well as their own individual careers. One in particular we'll be dicussing is Ohio State QB Cardale Jones, who tweeted this last fall...
If you're in the LA area on Sat May 4th, please come and join us!
Student-Athletes and Social Media: Lessons and best practices for student-athletes and coaches
Sat, May 4, 2013 11:00am
Panelists: Matt Elliott, Director of Compliance, UCLA Trenton Cornelius, Assistant Commissioner, CIF - Los Angeles City Section Brian Murphy, Senior Advisor, John R. Wooden Award Garry Paskwietz, Founder, WeAreSC.com and co-host on ESPN 710
Location: Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets 7400 W. Manchester Ave. Los Angeles, California, 90045
For the past few years, we've been carrying the ball for Cause Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Enterprise in sports. It is our firm belief that the sports industry can evolve beyond traditional philanthropy and embrace these strategies to drive business and drive change. And now there is place to learn the "X's and O's" from experts, peers and multiple industry leaders. It's time for Business4Better.
Business4Better (B4B) is a two-day conference and expo, May 1-2, 2013 in Anaheim, CA, designed to help businesses develop the knowledge, competencies and contacts to partner with nonprofits in ways that have a substantive impact on societal causes.
We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Sterling Planet to offer environmentally responsible energy solutions for sporting events across the country, with the goal to create "carbon neutral" events for all participants and attendees.
Winner of the 2012 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Power Supplier of the Year Award, Sterling Planet is a sustainability pioneer and innovative supplier of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon solutions, and has become a key player in driving sustainability and responsible energy usage in the sports business through relationships with the NHL, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Kroenke Sports Enterprises (Pepsi Center/Denver Nuggets) and Beyond Sport.
We have partnered with Sterling Planet to offer their carbon neutral solutions to Action Sports event organizers for all types of surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, motocross and BMX races and contests, as well as Endurance Racing events including marathons, 5K/10K races, triathlons, cycling and mountain biking events.
We believe our combined efforts will help the sports industry run events, tournaments and races that have a big impact on society and very small impact on the environment. The press release below has more information on the relationship; please
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for full details and to learn more about creating an environmentally responsible sports event.
"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." ~ Marshall McLuhan
Sterling Planet Teams Up with Sports and Social Change to Lower Environmental Impacts
Sports Industry Offered New Sustainability, Clean Energy and Carbon Avoidance Solutions
ATLANTA, GA - Sterling Planet, the nation’s leading retail provider of renewable energy and other carbon-reduction assets, announced today a unique partnership with Sports and Social Change, a cause-driven social enterprise in the sports industry. The two partners are providing clean energy and carbon avoidance solutions for sports event producers, participants and fans.
Sports are a year-round pastime for millions of Americans, whether they're playing and competing or watching and cheering. But what many may not realize is that staging all types and levels of competitions, tournaments and similar sports events in communities around the nation requires logistics, transportation and facility operation functions – and the significant consumption of energy and resources.
Sterling Planet and Sports and Social Change are working together at the grassroots level - where sports event programming happens on a year-round, national basis - to provide verified environmental assets and help sports event organizers reduce energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from sports events. These assets include Sterling Planet's comprehensive portfolio of renewable energy certificates (RECs), carbon offsets and innovative White Tags® energy efficiency certificates.
(When music, sports and good causes meet it's bound to be a good time; and our friend Laura Ferreiro from Music For Goodhad a quick take on this weekend’s Paralympics closing ceremonies’ featured performer...)
The London 2012 Paralympic Games are winding down, and this year’s games have hosted the greatest number of athletes since the event kicked off in Rome back in 1960.
As a culmination of the nearly two weeks of competition in sports including cycling, swimming, sailing and archery by athletes who have a range of physical disabilities, Coldplay will perform at the game’s closing ceremonies on September 9 at London’s Olympic Stadium.
"Being asked to play at the closing celebrations for the Paralympic athletes in London is such a great honor for us,” Coldplay singer Chris Martin said in a statement. “Kim Gavin and Misty Buckley are working hard to put on a spectacular Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony for the athletes and spectators in the stadium, and everyone watching around the world, and we are so happy to be involved."
What’s more, Rihanna will reportedly join Coldplay on stage to perform “Princess of China,” a song featuring the pop star on Coldplay’s most recent album, “Mylo Xyloto.” She’s been spotted at “secret” rehearsals” in London leading up to the big event.
The closing ceremony is titled “Festival of Flame,” and several details are being kept top secret. However, it has been announced that Coldplay’s hit “Viva La Vida” will be played simultaneously by several musicians at outdoor venues across the United Kingdom on the day of the closing ceremonies.
Interestingly enough, Coldplay was also asked to perform at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, but declined in favor of playing at the Paralympic Games.
Coldplay is no stranger to supporting great causes. The British band has actively supported Oxfam for several years, advocating for issues including making trade fair to end injustices against poor farmers, and Oxfam’s Hope for Haiti Appeal, calling for funds to help those affected by the country’s severe 2010 earthquake. They also are huge supporters of Amnesty International and worked with Mercy Corps on a benefit album to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Laura Ferreiro is the founder of Music for Good (http://musicforgood.tv/), which promotes the connections between musicians and the good causes they care about most.
Social Enterprise is an emerging field and one that we believe can have a tremendous impact on the sports and social change landscape. Simply put, a Social Enterprise (AKA "Social Entrepreneurship" to some) is loosely defined as using business practices to address social issues. Within our own sports industry, there are several companies effectively using social enterprise strategies including Senda Athletics, One World Futbol, Janji and others who have found ways to use sports business to drive change.
And next week, we have the unique opportunity to lead the conversation in the sports and entertainment community at the Social Enterprise Alliance Western Regional Summit, Thurs Sept 13-14 in Los Angeles.This event is co-hosted by SEA Los Angeles, San Francisco & Denver Chapters and features nearly two dozen workshops, panels and presentations, plus site visits and conversations with some leading social entrepreneurs.
We'll be moderating the "Media/Arts/Entertainment" breakout session and will explore how the arts and entertainment community is combining Social Enterprise practices and strategies with digital media tools to drive change through music, sports, film, theater, photography and art. Joining me will be some very smart folks from the entertainment and Social Enterprise space in Los Angeles: Bridget Hilton of LSTN Headphones, Chris Brereton of PictureHealing and Filmmaker Holly Mosher.
This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the Social Enterprise space to learn the ins and outs of business models, funding strategies and resources, and best practices from visionaries such as Jim Fruchterman (Benetech), Mike Hannigan (Give Something Back) and Carla Javits (REDF) who will share their strategies for success in keynote presentations.
The conference takes place at Our Lady of Angels Cathedral conference center, on Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles. For more information and to register visit https://se-alliance.org/western-regional-summit
"Being asked to play at the closing celebrations for the Paralympic athletes in London is such a great honor for us,” Coldplay singer Chris Martin said in a statement. “Kim Gavin and Misty Buckley are working hard to put on a spectacular Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony for the athletes and spectators in the stadium, and everyone watching around the world, and we are so happy to be involved."
