Inge giving some love back.

[rabidfan]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/UPDATE/702190380



Tigers' Inge will donate $100,000 to Mott Hospital

The Detroit News




Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge and his wife, Shani, will donate $100,000 to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor.

"As excited as I am about the season starting, I'm equally excited about this gift and what it will mean to the kids at Mott," Brandon Inge said in a statement. "Playing baseball, I'm in a situation where I feel responsible to be a role model to these kids and to give something back to them."

Since 2003, the Inges have been active in volunteering and fund-raising for Mott patients and their families. In January, the Inges, along with past and present Tiger players and U-M athletes, participated in the Base-Bowl with Champions event, which raised more than $18,000 for Mott.

"We've made a genuine connection with so many of the patients and families, and we're always amazed at how they're able to keep their spirits up," Shani Inge said. "They truly lift our spirits and bring us a particular joy. That's why this gift isn't just a one-time thing for us. This gets the ball rolling so we can make sure these families have everything they need at Mott."

The Inges have a 2-year-old son and are expecting a second child in August.

[jessman1128]

Pretty cool.

[One Man's Fool]

I love Brandon, and this is very generous, but do these things always have to be announced publicly?

[Johnny Mac]

I love Brandon, and this is very generous, but do these things always have to be announced publicly?

usually its the athlete that wants it announced.

Yzerman did a lot of stuff like that which was never publically announced because he didnt want it to be. There was a long article about it on espn.com right before his retirement ceremony.

[Just Some Dude]

If I was Brandon I would want it made public. I just signed a big deal and now I am giving some of it away to a good cause. I am a frickin hero!

[jessman1128]

If he's the one announcing it, which presumably he is, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess it's another form of self-promotion, which I'm not really a big fan of. Playing devil's advocate for a minute though, maybe he's making it public in an attempt to encourage other ballplayers to do something similar? Leading by example, as it were? Although if that were the case, you'd think he'd explain that in his "statement".

[Johnny Mac]

either way its a good thing to do, even if it was for publicity, he still gave the hospital money

[IdahoBert]

It is customary for large donations to be made public for a variety of reasons, if only to induce others to be equally generous. Let's not impute an ulterior motive to this generosity. Let's accept it as something to applaud.

[billfer]

If he's the one announcing it, which presumably he is, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess it's another form of self-promotion, which I'm not really a big fan of. Playing devil's advocate for a minute though, maybe he's making it public in an attempt to encourage other ballplayers to do something similar? Leading by example, as it were? Although if that were the case, you'd think he'd explain that in his "statement".

The team issued a press release. Now clearly Brandon was on board with it, but it was the team that announced it.

[rabidfan]

The team issued a press release. Now clearly Brandon was on board with it, but it was the team that announced it.

Yup, the Tiger organization is going to take a page out of the Piston propaganda machine this year and broadcast everything these players do that has a bit of goodwill attached to it. Not to downplay what Brandon did, which was a very nice and I'm sure voluntary thing to do, and not a surprise to me in the least. Seeing the manner in which he has carried himself for the last 5 years:happy: .

[jessman1128]

The team issued a press release. Now clearly Brandon was on board with it, but it was the team that announced it.
Ah ok, that's cool. I have no objections whatsoever. And it'd be awesome if this pushes any other players, Tigers or otherwise, to do something similar.

[DetroitFolly]

It is customary for large donations to be made public for a variety of reasons, if only to induce others to be equally generous. Let's not impute an ulterior motive to this generosity. Let's accept it as something to applaud.

I'll agree

[Tyrus]

I can't say for sure, but I suspect an athlete would have to specifically request that a donation like this be kept quiet.

Hospitals all have public relations staff, as do all sports teams. These public relations officials wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't issue a press release in a situation like this.

Inge seems to be a good egg. I wouldn't call him a glory-hound for this.

[Truth]

Yup, the Tiger organization is going to take a page out of the Piston propaganda machine this year and broadcast everything these players do that has a bit of goodwill attached to it.

The NBA is behind most of what the Pistons publicize...which is usually the read to achieve and NBA cares type stuff. I don't know that I have ever heard them talk about Rasheed's charitable foundation, something I learned about when he was with Portland.

[jackson_cannery]

The NBA needs good publicity a LOT more than MLB right now. What with the player/fan brawls and shootouts outside strip clubs, etc...

[rabidfan]

The NBA is behind most of what the Pistons publicize...which is usually the read to achieve and NBA cares type stuff. I don't know that I have ever heard them talk about Rasheed's charitable foundation, something I learned about when he was with Portland.

I understand what your saying and agree with it. I guess when think about the Pistons self promotion machine taking it to a new level, I have the air horn, and the "were going to work" jingle running through my head, along with sainthood being bestowed upon players like Ben Wallace which we found out was just a tad of a stretch. The Pistons have taken sports marketing of their players to new heights, with their model I'm sure being copied by a lot of sports teams in the country.
I expect much of the same coming from the Tiger organization this year since they now have the attention of more then just the diehard baseball fan. It will be interesting to see if we get hit with more this type of publicity.
Once again, I greatly respect what Inge did. I'm just interested in marketing and advertising, and watch for this type of stuff. Cross marketing, and different methods of player marketing seems to be the way for teams drive up team revenue, helping to pay for these new levels of salaries.

[DrWho17]

I love Brandon, and this is very generous, but do these things always have to be announced publicly?
They aren't unless the athlete wants it announced. You don't hear much about C Webber/Howard/Rose and how much they contribute from the NBA. Webber/Rose/Howard lead the NBA in charitable contributions, but the only way you hear about that is on a NBA generated list.

[DrWho17]

Yup, the Tiger organization is going to take a page out of the Piston propaganda machine this year and broadcast everything these players do that has a bit of goodwill attached to it. Not to downplay what Brandon did, which was a very nice and I'm sure voluntary thing to do, and not a surprise to me in the least. Seeing the manner in which he has carried himself for the last 5 years:happy: .
The Pistons really do more with city functions then the Tigers do. It's probably more of an NBA vs. MLB thing however, rather then a Pistons/Tigers thing. Stern really pushes the players in the league to represent in the local community.

[LJK004]

I'm sure Brandon had to OK this but, he strikes me as a guy who would do it one way or the other. Either way, it's a good thing because, the hospital gets money. The press release also stated the Inges' have volunteered at the hospital before and we never heard about that so, I doubt it was for Brandon's ego. Good job Brandon and Shani.

As someone going into Public Relations, I'd love to get a job with the Pistons. The stuff they do is amazing. As stated earlier in this thread the self promotion is taking it to a new level. The advertising, marketing, and PR people are really on the ball at Palace Ent. All teams have to promote themselves but, the Pistons people are better than any other team I've ever seen. They say "imatation is the sincerest form of flattery," well other teams are copying what the 'Stones do all the time. They do an exceptional job of whipping the Palace into a frenzy during games and making sure people know what's coming up.

[Charles Liston]

It is customary for large donations to be made public for a variety of reasons, if only to induce others to be equally generous. Let's not impute an ulterior motive to this generosity. Let's accept it as something to applaud.

Absolutely. It's very much in the hospital's best interests to have such gifts made public, and there is a "Director of Development" whose role it is to solicit and publicize major gifts. Inge would have to specifically request anonymity, and why would he? He'd be hurting the hospital if he did. I'm surprised that for that size of gift they didn't put his name on something.