17 October 2011

This article is about a man named Vladimir Guerrero and how him and his brothers changed the way the residents in Don Gregorio live. “Vladdy” was recruited into the U.S Baseball league with a $70 million dollar contract. He has used most of him earnings to help improve his home town like many say they will do and never fallow though on. It all started in 1990 when an older cousin asked the brothers to buy him a bus so he could bring people to the nearby city of Bani. The bus cost $10,000 and they got $600 a month till it is paid off.  Vladdy was a big shot sports player. Many thought they would never see him again, but he gave back to the community. He didn’t just give them what they needed for the moment he gave them jobs and business that helped the economy so they would be doing well in the future as well. If I was a rich celebrity I hope I would give back to my community. Coming from a lower middle class family I would like to give children a better chance to do things that I know I was never able to. I would give money to schools for anything they need to help further education, help start a fund that would allow a student to go through college for free.

                If I was rich the charity I would donate to would be the Kawian organization. The Kawian’s are a group of volunteers that go out into our community and do anything that needs to be done. From directing traffic at the elementary school to planting flowers at the veterans’ park they do everything. They also sponsor groups below them like Key Club or the K-Builders, who essentially take part in the same actions and will hopefully partake in being a Kawian in their later years. This charity is all about the public. People hear about their organization and when it comes to getting a project done fast and cheap why not get some volunteers? If people didn’t call of them they wouldn’t exist. My favorite part about this organization is that they are not selfish; one of their biggest projects is raising money for the Eliminate Project. This project is about eliminating disease in third world countries. The diseases they are knocking out are ones that no longer exist in our lives. Last year alone they raised $20,000, this year their goal is $50,000 in hopes or removing these disease from the face of the earth.

3 October 2011

The X games have become so popular because males in their teens to their 20’s can connect to it. X games have taken something a lot of people like to do and mixed it with high corporations like TV and sponsors. Businesses are interested in the X games athletes endorsing their products because of the amount of people who watch and participate in these games. These athletes are celebrities to many people, and they get popular the more people want to be like them: same hair cut, clothing style, and sports equipment. When these BMX riders, snowboarders, and skaters are riding around with equipment from one particular sponsor they want that stuff too.

                These athletes make that money! Original salaries were the jackpots from winning a particular game/event. Now however it’s those prizes plus however much they are making by the sponsors. The average participant in the X games has a 6 digit salary. In the beginning of the X games, sponsor money was at an estimated $25 million, they predicted an estimate of $107 million for the year after this article was written.

                In 1993 ESPN management decided that they wanted to form a contest with international action sport athletes. June 24 through July 1 2005 was the first ever Extreme Games in Rhode Island. There were nine future sports: Bungy Jumping, Eco-Challenge, In-line Skating, Skateboarding, Skysurfing, Sport Climbing, Street Luge, Biking and Water Sports. In 1994 the name was officially changed to The X Games because that was what the population preferred to call it. In 1997 the winter sports part of the X Games was started, televised in 198 countries and in 21 different languages. The X Games quickly became a popular sport amongst spectators.

                The X Games went from nothing to something fast! Starting in 1995, these connectible sports have soared amongst favorites. At fist the only prize was from the games themselves, now however you can earn 6 digits with sponsors for endorsing their products. With many different sports, there is a little for everyone.