Out of Bounds: Iverson Classic brings celebs, positive influence to Bowie By Jake Linger
For five years, Allen Iverson has brought his celebrity softball game to Prince George's Stadium. Granted, only most sports fans would really understand the magnitude of celebrity that sometimes shows up to play in the very loosely played competition.
However, the 2007 Allen Iverson Celebrity Summer Classic, as it is officially named, featured Grammy Award-winning artist Patti Labelle singing an unorthodox, yet soulful, rendition of the national anthem.
No, it was not as unorthodox as the Roseanne Barr version ... but thanks for asking.
Other notable nonsports celebs on hand were LaLa from MTV and actress Vivica A. Fox of the "Kill Bill" movies from director Quentin Tarantino.
The stars of the annual charity game, which raises scholarship money for student-athletes, are always the athletes. The namesake himself, Iverson, is an icon. He played his college basketball for Georgetown University under legendary coach John Thompson II.
Yes, the current coach of the Hoyas is also named John Thompson, but he is the son of the former. The coaching position for Georgetown basketball is much like Washington Redskins season tickets - handed down from generation to generation.
Iverson was drafted as the overall No. 1 pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, and after nine-plus tumultuous years in Philly was dealt to the Denver Nuggets before this year's trade deadline.
Of course, Iverson joined another guy with local ties when he became a Nugget - so to speak - in Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is a Baltimore native who played his freshman season of college ball at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim. Anthony's Orangemen won the 2003 NCAA basketball title and his Nuggets have made the NBA playoffs in each of Anthony's four seasons in the Mile High City.
Yes, the greatest moment of Anthony's short career is the fact that he played in the 2007 Iverson Celebrity Classic in Bowie.
Former Washington Wizard "Rip" Hamilton also participated in the charity game as did Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson and Arizona Cardinals guard Elton Brown.
The "dream team" of super athletes took on the WPGC All-Stars, a group made up of staffers of D.C.-area R&B station WPGC (95.5-FM). For the first time in the history of the game, Iverson's team lost. And not only did they lose, but they gave up 11 runs and two home runs as well. It was ugly, folks.
The event is managed by Crossover Promotions, whose president and CEO has managed Iverson's business ventures since Iverson was drafted into the NBA. Originally started in 1998 as a way to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Hampton Roads, Va., also Iverson's hometown, the game moved to Bowie in 2003 and now raises money for student-athletes to go to college. Crossover Promotions has provided an additional scholarship to Bowie State University for the 2007-'08 academic year.
The sold-out crowd of Prince George's Stadium was loud. Girls were screaming for Iverson. And for what it matters, guys were screaming for Iverson. 'Melo was in demand as well. But for me - and lest we forget that it is about me - the thrill was standing next to these guys who have the eyes of the sports world on them constantly. Athletes like 'Melo and Iverson do not make a move without someone noticing, and to be in the vicinity of these icons was truly unforgettable.
Also unforgettable is the charity work that some of these athletes participate in throughout the year. Iverson and Anthony, if they were to get hurt during one of these games, it could ruin their careers. How many times do we see on Sportscenter an athlete suffering a freakish injury and missing an entire season - or worse? Burleson and Brown participated just two weeks prior to the beginning of NFL training camps.
Sometimes in the world of sports, we place way too high standards upon these seemingly infallible gods. But then a "Pac-Man" Jones comes along and "makes it rain," or Michael Vick is indicted by a federal grand jury in relation to the very grizzly business of dog fighting.
As sports lovers, we can do nothing for Jones and Vick. These guys are adults and they make the same bad, and good, choices that we "mortals" make. What we can do as a society, however, is to make sure that the youth athletes who idolize these athletes understand that these guys make mistakes. They put their jerseys on one arm at a time like the rest of us.
It is so important for the youth to know that making a mistake should not banish them from society like many of us in the media have been wont to do. It is also important for the youth to understand that there are so many role models within the sports community, like Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, Shaq and Iverson.
Giving back to the community that supported the athlete is underrated and overlooked in youth sports. Parents and coaches should organize community service days throughout a season to introduce our immensely impressionable youth athletes to serving their neighbors. Serving a meal to the homeless, or having a car wash to benefit the underprivileged is a small task for the kids, but the weight that it carries down the line will be very heavy.
Lots of athletes only become involved in charity once they make it to the pros and it becomes mandatory. Will your child play in the pros?
