Charlie the Bully Buster

Basketball has provided Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva with fame and fortune. But before either of those seemed possible, it gave him a much simpler gift: a way to silence the bullies who teased him. He wasn’t always 6-foot-11, you know.

“The way I dealt with it was basketball,” Villanueva said of his classmates’ taunts. “When I was inside those [court] lines, I felt comfortable. I used basketball as a tool to overcome it.”

Villanueva’s pregame meet-and-greets with kids who have alopecia areata, the skin condition he has that causes hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere, have made him a role model for many youth. He remembers his struggle to fit in despite a conspicuous appearance – and the bullies at school who never let him forget it. That’s why Villanueva spent a few hours last week at an anti-bullying event with children from The Children’s Center in Detroit.

“Bullies can hurt someone’s self esteem pretty bad,” he said, “that’s why I’m here participating in this activity.”

The Pistons and corporate sponsor MetroPCS hosted the event, which included Villanueva participating in a series of skits that illustrated the proper way for kids to deal with bullies, especially at school.

Some of Villanueva’s roles many NBA players would not dare attempt in front of cameras. In one skit, Villanueva played the new girl at school, wearing a skirt over his Pistons sweatsuit and a blonde wig.

“To see him play a girl and put on a skirt and act like a kid, it brought it home to the kids,” said Labelle Newby, who had four children take part in the assembly between the ages of six and 10. “It made them feel more comfortable with what’s going on. It took something that’s normally bad and made it fun for them.”

Villanueva agreed that the lighthearted nature of the skits helped convey serious points to his young audience. In other skits, he dressed up as a bully leprechaun and a puppy, the peace offering between two friends and their tormentor.

“It was fun. I had a good time,” Villanueva said. “I think all the acting and funny costumes helped get the message across.”

Newby’s eldest child, 10-year-old Bryce Tripp, played the role of the school principal in one skit that stressed the importance of reporting bullying to adults.

“I was very proud. Bryce loves acting and he loves being involved and I was really happy to see him to play his role and not be nervous and just go up and participate,” Newby said. “It meant a lot to me.”

“It’s good for them to know that no matter what it’s good to tell an adult and learn the proper way to do things.”

Messages like that fit right in at The Children’s Center, which works with children who have serious emotional and behavioral issues and their families. MetroPCS, a partner of both the Pistons and The Children’s Center, helped arrange the event and supplied pizza, ribs and drinks for the children afterward.

“We wanted to make a difference, and that’s why we partnered with The Children’s Center,” said Tammy Capone, regional director of advertising and public relations for MetroPCS. “And we decided, because we have such a great sponsorship with the Pistons, let’s put the two together.”

The Children’s Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive child-serving agencies in Michigan. After the skits, the kids took an anti-bullying pledge, which they signed and then handed to Villanueva, who in return handed out autographed photos.

So how did Villanueva finally get the bullies off his back? He made sure they couldn’t reach him.

“I wasn’t always the tallest,” he said. “I had a growth spurt my second year of high school. Then the bullies stopped.”

For the children who can’t outgrow their bullies, Capone is confident they’ll be able to think of something else after watching the assembly.

“I hope they at least get some idea of how they can deal with bullies in their lives and the different tough situations that they get into,” she said.

Schoolyard bullies may find they’ve lost a lot of their power in the last week. For the kids who remember their pledge, Charlie’s in charge now.