The Los Angeles area’s 12 professional sports teams are coming together amid massive fires that have devastated the area in recent days.
The teams – Angel City FC, Angels, Chargers, Clippers, Dodgers, Ducks, Galaxy, Kings, LAFC, Lakers, Rams and Sparks – have pledged to donate more than $8 million to support both the victims of the Southern California and the first responders who are fighting. them.
The money will be split among several organizations, including the American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, World Central Kitchen, various local animal rescue organizations and more. Fanatics also partnered with teams to distribute $3 million in merchandise to families who were evacuated from their homes, and teams will distribute items and supplies to those families Friday at Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium and BMO Stadium . THE a clothing company also launched a series of “LA Strong” shirts that will benefit both the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.
A series of fires broke out last week in the Los Angeles area. The two largest fires, one in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire in Pasadena and Altadena, killed at least 25 people as of Monday morning. according to the Los Angeles Times. The death toll is expected to continue to rise.
THE The fire of the palisades burned more than 23,700 acres and was only 14% contained as of Monday afternoon. That fire burned more than 5,300 structures, including the homes of Lakers coach JJ Redick and the mother of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard left the team last week to be with his family after they also had to evacuate. The Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,117 acres and destroyed approximately 7,000 structures.
The National Weather Service also issued a warning Monday of a “particularly dangerous situation” as wind gusts ranging from 45 to 70 mph are expected in the coming days.
The NFL playoff game between the Rams and the Minnesota Vikings will take place on Monday evening. was transferred to Arizona following the fires. Both Lakers and Clippers to resume home games Monday after the fires, last week’s games were postponed. The Lakers dedicated Monday’s game against the Spurs to the Los Angeles community and launched a campaign to encourage fans to bring supplies into the arena.
“Sports work really well when the team, the organization has a connection to the city and the fans feel a connection to the team,” Redick said before the game. via ESPN. “And then it fits into a sort of eternal circle. The Lakers have that with the city of Los Angeles. Having played here before and lived here, I’m well aware of that relationship. And that’s part of the reason for what I wanted to coach here was to participate in that.