Shaquille O’Neal Kicks Off Platform with Inaugural Contribution in Response to President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Call to Action
NEW YORK – July 29, 2015 – The Players’ Tribune, the innovative media company founded by Derek Jeter, today announced the launch of The Players’ Tribune: TPT Assist (http://www.theplayerstribune.com/category/tpt-assist/), a new cause-related platform that allows athletes to share first-hand, their impactful philanthropic endeavors through written features, videos, event activations, original photography, and social media. The platform launches today with an introduction from Derek Jeter, The Players’ Tribune founding publisher, and a heartfelt feature from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
Jeter’s commitment to the community and involvement with his own Turn 2 Foundation, which works to promote healthy lifestyles among youth, inspired the idea to create a platform for athletes to share with the world their charitable passions and inspirations.
“Giving back and helping others have always been important to me, which is why I created my own foundation,” said Jeter, the founding publisher of The Players’ Tribune. “Many of my peers in the athlete community are also using their influence in positive ways to assist others and create social change. TPT Assist allows athletes the opportunity to share how they are impacting lives in big ways.”
TPT Assist’s first series of features was inspired by President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative and will focus on a moment or experience when an athlete faced a personal crossroad or a moment of adversity in his or her pathway to success. Contributing athletes will share stories about the mentor, role model, or organization that helped them “make it.” These stories will highlight some of the challenges faced by young people today—and the importance of finding ways to help them reach their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they live, and the circumstances into which they were born.
The Players’ Tribune is supporting the President’s call to action to find ways to inspire and expand opportunity for all our youth. Through the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, the Administration is joining with cities and towns, businesses, and foundations that are taking important steps to connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into a better future.
“The Players’ Tribune has become a destination for athletes from all backgrounds, ages and sports to share their personal stories,” said Jaymee Messler, president, The Players’ Tribune. “We’re excited to announce this important platform expansion and story series highlighting some of the themes of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative. The launch of TPT Assist provides athletes with a new forum to highlight the remarkable, life-changing work they do in our communities.”
“We’re delighted that The Players’ Tribune is answering the President’s call to action and emphasizing the importance of mentorship, education and other tools to help expand opportunity for young people,” said Broderick Johnson, Chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force and Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary. “We look forward to hearing these outstanding athletes tell their stories.”
TPT Assist from The Players’ Tribune is now live at http://www.theplayerstribune.com/category/tpt-assist/ and will welcome compelling first-person written and photo stories with philanthropic components.
ABOUT THE PLAYERS’ TRIBUNE:
The Players’ Tribune is a new digital media platform created and curated by some of the world’s top athletes. Founded by Derek Jeter in partnership with Legendary Entertainment, The Players’ Tribune features fresh content, produced daily, from the perspective of the pros. The site brings fans closer to the games they love while providing a unique insight into the daily sports conversation. For more information visit www.theplayerstribune.com, or interact with the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/theplayerstribune) and Twitter (@playerstribune).
