At most colleges and universities, athletics and sporting events help define one’s college experience. Schedules revolve around the next “big game.” Sporting events are a great place to spread the pro-life message. At no other time are you able to find such a large amount of the student body all in the same location.
Involving your Athletes in the Pro-Life Movement
First, begin by identifying the pro-life athletes on your campus. Send a representative from your group to the various athletic groups to introduce your group to them and begin the pro-life discussion.
As we all know, an athlete does not have much time to spare. However, there are numerous ways a pro-life athlete can be a part of your group and help spread the pro-life message during his or her time on the athletic field. It is your job to show them how they can be involved and can coordinate their participation with their sporting schedule.
Begin by creating an Athletic Chair position within your group; preferably this individual would be an athlete himself/herself. This person will be responsible for maintaining a master calendar of all the sporting events on campus so your group can decide which sporting events you will attend and what type of activism activity best fits the venue.
The Athletic Chair will also want to begin forming relationships with members of each sporting team. Ideally, the Athletic Chair will be able to find a pro-life individual on each team and have them report back about their team’s availability to participate in pro-life activities at their sporting events.
Athletic Activism Ideas
- Fundraise to purchase an advertisement at the stadium or in the program.
- Co-host a walk/run for life with some of the athletic teams. Donate the money to your local pregnancy help organization.
- At a large sporting event, gather your group together outside of the stadium and distribute pro-life literature as students walk into the stadium.
- Pro-Life Tailgate: Tailgate at a sporting event and give away free drinks or food to attract people to your pro-life literature table.
- Buy personalized plastic drinking cups to pass out at sporting events. In the cup, place pro-life literature.
- Coordinate all of the various sporting teams on your campus to compete who can fundraise more money at their events. At each event, you can pass around baby bottles to collect spare change.
- Auction off a night with star athletes to donate funds to your local pregnancy help organization.