How MLB Players Are Using Their Platform For Change

When you think of your favorite athletes’ best traits, what comes to mind?

Maybe someone who can run faster than lightning, or one who rises up to lead their team to victory. There’s a notable mention that isn’t on this list and isn’t always on fellow fanatics’ lists either. With that said, one of my favorite traits of an athlete is empathy, or more specifically, when players use their platforms for good.

Often, the fame that celebrities and famous athletes have can go to their heads, and dollar signs are the only things they see. However, many speak up for injustice and use that fame in more positive ways. In this article, I will be discussing some of my favorite philanthropic efforts that MLB stars have attached themselves to in order to bring to light worthy causes that are much bigger than baseball.

Harper’s Heroes

In 2013, OF Bryce Harper first partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), creating Harper’s Heroes. The objective of the program is for kids battling blood cancers to be able to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Before COVID-19, Harper hosted patients and survivors at Nationals Park for a day to help them forget about the troubling times with which they had to contend. The “Heroes” would get VIP treatment that included watching batting practice and participating in an exclusive Q&A with Harper after the game.

Harper even released a limited hat collection with New Era to support LLS, and a portion of the proceeds went directly to LLS to help the kids continue to fight their battles. If that doesn’t make you shed a tear, during Players Weekend in 2018, Harper wore cleats covered in illustrations from Harper’s Heroes children, and he also played with a bat that included designs from those same children.

The Home Plate Project

When the pandemic first hit, many were left with uncertainty — fearing their health, safety and financial well-being. Families across the country faced extreme struggles, including not knowing when their next meal would come since many schools — often the predominant suppliers of hot meals for kids everywhere — shut down. A league-wide initiative called the Home Plate Project stepped up and fought this battle with them.

At the beginning of 2020, the Home Plate Project was created after MLB, Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation and Big League Impact all came together to support struggling families. All 30 MLB teams and over 50 players raised nearly $1 million, providing over 4 million meals to support childhood hunger prevention in the wake of COVID-19. The initiative took off in late fall, though after seeing the urgency and need for help, the teams quickly adapted and worked to get things running for all the children who were unable to access those meals due to the pandemic.

Mike Trout Speaks Out

We all know OF Mike Trout to be an all-star on the field, but many may not know that he is one off the diamond as well.

In 2018, Trout’s brother-in-law, Aaron Cox, died after a battle with his mental health. Trout has publicly honored Cox multiple times on the field, from wearing custom cleats to sporting an embroidered jersey with his initials on the back. His son even has the middle name “Aaron,” and coincidentally enough, he was born six days before Cox’s 26th birthday. However, Trout didn’t want to stop there.

In 2020, Trout partnered with Tiny Turnip to create products in Cox’s memory. The collection included shirts with inspirational quotes on them, such as “Your game isn’t over yet.” Additionally, they connected with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for an Out of the Darkness event hosted in New Jersey.

MLB Pride Nights

Each year, most MLB teams host a Pride Night to honor members of the LGBTQ+ community. The night includes a Pride flag waved at the beginning of the game, a rainbow home plate and logo behind home plate, and other rainbow-themed paraphernalia across the stadium. Some teams also sell jerseys and hats with rainbow detailing.

On the Washington Nationals’ Pride Night in 2019, long-time LGBTQ+ advocate LHP Sean Doolittle took Pride a step further and wore Adidas cleats with the Pride flag on the side. Before the game, Doolittle wrote multiple heartwarming tweets, proving himself a worthy ally of the LGBTQ+ community. As the cherry on top of this festive occasion, one fan used this night to propose to his boyfriend during the seventh inning, and of course, Doolittle was right there to congratulate them.