Thursday, January 16, 2014

Give NOW before the 49ers eliminate the Seahawks!!!

The 49ers and the Seahawks have quite an intense rivalry on the football field. It's fairly new as rivalries go. Frankly we snotty San Francisco fans didn't really have the Seahawks on our radar but they have really come into their own in recent years. In fact, they actually had the nerve to beat the Niners early in the season. The 49ers responded with a win later in the season. This rivalry will be settled for this season on Sunday Afternoon then the two teams meet in the NFC Championship game.

Good natured rivalries are good things. People a little more pumped up and participants work just a little bit harder. Because of the good nature, everyone has fun too. Too often rivalries turn kind of nasty and then no one has fun. Sports fans assaulting those rooting for another team has become a real black eye for some sports rivalries. The 49er/Seahawks could have easily become that sort of thing, but because of a couple of decent and rabid football fans it is going in the opposite direction. It is a rivalry for good instead of evil.

The story starts with the Seahawks fan hiring an airplane to fly their 12th man banner over Candlestick Park during a game. It didn't sit right with some fans, but instead of getting nasty, they got creative. A 49er fan named Aasheesh Shravah decided to raise money to put up a billboard near the Seattle stadium showing all the Superbowl trophies. He needed to raise money to do that and received overwhelming support. He raised more than he needed and Shravah decided (with input from those 49er fans who made the donations) to donate the extra money to Seattle Children's Hospital. Win!

A Seattle fan named Christopher Hart responded in kind. He put up a website that will raise money for both Seattle Children's and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Win win!  Now both an anonymous donor AND the San Francisco 49ers will match those donations to UCSF up to $100,000.  Win win win.

UCSF Benioff Childrens' hospital has a opportunity to raise three times the amount folks donate. That means  $300,000 if the overall donations reach the $100,000 mark. I don't have to tell you that $300K can buy a lot of medicine.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital is Maggie's home turf. She has spent far too much time in that place, but I know that because of the care she has received there, Maggie is here today living life to the fullest. If I could match the funds as well, I would. But I can't. We just don't have that kind of money. Still I know If I donate $20 it becomes $60 and if I get 100 friends to do the same is becomes $6000. That's something. I hope some of you will come through.

This is where the problem comes in for 49er fans. We plan to win this weekend and to win big. The website  http://www.gofundme.com/12thspirit will stay up and raise money only as long as the Seahawks are in the playoffs. That means the time to donate is NOW because they should be out by Sunday afternoon!

Root for your team. Support a rivalry that is doing some good in the world. Let these guys know this is the type of sports rivalry where everyone wins. Help kids in two cities.
Don't wait until we eliminate the Seahawks. That will be too late Go to the site now and give a donation of whatever you can. If you want to do it in honor of Maggie, she would love it. 


And, by the way Go Niners!

Also Kaepernicking is very difficult when you have cerebral palsy, but Maggie gave it her best. 


She will leave it to Colin. He knows what he's doing. 



3 comments:

  1. How cool! Much better than the Niner vs Ram or Cowboy rivelry we used to have!!

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  2. Maggie does an impressive Kaepernick!!

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  3. Aww, you had me at "rivalry for good instead of evil" :-) I sent my $20 to the cause, and I don't even watch football...

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Hi Maggie loves your comments. It may take a while for the comment to post, but you will see it eventually.