Bobcats to Help Fund Middle School Sports

August 29, 2010

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Bobcats Sports & Entertainment (BSE) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Jordan announced today the organization has made a $250,000 donation to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) scholarship fund to help defray the costs of middle school athletics this academic year. The donation is the largest ever made by a professional sports franchise to CMS, and the largest single donation CMS has received to date in response to budget cuts that forced its Board of Education to implement sports participation fees for all middle and high school student-athletes in the district. BSE television rights holder FOX Sports Carolinas is also participating as a co-sponsor in this initiative.

"We recognize the important role that sports plays in the lives of children at a critical time in their physical and emotional maturation," said Jordan. "As an organization committed to bringing positive and lasting change to our community in the areas of education, fitness and youth development, we're compelled to help educators who are forced to make impossible decisions with their budgets by doing what we can to ensure every student-athlete has the opportunity to compete in school sports this year."

The $1.2 million middle school sports budget includes coaching stipends, fees for officials, transportation costs and start-up funds. More than 6,500 middle school student-athletes play 13 sports in 32 schools across the district. Girls participate in basketball, golf, softball, soccer, track & field, volleyball and cheerleading, and boys in baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer and track & field. Participation fees and private donations are needed to fund the program.

"This community partnership will help many of our students increase their achievement at school in sports and in the classroom," said CMS Superintendent Dr. Peter C. Gorman. "We are glad to have partners like this who value public education, and we thank the Bobcats for this donation."

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